“The most important decision I have to make: What is this movie about? I’m not talking about plot, although in certain very good melodramas the plot is all they’re about. A good, rousing, scary story can be a hell of a lot of fun. But what is it about emotionally? What is the theme of [...]
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Archive for April, 2011“Hiring sycophants and servants is selling the picture and myself short.” Director Sidney Lumet Making Movies When great directors die you look over their credits and there are 2 or 3 films that tend to jump off the list. They may not even be their most honored work, but the ones that are special to [...]
Apr
08
2011
 
Screenwriting Quote #150 (Paul Chitlik)Posted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From Iowa“There is only one type of scene that should be in your movie: scenes that move the story forward and illuminate character. If a scene doesn’t do one or both of these chores, then that scene doesn’t belong in your screenplay.” Paul Chitlik Rewrite
Apr
07
2011
Writer/Director Paul SchraderPosted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From Iowa“I got into screenwriting for the best of all reasons: I got into it for self-therapy.” Writer/Director Paul Schrader (Raging Bull, Affliction) It’s doubtful that there will ever be another filmmaker like Paul Schrader that will come out of America. The screenwriter best known for writing Taxi Driver is the confluence of people and events [...] “Always do right. This will gratify some people & astonish the rest.” Mark Twain “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” Mark Twain It’s debatable, but Mark Twain may be the most quoted American ever. He was so witty that he’s been attributed quotes that he may have never said or written. [...] If you’ve written a couple screenplays and are a few steps down the road in your screenwriting journey, it would be easy to dismiss Adam Levenberg’s book The Starter Screenplay. But unless you’ve had a six-figure script sale, it’s worth a read. Because until you get past that point you’re still essentially at the staring [...] Many years ago I went to a production seminar that had a money back guarantee if you weren’t satisfied after the first day. I left after lunch and got my money back because I didn’t think I was learning anything new. An older and wiser video producer/director I knew later told me, “Scott, you don’t [...]
Apr
03
2011
Screenwriting Quote #149 (Ben Ripley)Posted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From Iowa“The reason I’m a screenwriter today is that I believed in my talent and made the sustained sacrifices to become one. I eschewed other career paths. I worked day jobs to support myself. I wrote on weekends when maybe I would have had more fun at the beach. I started and finished scripts and then [...] “Once I have an idea that I think works, my first step is to take pages and pages of notes, whatever comes into my head.” Screenwriter Ben Ripley The movie Source Code is what you get when you mix The Matrix with Groundhog Day. The new movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan was written by [...] A few years ago one of the first posts I ever wrote for this blog was titled Everything I learned in Film School (Tip #1). It took me 1,434 words to say what Neil Simon says in one paragraph. Well, he is Neil Simon. We should expect more. After all the Emmy—Tony—WGA—Golden Globe—Pulitzer Prize winning [...] |
