“I remember when we were doing the press for The Brother’s McMullen somebody in Fox Searchlight’s press department kept talking about the thing that’s going to help this movie—it’s the movie, but its [also] the story of the movie. They said any time you make a movie you should think about that—the other story you […]
Original Source…
Author Archive
May
06
2015
 
Finding Your Filmmaking NichePosted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From IowaBack in 1995 filmmaker Edward Burns won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival with his debut film The Brother’s McMullen. In his new book Independent Ed he recounts what led to that success giving assists to various college classes, Syd Fields’ book Screenplay, The Foundations of Screenwriting, Robert McKee’s story structure seminar, and working as […]
May
04
2015
‘Who Cares If It’s Garbage?’—Edward BurnsPosted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From Iowa“My thing has always been—and I’m lucky—in that I like to write. Everyday, it’s not a problem. I do the same routine every morning; 9:30 I sit down and open the laptop until 1:30 I’m going. Doesn’t matter if I think it’s sh*t. If I’m in a groove, or it’s like pushing the boulder up […]
May
03
2015
‘Brother’s Blood’—A Case StudyPosted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From IowaMay your hands always be busy May your feet always be swift May you have a strong foundation When the winds of changes shift Forever Young lyrics by Bob Dylan A few days ago The Wrap announced a deal between actor Michael Mosley and Brother’s Blood author Scott Cawalti that left out one screenwriter that was about […] WME story editor Christopher Lockhart estimates that over his career he’s read more than 50,000 scripts. No typo—50,000 scripts. So when he tosses out a piece of advice consider taking it to heart: “Writing scripts is really, really, really hard. Get that right first. Do that right first before you start thinking about everything else. […]
Apr
27
2015
A Perfect Bad Idea (& Oscar-winner)Posted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From IowaHow did we end up here? Riggan (Michael Keaton) in Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) By his own admission filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu was a “terrible student” and college dropout, and a street musician who knew he wasn’t good enough to have career in music. So what road did he take to become […] “When you can have a positive effect on people’s lives and help them reach their dreams, that is the best reward a teacher can have.” Ralph Clemente “A teacher who can arouse a feeling for one single good action, for one single good poem, accomplishes more than he who fills our memory with rows and […] “And don’t forget to punch the clock, shorty.” Well-known scene from Oscar-winning Breaking Away screenplay written by Steve Tesich Have you ever had a job where you punched a time clock? You know, a place where you punch-in with a time card when you start work and you punch-out whenever you stop working. It’s an accurate way to […]
Apr
18
2015
Screenwriting Quote #194 (John Jarrell)Posted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From Iowa“When analyzing any film, two specific questions need to be asked of each beat — 1) What is the ultimate purpose of each scene? 2) What does it accomplish structurally?” Screenwriter John Jarrell (Romeo Must Die) Tough Love Screenwriting: The Real Deal from a Twenty-Year Pro Page 164 This ends posts the past two weeks centered […]
Apr
16
2015
‘Little Green Envelopes of Love’Posted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From IowaThe single thing that mostly sets apart screenwriter John Jarrell’s book Tough Love Screenwriting is the more than 70 pages he spends on WGA Credit Arbitration. (With a nod to producer Joel Silver for giving him his own “Cliff Notes on Arbitration.”) He points out that while not common, it’s not unheard of to have 50 drafts […] |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
