“Bob Towne gave me a one-line idea that became Chinatown. We were sitting at Dominic’s restaurant one evening and he said, ‘ I have an idea about a detective told in the thirties when L.A. was a small town, he gets involved with has nothing to do with what he’s really involved with. The real [...]
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Author Archive
Jan
04
2013
 
Great Screenplay = 10 Man YearsPosted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From IowaThough it’s now 2013, this blog continues to get many hits on posts I’ve written about Toy Story 3 which was released in 2010. I’m not one to stop that momentum, so here’s my first Toy Story 3 post of the year: “Andrew Stanton’s rule of thumb is that it takes 10 man-years of labor [...] “The less government interferes with private pursuits, the better for general prosperity.” Martin Van Buren Eighth United States President (1837-1841) Every once in a while I like to touch on 30 second storytelling and Google’s Martin Van Buren spot is brilliant and effective. A classic example of storytelling and simplicity. Pick your paradigm: Beginning, middle, [...] I want to take shelter from the poison rain Where the streets have no names Where the Streets Have No Name/U2 One of my favorite phrases is “terra incognita.” It’s Latin for territory unknown and is attributed to the mathematican, astronomer, geographer, and poet Claudius Ptolemy more than 1800 years ago. During the Age of Discovery [...] “I know Eric Dickerson is feeling so good right now.” Running back Adrian Peterson It was almost a cliché, but it turned into a great ironic ending. I’m not talking about a movie, but yesterday’s game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers. The Vikings needed a win in the last regular game [...] “He lost. He’s alone. And he’s three million light years from home.” Trailer for E.T., The Extra Terrestrial “In the beginning, E.T. was never going to be the story of a little lost alien. Instead, I had intended to tell the story of the effects of a divorce on a young boy, a purging of all [...] “Although the storyline of Tootsie was simple and straightforward enough, the script history of the film was anything but.” Susan Dworkin Making Toostie “Tootsie” is the kind of Movie with a capital M that they used to make in the 1940s, when they weren’t afraid to mix up absurdity with seriousness, social comment with farce, [...]
Dec
27
2012
Writing as Exploration (Tip #67)Posted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From Iowa“I do believe in the old saying ‘we write the movie to figure out why we are writing the movie.’ I started out as someone who wanted to write comedy. I never thought about comedy being an intimate, vulnerable act. Latley I have accepted that writing is a form of self-exploration. I am trying to [...]
Dec
26
2012
“Play-Making”—William ArcherPosted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From IowaWriter/director Alexander Mackendrick (Sweet Smell of Success) said of British drama critic and playwright William Archer, “To speak personally, Archer’s book on dramatic structure [Play-making] is the best text I know on the subject of dramatic construction. Here’s an excerpt from the book first published in 1912: “One thing is certain, and must be emphasised from [...] “With the dawn of redeeming grace Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.” —Silent Night I took the above picture at sunrise today—Christmas morning. This is my ninth Christmas in this house originally built in 1919 in Cedar Falls, Iowa and it will be my last. May even be my last white Christmas for a while. (Kinda following [...] |
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