Author Archive
Jan
24
2012
 
The First Academy Awards (1929)Posted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From IowaInspired by seeing the silent film The Artist (2011) I’ve spent most of the past week or so reflecting on the early days of motion pictures, and since the Academy Award nominations are today it seems fitting to look back on the first Academy Awards on May 18, 1929. One of the most significant things [...] “Here’s my unsolicited advice to any aspiring screenwriters who might be reading this: Don’t ever agonize about the hordes of other writers who are ostensibly your competition. No one else is capable of doing what you do.” Diablo Cody (Oscar-wining screenwriter—and Univ. of Iowa grad—who gave me the inspirational jolt to start this blog.) Introduction/Juno: [...] “The only genius to come out of the movie industry.” George Bernard Shaw (on Charlie Chaplin) “(Chaplin) is the only person to have gone down into cinematic history without any shadow of doubt. The films he left behind can never grow old.” Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky When most people think of silent movies they think [...] “All right, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.” Norma Desmond Sunset Blvd. The perfect segue from a post on Gloria Swanson is one on Cecil B. DeMille. He not only had a cameo performance (as a director of Swanson) in the 1950 movie Sunset Blvd.—but he’s been called “the founder of Hollywood.” His first film [...] “I am big— it’s the pictures that got small.” The faded from glory silent film star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) in Sunset Blvd. “We didn’t need dialogue—we had faces.” Norma Desmond (Sunset Blvd.) Yesterday it was announced that The Artist lead the race for the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) with a total of 12 nominations. So in [...] “You ain’t heard nothin’ yet.”Al Jolson in The Jazz Singer In light of (the mostly silent) film The Artist moving forward during the Award Season, it’s a fitting time to look backward on the film industry. Imagine being thirty something and going to the movie theater in 1927 to see The Jazz Singer. Every movie [...]
Jan
16
2012
Martin Luther King Jr. SpecialPosted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From Iowa“Was not Jesus an extremist for love — ‘Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you.’ Was not Amos an extremist for justice — ‘Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.’” Martin Luther King Jr. Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963) I’ve never been [...]
Jan
16
2012
Writing “The Artist” (Part 3)Posted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From IowaSince I wrote that first post on The Artist last Thursday, the movie has won seven awards including the Critics Choice Best Picture as well as the Best Motion Picture—Comedy or Musical at the Golden Globe Awards. “I think the most complex thing when you write a script is to make it simple. I hope [...]
Jan
13
2012
Writing “The Artist” (Part 2)Posted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From Iowa“Here is one of the most entertaining films in many a moon, a film that charms because of its story, its performances and because of the sly way it plays with being silent and black and white.” Roger Ebert’s review of The Artist “One day, the world says to you, ‘You’re part of the past.’ [...]
Jan
12
2012
Writing “The Artist” (Part 1)Posted by: screenwritingfromiowa in Screenwriting From Iowa“I thought making a silent film would be a magnificent challenge and very rewarding if I could manage it.” Michel Hazanavicus Writer/director, The Artist This year I’ve spent more time in Florida than I have in Iowa. Of course, the new year is only 12 days old, but nine of those days were spent working on a [...] |
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