“Trying to be that 1 in a trillion screenwriter who breaks through on a ‘nothing’ premise is a suicide mission. The number 1 reason a script doesn’t sell is because the concept is weak/non-existent… Be smart and choose a concept that has a chance of selling.”Carson ReevesScript Shadow: Your 2012 Screenwriting New Year’s Resolution 
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“How did I learn screenwriting? Endless hours at the typewriter, then the computer, which came along later. It was really a lot of applied time and effort and self-study. Which is the way most people learn.” Oscar-nominated screenwriter Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption) The Best of Creative Screenwriting Interviews P.S. I think “endless hours” fits [...]
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“I’m trying to communicate with people the best way I can.” Dan Harmon According to a Wired Magazine article by Bran Raftery, writer Dan Harmon grew up in Wisconsin as a class clown and watching re-runs of Taxi. He got his start doing stand-up comedy in Milwaukee. When Oliver Stone optioned a screenplay Harmon wrote with Rob Schrab [...]
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“You always have to setup and you always have to payoff. But, you know what? It works great! And it works in great movies as well. I noticed some set-ups and payoff in Courage Under Fire were very subtle and sophisticated, but they still work on the same level of your basic action movie setup [...]
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The movies Hugo and The Artists are great examples of Post Tenebras Lux (read the Jan. 2 post After Darkness, Light). And while I’m at it, those films are also examples of cinematic epiphanies (read yesterday’s post Essential Epiphanies.) While in Orlando Monday and Tuesday I was able to catch both Hugo and The Artist and I [...]
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Last night I came across this section that seems to piggyback well with Frank Darabont’s thought’s from yesterday’s post: “But, c’mon now, is it really necessary to have this change, this epiphany, by the end of the story? Yes, No character arc, no change, no movie. As for epiphanies, they and the heart and soul [...]
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Happy New Year! Yesterday, after blogging everyday for three years I decided to make some changes for 2012 and not post on weekends or holidays. Not a major change, but since readership dips some during those times it was a natural first step in shaking things up a little bit. There will be other changes [...]
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“Look, you’ve been married for 18 years…if it ended today you could probably call it a success, right?” Newlyweds (written by Edward Burns) “I need to know two people can stay together forever.” Juno (written by Diablo Cody) Edward Burns and Diablo Cody have a lot on common. That’s my take away from seeing both Newlyweds and [...]
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“But this is the future, I suppose– movie theaters aren’t going anywhere, I’m sure, but the way we watch our movies is definitely diversifying.” Edward Burns speaking back in 2007 about digital distribution for films Edward Burns isn’t just an actor and filmmaker, he’s a symbol—a symbol of the future of independent filmmaking. His latest [...]
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Jay Leno once said that the word caucus is an Indian word meaning, “the one day every four years when America pays attention to Iowa.” And now that we’re less than a week away from the 2012 Iowa caucuses there is more media attention than normal here in the state. It’s nowhere near the attention [...]
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