Archive for the “Screenwriting From Iowa” Category


“Without people who believe in you as a writer, or in your screenplay, or in the film itself, it would have been impossible” Oscar-nominated screenwriter Craig Borten (Dallas Buyers Club) In the post Screenwriter Melisa Wallack I mentioned how she co-wrote Dallas Buyers Club with Craig Borten. Wallack waited for more than 10 years so […]

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As I looked over the names of the 2014 Oscar nominees one named jumped out at me that I knew I had not pulled any quotes from in the six years of doing this blog. In fact, the name was totally off my radar. Melisa Wallack is now on a lot more radars than she was […]

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In terms of the Academy Awards, the morning of the Oscar-nominations in January and the night of the Oscars in February make fitting Hollywood bookends. And it’s a time where the drama isn’t left on the big screen as the debating begins about which movies and people will win alongside speculation on why other movies and people […]

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“The writing part is sometimes the hardest part. And I think with the writing part I just give myself a lot of time to just daydream.” Oscar-nominated Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich) While the Spike Jonze masterclass with the  Ghetto Film School is more of a short interview I thought it was a good opportunity to look at […]

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“Reality’s what I need. Because what is there left that I can believe in?” The Twilight Zone, The Lonely  (1959) Season 1, Episode 7 written by Rod Serling We all need a little tenderness How can love survive in such a graceless age The Heart of the Matter Lyrics by Don Henley, J.D. Souther, Mike […]

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“You’re taking over my life!”  Electric Dreams (1984) (Miles in conversation with Edger—his personal computer with a life of its own.) “This summer comes a story about the illusion of reality…and the lies that have a life of their own.” Trailer for S1m0ne (2002) Over the weekend I saw the movie Her written and directed […]

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“I’m more interested in politics than anything in the world.  Much more interested in politics than I am in movies, art, or anything. I’m absolutely fascinated by politics and have been all my life…The truth is every piece of art is a political statement. When you deliberately make it you—the audience is going to get […]

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“I think The Third Man is one of the best, if not the best, non-auteur films ever made.” Writer/Director Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show) “The Third Man was never written to be read but only to be seen. Like many love affairs, it started at a dinner table and continued with many headaches in […]

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“Anybody who goes into film has to be a little crazy. And has to be ready for every kind of disappointment and defeat. And must be grateful for any kind of evening such as this that he can get out of it. It’s mathematically almost an impossible medium to succeed in on any sort of […]

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“Coverage: All the shots and angles needed to capture a scene effectively and edit it well.” Glossary of Lighting Terms, Lowel EDU Much has been written about Orson Welles watching John Ford’s Stagecoach 40 times before or while making Citizen Kane. One of the techniques Welles learned from Ford was shooting long takes. And Welles said he learned from Ford not just shooting long […]

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