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Archive for July, 2009

Screenwriting Quote of the Day #99 (Bruce Joel Rubin)

Posted in Screenwriting Quotes, tagged A Christmas Carol, Bruce Joel Rubin, Des Moines, Field of Dreams, Ghost, Ghostbusters., Iowa, The 48 Hour film project on July 30, 2009 | 1 Comment »

So last weekend for The 48 Hour Film Project/ Des Moines our team drew “Ghost Story” as the genre in which we had to make a short film. We quickly started connecting the dots and Ghost was the first movie we tossed out as fitting the genre. That lead to jokes about getting a pottery [...]

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Cinderella & Cinderella Man

Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged Cinderella, Cinderella Man, Facebook on July 29, 2009 | 1 Comment »

There’s nothing new about looking at the lasting impact of the Cinderella story. The basic theme resonates in so many stories it would take a lot to ignore the facts. Overlooked working girl ends up getting the prince. It strikes a cord. No one wants to be overlooked. We long for our work and ourselves [...]

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When Actor Scott Glenn Quit Hollywood

Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged Denzel Washington, Glory, Idaho, Kethum, Scott Glenn, Shakespeare, Urban Cowboy on July 28, 2009 | 2 Comments »

There are two performances by actors that stick in my mind as transcending acting. In both performances I had not see the actors before which helped bring a sense of heightened reality to the roles they played. And both come down to a single scene that burned into my memory. One was Denzel Washington and [...]

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Frank McCourt 1930-2009

Posted in screenwriting, tagged Frank McCourt on July 27, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Ernest Hemingway once said something to the effect that the secret of being a good writer was to have a miserable childhood. If that’s the case, Frank McCourt was fully qualifed.
McCourt, who died last week, really should be the patron saint of something. Maybe the patron saint of writers who endure. If you’ve read his [...]

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Making a Film in 48 Hours

Posted in screenwriting, tagged Des Moines, Dom Wooten, Iowa, Jack Ackerman, The 48 Hour film project on July 26, 2009 | 1 Comment »

A friend of mine from film school who has made over a dozen feature films says forget whether or not a film is any good or not, he’s just amazed that a film simply makes sense after you’ve finish editing it. Anyone who’s made even a short film knows there is a lot of truth [...]

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Screenwriting Quote of the Day #98 (Dona Cooper)

Posted in Screenwriting Quotes on July 25, 2009 | 1 Comment »

“(As a screenwriter) your goal should be to develop an educated gut, which is where the intellectual and emotional meet. When you have an ‘educated gut,’ it means that you receive visceral signals from your creative instincts, yet have enough command of craft to translate their message with with clarity and confidence.”
[...]

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The Twilight Zone Secrets

Posted in screenwriting on July 24, 2009 | 1 Comment »

This weekend I’m doing the 48 Hour Film Project (Des Moines) where who have to make a short film from beginning to end in 48 hours. It’s an exercise in embracing limitations. And when push comes to shove all filmmaking is embracing limitations because some where you have to draw the line on running time [...]

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