“Over and over again we have tried to find a peaceful way out of the differences between ourselves and those who are now our enemies.” King George VI (Colin Firth) The King’s Speech, Oscar winner; Best Film, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Screenwriter That above quote is the kind of the history of the world [...]
Archive for February, 2011
A New Kind of Filmmaker
Posted in Screenwriters, tagged Austin, Austin Film Festival, Bradley Jackson, Edward Burns, Francis Ford Coppola, John August, Kevin Smith, Robert Rodriguez, Ron Dawson, Scott Rice, SXSW, Texas, The Doorpost Film Project, Writing for Hollywood without living there on February 26, 2011 | 2 Comments »
“Cinema has always been marriage of technology and human talent.” Francis Ford Coppola (older filmmaker based in Napa Valley) “I think every filmmaker needs to make 20 awful films before they can make one good one. And I made my share of totally awful films with my friends.” Bradley Jackson (younger filmmaker based in Austin) [...]
Objective Correlative (Tip #48)
Posted in screenwriting tips, tagged About Schmidt, Beehive, Chekhov, Citizen Kane, David Lavery, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Hal Ackerman, Hamlet and His Problems, John Corbett, No Country for Old Men, Northern Exposure, Pittsburgh, Richard W. Krevolin, Rocky, Screenwriting from the Soul, T.S. Eliot, Tennessee Williams, The Cherry Orchard, Truly Madly Deeply, Write Screenplays That Sell on February 24, 2011 | 2 Comments »
What in the hell is an “objective correlative”? And why do so many movies and plays have one? There are things in your life that you’ve attached meaning to. When you see them they conjure up memories of people, places and events. If I give my wife Toblerone chocolate it’s a fond reminder of a [...]
Stay with the Money (Tip #47)
Posted in screenwriting tips, tagged A Beautiful Mind, David Mamet, Ellen Page, Erin Brockovich or Juno, Howard Lindsay, Julia Roberts, Paul Newman, Russell Crowe, The Verdict on February 23, 2011 | 3 Comments »
One of the great things about watching films over and over again is you begin to notice little details and see patterns emerge. Ideally the first time you watch a movie you are simply engaged in the story. Then you go back as a screenwriter looking for clues as to what made the films work, [...]
Is 110 the New 120?
Posted in screenwriting, tagged Alan Ball, American Beauty., Sam Mendes, ScriptShadow on February 22, 2011 | 3 Comments »
Since in the past few days I’ve written about two Hollywood screenplays that not only featured mathematical geniuses (A Beautiful Mind, Good Will Hunting) but both happened to win Oscars for their screenwriters. So I thought it appropriate to crunch some numbers and look at the going script length of screenplays in the marketplace today. [...]
Writing “Good Will Hunting”
Posted in screenwriting, tagged A Beautiful Mind, Ben Affleck, Good Will Hunting, Gus Van Sant, Jack Lemon, Matt Damon, Michelangelo Antonioni, Terrence Malick), Tom Shone, Walter Matthau on February 21, 2011 | 1 Comment »
“At first the screenplay (Good Will Hunting) seemed perhaps a little wordy. As Matt (Damon) joked on the set when we shot the movie, the Good Will staging was usually two people sitting in chairs across from each other and talking. Only the backgrounds and the characters changed, and usually only one of the characters [...]
Extreme Screenwriting
Posted in screenwriting, tagged 127 Hours, Adam Levenberg, The Bourne Identity, Unstoppable on February 20, 2011 | 1 Comment »
“Movies are about heroes trapped in extreme situations. They are forced to do outrageous things and overcome impossible odds to achieve a specific goal. It’s much easier to create ideas of value by appealing to the audience’s desire to revel in the sensational.” Adam Levenberg The Starter Screenplay Related posts: Writing “Black Hawk Down” Filmmaking [...]
Cassey at the Mat
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged Ali Frarokhmanesh, Cassey Herkelman, Cedar Falls, Cedar Falls High School, Ernest Thayer, Iowa, Kurt Warner, Matthew Modine, Sleeping with the Enemy, The Bridges of Madison Country, University of Northern Iowa, Vision Quest on February 19, 2011 | 1 Comment »
“My grandma really said I should, so I did.” Cassey Herkelman on her decision to become a wrestler “Defiance gleamed in Casey’s eye, a sneer curled Casey’s lip…” Casey at the Bat Ernest Thayer, poem first published in 1888 By default yesterday Cedar Falls, Iowa was back in the national news with an intriguing story. It’s [...]
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Screenwriting from Iowa- You Tube Film School (Early Film History) Scott W. Smith
