There’s been a lot written lately on the decline of the movies as a relevant and vital entertainment medium and –like it or not — it looks like we are living in the last days of cinema as we have traditionally known it. There are three primary reasons for this: The technology is dying: the [...]
The Scoggins Report is a compilation of sales and trends in the industry. The Report is reprinted at ScriptMag.com by permission of the authors. The Scoggins Report by Jason Scoggins & Cindy Kaplan May 14, 201 May 2012 Pitch Sales Scorecard This week’s edition of the Scoggins Report was a blast to pull together, thanks [...]
Gary Ross, writer-director of films such as Seabiscuit and Pleasantville, invited me to join in a round-table luncheon with Massachusetts Rep. Ed Markey. The congressman had shown interest in meeting with movie-making word-merchants to discuss a subject plaguing that particular news quarter: Violence in Movies. The tragic events of Columbine were still in the rearview [...]
If you ask a comedian what it’s like to perform onstage, don’t expect a lighthearted response. “Doing standup is like walking on a tightrope over a tank filled with sharks while the audience is hacking at the tightrope with machetes,” notes J.D. Shapiro, a regular at venues including world-famous L.A. club the Comedy Store. Yet [...]
This week’s Ask the Expert is answered by screenwriter of Buried and ATM, Chris Sparling. Before I say a word, let me simply ask why the default settings for Microsoft Word are eleven point Calibri font? Has anyone ever – and I mean ever – written something in those settings? This might seem like a [...]
This week’s Screenwriter Website of the Week is Jared Dunne’s Three Lines or Less. Jared posts screenwriting news and hosts a logline contest. Screenwriter Geno Scala, @Sharkeatingman, is one of the contributors to the site. Bookmark it. Test the effectiveness of your logline, and follow Three Lines or Less on Twitter for more information.
Every once in a while I get an opportunity to help a fellow writer or colleague. Whenever my schedule permits, and even when it doesn’t, I do my best to say, “yes.” Why would I offer up my time, even when I’m busy? To learn. I don’t care how many scripts you’ve written or how [...]
Five years ago, a good spec TV script could land you a job on staff. Now, everyone wants spec pilots. So where are the resources on how to write one? Enter William Rabkin: not only has he written and/or produced hundreds of hours of dramatic television, but he literally wrote the book on pilot writing. [...]
The Myth of the 3-Act Structure: Why Am I Lost in the Second Act? At a Glance This webinar includes a free 20 minute one-on-one consultation. You’ll also have your questions answered by Award-Winning Screenwriter Jacob Krueger! Stop imposing rigid formulas from the outside, and learn how to grow your screenplay organically, from character, to [...]
