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scr(i)pt Magazine - November/December 2004
November/December 2004
Issue Highlights
by David S. Cohen
Filmmaker, pilot, inventor, billionaire, lover, madman: Howard Hughes looks like an ideal subject for a movie. The problem, as screenwriter John Logan discovered, is deciding which Howard Hughes to put on the screen.
by Bob Verini
One of the greatest tragedies of our time, and one of the least reported, is the 1994 genocide in which almost one million Rwandans were randomly slaughtered in just over three months. Veteran political screenwriter Terry George talks about his efforts to bring this painful story to the screen as Hotel Rwanda.
by Josh Heald
Scribe Josh Heald discusses the development and recent sales of his script All You Can Eat and pitch Open Bar, and the importance of establishing a balance between marketable material and creative input.
by Rachel Wimberly
Sam Bicke was an average guy until things in his life started to fall apart—and he attempted to assassinate President Nixon. Writers Niels Mueller and Kevin Kennedy discuss how they dramatized Sam’s shift from everyman to assassin during the writing of The Assassination of Richard Nixon.
by William C. Martell
Everyone says that writing is rewriting, but what does rewriting involve? Do you need special tools? How do you know what needs work and what is perfect? Should you hire a script doctor to do the rewrites for you?
by Michael Lee
Does your epic fantasy or adventure still feel flat? Give it some punch by focusing on your genre’s “elemental” strengths.
by Staton Rabin
In a good script, why does the chicken cross the road? To get there faster and skip over the boring parts! Using examples from successful films of various genres, story analyst Staton Rabin teaches you some tricks for writing set-ups and exposition—to get your story from here to there quickly and efficiently in every script you write.
by Bob Verini
Why do some action-adventures leave spectators cold? In many cases, it’s the way the script uses humor. When a hero doesn’t take his peril seriously, how can we? Sometimes it pays to play it for real.
Dealing With Multiple Protagonist Syndrome
by David Landau
Navigating the ensemble screenplay can be a challenge, but manageable and fun when you know a few tricks of the trade.
by John Hill
Scared of studio pitch meetings? No problem, if you have P.T. Barnum’s gift of gab and The Terminator’s self-confidence.
by Joel Haber
While you may write witty dialogue, how do you fare with long, active passages in which little dialogue is uttered? Balancing specific details with a good overall description of the beats and dramatically evocative descriptions can enliven battles, physical comedy and even sex scenes.
by Ray Morton
“You only get one chance to make a first impression,” the saying goes. Nowhere is this truer than in the world of screenwriting. In this issue columnist Ray Morton offers some tips to help you find and fix problems in your script before you send it to market.
by John Scott Lewinski
Kimberly Mercado, founder of the Los Angeles branch of the writers forum Tuesdays@9, wants aspiring scribes to take the “interesting” path of life. Through her experiences she demonstrates how the people surrounding us act as creative stimulants for success.
by Rita Cook
Sometimes you catch your big break far before you know it. Clayton Surratt, who recently sold his first script 342, will testify that his big break actually came the moment he met his manager A.B. Fischer.
by Kate McCallum
Informational documentaries and reality programming are flooding the TV marketplace. Get an insider’s look at the process of writing and developing the Travel Channel special Marvel Super Heroes’ Guide To New York City.
by Glenn Kaufmann
Can you have a full and dynamic career as a screenwriter without living in Los Angeles? Glenn Kaufmann analyzes the pros and cons of working from outside of L.A. through candid interviews with working writers, producers, agents and managers.
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