We’ve all heard the laments: why are playwrights more respected than screenwriters; why do playwrights retain copyright and screenwriters don’t; why do screenwriters get treated like dirt and playwrights like gods; why can’t you change a single word of a playwright’s work, but it’s okay to completely rewrite a screenwriter’s script? The fact is, playwrights [...]
When I first began writing in the screen trade, in what now feels like 200 B.C., I thought my job was pretty much done after I wrote and finalized my submission draft. Screenplay edited, polished, vetted by my trusted supporters, and ready for the cold, hard world of the screenplay spec market. Well, it was [...]
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 April 30, 2012 April 2012 Pitch Sales Roundup Before we start, a quick Scoggins & Kaplan update: We’re pleased to report that we have [...]
Bridesmaids producer Judd Apatow has had more than one young female screenwriter under his wing as of late. When Stacey Harman pitched her idea of three women going on a business trip where everything happens (except their business), Apatow took notice.
Through his childhood friendship with author Kathryn Stockett, Tate Taylor saw The Help long before the rest of the world made it a New York Times best-seller. He didn’t know then that the film he imagined as a grassroots indie would become a major release, backed by the muscle of Disney distribution, opening on August 10.
Most TV shows are written by staffs, so they’re not actively looking for new scripts, writers, or story ideas. But that doesn’t mean they never take submissions.
If you want to grab an agent or executive’s attention, your script doesn’t need to be as good as professionally written scripts … it needs to be BETTER than professionally written scripts.
In an impressive 36 hours, a new R-rated spec comedy, Bastards, by screenwriter Justin Malen, sold to Paramount for mid-six figures on June 14. Reviving the somewhat dismal spec market, this sale has everyone buzzing about the power of the spec. Script sat down with screenwriter Justin Malen to find out what is so special about his two Bastards.
“You labor for three days to write a scene, and then you cut it in the edit.” That’s the paradox of being a writer/director, says Massy Tadjedin, who wrote/directed the romantic drama Last Night, starring Keira Knightley. The film is about a married couple who spends the night away from each other after an emotional fight.
