The biggest news came out yesterday when it was announced that Quentin Tarantino has withdrawn his lawsuit against Gawker over the leaking of his HATEFUL EIGHT script. The original complaint stated that the website had "crossed the journalistic line" by linking to the script under a post titled, "Here Is the Leaked Quentin Tarantino Hateful Eight Script." However, the complaint from the beginning seemed to lack enough evidence. Additionally, why not go after who was posting the script online not those who linked to it. (Source)
American producer, screenwriter, director and WGA member Barry Levinson resigned recently over what he has called “reprehensible” treatment regarding his work on the Philip Roth novel The Humbling. Levinson was one of many writers to have worked on the adaptation and ended up not receiving what he felt was a deserved credit. Some of his films include THE NATURAL, GOOD MORNING VIETNAM, RAIN MAIN. Levinson cited the arbitrator in the case as being incorrect and when requested that the person be replaced, he was denied. “This is out of frustration and reaching my boiling point,” said Levinson, who has been Oscar nominated as a writer three times in his long career. “This became an impossible situation. In 40 years, I never once asked for a credit..." (Source)
Universal Pictures has named Chandus T. Jackson, Margaret Rose Lester, Steve Martinez, Ivy Pruss and Saila Reyes as the first writers selected in its first ever Emerging Writer’s Fellowship. (Source)
Screenwriter Evan Daugherty (SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN) is looking to make his feature directorial debut onINK AND BONE for Dimension Films. The story centers on a female book editor who is forced to visit the home of a horror writer to encourage him to complete his novel. Shockingly she discovers that all of his creations are holding him hostage. (Source)
British playwright turned screenwriter and filmmaker Tom Stoppard (SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE) has selected unknown scribe John Markesano to adapt Adam Makos bestselling nonfiction book A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II. (Source)
All of us creative types have things we're naturally good at, and things we've learned to do, and things we aren't that good at (yet). This creates a creative trap: when approaching a project, we often work on the part we understand best — the part that scares us least. So if you're good at plot, you write the plot first, and then fill in the characters later. If you're good at characters, you write up the characters and then feel your way towards a plot.
Everyone pursuing a screenwriting career will eventually realize this journey is not for the thin of skin or for those who cannot handle the emotional ups and downs this business brings. If you haven’t yet experienced the soul crushing disappointment of finally having written a script that goes into development, but it doesn’t make it to production and sits on a shelf, I don’t envy you. It’s happened to me a handful of times out of my nearly two dozen paid screenwriting assignments. Learn this early — there are no guarantees in the screenwriting game. You take your lumps, heal, and move on to the next screenplay and the next one.
I love Readers! Yes they are the gatekeepers to the Promised Land and like it or not they do have power. But just how much? Well, I’m here to show you. I got my hands on a classified document folks, the holy grail… An actual copy of a real STUDIO MEMO covering GUIDELINES for their READERS.
Scenes must have a reason to exist in your screenplay. Each scene must advance the plot forward through dialogue and/or visual storytelling. Characters’ journeys drive the script’s narrative, and each scene must steer their journey forward. Although some scenes might not even contain any characters, these scenes must still provide information about your plot, as well as your characters’ lives and actions. There is no set rule as to how many lines, paragraphs, or pages constitute a scene.
The following has nothing to do with wet t-shirts. This entry is actually about screenwriting contests - a subject with little marquee value. One of the most popular category of questions that I find in my e-mail box is about screenwriting contests. As I say over and over, I believe that most are a waste of energy and entry fee. Some - like the Nicholl and Disney Fellowships - are very reputable and have launched a few Hollywood careers. Regardless of how reputable any contest might be, the screening process for most seems tenuous. Low fees for contest readers and a bulk of scripts guarantees a sloppy vetting system.
"Lowtide" writer, director and producer Kevin McMullin has sold his short story "Bomb" and is tabbed to write the script for "low seven figures" and "Gladiator" director Ridley Scott is attached to Direct. According to reports, 20th Century beat out studios Apple, Netflix, Sony, and Warner Bros.
Books are the fastest and easiest way you can learn from an expert. In screenwriting, it’s no different. Some of the best screenwriters and those who have mastered the craft, have created countless books trying to encapsulate all they’ve learned in their work. If you’re a new screenwriter and looking to improve or simply to learn how to create better scripts, these three books will help you out.
Everybody has a perspective. Everybody in your scene has a reason. They have their own voice, their own identity, their own history… But if you don’t know who everybody is and why they’re there, why they’re feeling what they’re feeling and why they’re doing what they’re doing, then you’re in trouble.
What is a successful second act? One that keeps the reader engaged, moves the story forward, and successfully delivers it into the falling action; that being the third act climax and the denouement. A bad screenplay has a second act that simply doesn't keep the narrative trajectory in place and thus the spine of the story sags; meaning rising tension and conflict is not taking place.