Story. Screenplay. Sale.
‘Situation comedy writing… you sit in a room with a bunch of other comedy writers and you pitch jokes. The first job I got, I didn’t say a word for six weeks and every day I, I would go home and think I was going to get fired that day… I was so scared, and … Read more
Earlier this month, Seth Godin published a blog post that resonated with me. A piece so sharp and pertinent, I decided to translate it to screenwriting. (It was originally about Harper Lee) “[Screenwriting Genius X] is a legend and a genius. She’s also the exception that proves the rule, twice. Rule 1 – Screenplay Hope Rule 1: Your … Read more
I have worked in the film and television industry for thirty-five years now. And I find there is one really easy way to tell whether someone understands their own story or not. Can they write a logline for it? I am not saying that writing a logline gives you the ability to write great scripts, … Read more
Some claim the 70’s was the best decade for film. I agree. The decade of Jaws and Star Wars was also that of Chinatown, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and Alien. It was the time of the smart thrillers: political, conspiracy, spy thrillers. A director who mastered all three, was Alan J. Pakula. He … Read more
‘Everything that could go wrong was going wrong, I was sort of dead man walking in Hollywood, like, yeah that guy’s getting fired… and on the other hand, everything about the movie was great… the only decision I ever really made was to say ‘keep going.’ That our only hope of coming out alive was … Read more