Video: Mark Fergus

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About the first Iron Man, someone told me they had been making it up as they went along. I didn’t believe it.
For such a humongous production, this was surely impossible. Well, after listening to this interview with Mark Fergus, I must suspend my disbelief.

“There’s a lot of ideas that I think needed to be paired back, as maybe belong in the sequel,” Fergus says and also:”It had the vibe of an indie film. The collaborative spirit and the fun and the tension that you would expect on some giant movie wasn’t there. It felt like an intimate family kinda trying to figure out problems and work through stuff.”

Makes me want to watch the film again.

With thanks to Louise Lee Mei and Niels Abercrombie.

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Interview: Syd Field (2)

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Syd Field was the first true screenwriting guru and his book Screenplay is still a standard, more than thirty years after its initial publication. During his first visit to the city with his name, we interviewed him about his career and craft. Continued from Part 1 Interview: Karel Segers, David Trendall and Niels Abercrombie With … Read more

Best o/t Web 16 Jan

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Story & Structure :: The 3 stories within every movie :: Premise pilots :: Leaving out the hard part :: How much screen time does the hero get? :: What makes the best short films? Script Perfection :: Screenwriting Tips: Character names | Emotions :: Inside Aaron Sorkin’s writing process :: Knowing what audiences know :: Rookie writing mistakes :: When do you flash back? … Read more

(Not) Wanted: Script Assessors

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I know, I know. I promised a regular, more personally sounding post – instead I kinda disappeared. Truth is: the year end was hectic, next I went holidaying with my son Baxter and his mum. Then suddenly 2011 was upon us with urgent and boring stuff. But hey, I’m back! And I have devised a … Read more

Interview: Kaplan on Comedy (2)

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Last year James Nicholas attended Steve Kaplan’s session at the Screenwriting Expo. Afterwards he wrote here on The Story Department, “Kaplan is to comedy and commedia dell’arte what Vogler is to the Hero’s journey and Campbell. (Continued from Part 1) Karel: What is Commedia Dell‘Arte and what can we learn from it? Steve: The Commedia … Read more