Chris Nolan

In Memoriam: Sydney Field (3)

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Over the past decades, screenwriting education has developed into a multi-million dollar industry with rock-star size individuals such as Robert McKee and the late Blake Snyder. All this really started with one book, published in 1979: “Screenplay – The Foundations of Screenwriting”, written by Syd Field. Syd Field was the first true screenwriting guru and … Read more

Interview: Sydney Field (3)

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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. Final Part, continued from Part 2 Interview: Karel Segers, David Trendall and Niels … Read more

Best o/t Web 12 Sep

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:: John August’s blog revamped. Gorgeous!
:: Danny Boyle and the Art of Amputation
:: Blake Snyder’s Story Patterns vs. Genre
:: Universal brings King’s Dark Tower to the cinema
:: Top 7 New York Films
:: Sixty Bill Murray facts to celebrate his 60th
:: Movies for free: Phantom of the Opera
:: Carson Reeves vs. M Night Shyamalan. Guess who loses
:: Screenwriter Peter Morgan just can’t get enough of Tony Blair
:: Roger Ebert’s collection of 100 Great Movie Moments (via Kottke)
:: Actors have a job too. So stick to writing the story
:: Sequences will save you during the rewrite
:: Who might be the new Ellen Ripley? Here’s a good candidate…
:: More arthouse doom and gloom. Next victim: Breillat
:: Nolan is hot, Bruckheimer is not. Summer winners and losers
:: Mad Men: The future of American cinema is on TV, says David Hare
:: Screenwriter finally makes first sale: old lamp on eBay (Hollywood Roaster)

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Structure: Inception

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It’s by far the most talked-about movie of the year, because of its high concept and intelligent execution. The movie has an aura of complexity but when you examine the dramatic structure carefully, it is deceptively simple. See for yourself. My first viewing of Inception was at the world’s largest IMAX screen in Sydney’s Darling … Read more

Best o/t Web 8 Aug 10

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:: Martin Scorcese on story versus plot.
:: Stuck for ideas? Look around you in everyday life.
:: The psychological process from disunity to unity, Inception’s elements.
:: The key to presenting religion in science fiction.
:: A look at scene description: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
:: Young Adult and Diablo Cody.
:: Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Spielberg script.
:: Interview with screenwriter Alex Litvak.
:: The benefits of reading aloud, hear your story.

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