Chariots Of Fire Revisited [Running With Synthesizers]

In Writing Screenplays that Sell, Michael Hauge singles out Chariots Of Fire (1981) as a cinematic outlier. It was an unlikely movie to generate big box office. Why? It is a biographical period piece, lacks high concept, and is set outside the US. Chariots of Fire was hugely successful, though. It ended up making nearly $60 … Read more

[Video]: Whiplash – Damien Chazelle Interview

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‘I knew what the first image of the movie would be, and I knew what the last image of the movie would be – they were the bookend images…’ How does one write an Oscar-winning film in just two goes? Writer-director Damien Chazelle’s (The Last Exorcism Part II, The Grand Piano) Academy Award winning film … Read more

Best of the Web 8 Feb

Script Perfection :: Bollywood Ocars: Best Screenplay, Dialogue & Best Story :: The Winning Screenwriters Are… :: How To Stay Invested In The 2015 Oscars Pitching & Selling :: ‘Imitation Game’ Wins Scripter Award For Adapted Screenplay :: ‘Gravity’ Lawsuit is a Problem for Writers in Hollywood: Best of the Rest :: Sundance Awards 2015 … Read more

[Video]: The Brains Behind Birdman

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Birdman is one of the hottest screenplays leading into this year’s Oscars frenzy. Screenwriters Alex Dinelaris and Nico Giacobone, who together make up 50% of the Birdman screenwriting team, sit down with online blogger Rishi Mathur to discuss the differences between writing theatre and film, the unique challenges presented by Birdman‘s unorthodox style, and the key to … Read more