Go Into The Story

Interview (Part 2): Wenonah Wilms

My interview with the 2018 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting winner.

TED Talk (Part 7): J.J. Abrams

In 2007, J.J. Abrams (Alias, Lost, Super 8) gave a TED Talk. I’m sure many of you have seen it. However, like many great presentations…

Screenwriting 101: James Cameron

“People ask me all the time, ‘What would your advice be to a young filmmaker?’ It used to be, pick up a camera and start making a movie…

Daily Dialogue — February 12, 2019

Carter hands Edward an article about Kopi Luwak, Edward’s favorite coffee.

Script Analysis: “BlacKkKlansman” — Part 1: Scene By Scene Breakdown

Read the Oscar-nominated screenplay and analyze it this week.

Interview (Part 1): Wenonah Wilms

My interview with the 2018 Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting winner.

TED Talk (Part 6): J.J. Abrams

In 2007, J.J. Abrams (Alias, Lost, Super 8) gave a TED Talk. I’m sure many of you have seen it. However, like many great presentations…

On Writing

“In writing, habit seems to be a much stronger force than either willpower or inspiration. Consequently there must be some little quality…

Daily Dialogue — February 11, 2019

Tom: I’ll have a decaf coffee. Trudi: I’ll have a decaf espresso. Morris Frost: I’ll have a double decaf cappuccino. Ted: Give me…

Sylvia, sorry to hear about you stint in Hollywood.

I always advise people interested in pursuing screenwriting: Movies don’t owe anybody a living. So either live frugally. Keep a job and…

Great analysis, Mark.

Re your concern: You can use psychological writing. If you’re judicious, you can dip INTO a character’s inner world and express that in…

Screenwriting News (February 4— February 10, 2019)

Script sales, pitch deals, greenlit projects, talent attachments, and more.

2018 Spec Script Deals

Comprehensive analysis of all the reported spec script deals in 2017.

Daily Dialogue theme next week: Coffee

Join the Daily Dialogue crew: 3,923 consecutive days and counting.

Interview: James Cameron

Conversation with the filmmaker who produced and co-wrote the screenplay for the movie Alita: Battle Angel.

Daily Dialogue — February 10, 2019

Hammond: Well! Mr. DNA! Where did you come from?

Saturday Hot Links

Time for the 378th installment of Saturday Hot Links, your week’s essential reading about movies, TV, streaming, Hollywood, and other…

2018 Spec Script Deals Analysis: First-Timers

As we continue our analysis of spec script sales in 2018, today we check out the first-timers, writers who broke into the business by…

Script To Screen: “Out Of Sight”

A memorable scene from the 1998 Out Of Sight, screenplay by Scott Frank, novel by Elmore Leonard.

Interview: Spike Lee and Jordan Peele

The co-writer and director of BlacKkKlansman in conversation with one of the movie’s producers.

Daily Dialogue — February 9, 2019

Dr. Emmett Brown: Marty, I’m sorry, but the only power source capable of generating 1.21 gigawatts of electricity is a bolt of lightning…

Spec Script Deals Analysis 2018: Top Sales

Continuing our week long analysis of spec script sales from 2018, today we look at the deals with the biggest payoffs (at least as reported…

TED Talk (Part 5): J.J. Abrams

In 2007, J.J. Abrams (Alias, Lost, Super 8) gave a TED Talk. I’m sure many of you have seen it. However, like many great presentations…

Movie Story Types: The [Blank] From Hell

This was a popular story conceit back in the 80s and 90s.

Writing and the Creative Life: 19 Daily Habits Of Artists…

I don’t usually go in for the numeric lists we see floating around social media with astounding — and sometimes annoying — frequency. You…