Go Into The Story

Great Scene: “North by Northwest”

It was one of the scenes which inspired Hitchcock to make the movie.

Daily Dialogue — November 14, 2018

“Would you like to try our new beef and cheese pot pie on a stick, just a dollar ninety-nine for a limited time only?”

From ‘BlacKkKlansman’ to ‘Vice’: 12 Top Producers Talk Making the Impossible Possible

Tales from the front line for movies including BlacKkKlansman, First Man, If Beale Street Could Talk, and Vice.

Know your genre

If you want to write in a genre, you’re wise to immerse yourself in it.

Songwriters on Songwriting: PJ Harvey

“Nothing fascinates me more than putting words together, and seeing how a collection of words can produce quite a profound effect.”

Screenwriting 101: Charlie Wachtel

“You’ve got to have a strong concept. It’s a necessity. You could be an incredible writer, but, if you pick the wrong concept… The goal is…

Daily Dialogue — November 13, 2018

“Ding-dong! May I interject for a second? As a Burger Shack employee for the past three years, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that…

Theme = Meaning

More than just the moral or premise of the story, theme can best be understood to be about what a story MEANS.

Variety Announces 10 Screenwriters to Watch for 2018

Read Go Into The Story interviews with 6 of the writers.

Songwriters on Songwriting: Mose Allison

“One of my formulas in life is ‘Ambivalence plus interdependence equals contrariety.’ All day long we’re being pulled in one way and pushed…

On Writing

“Closed in a room, my imagination becomes the universe, and the rest of the world is missing out.”

Daily Dialogue — November 12, 2018

Caine: I want your motherfuckin’ Daytons and your motherfuckin’ stereo. And I’ll take a double burger with cheese. Car-jack Victim: What…

Screenwriting News (November 5— November 11, 2018)

The week’s writing deals and movie project news.

Facing the odds

How to sustain creativity in the face of considerable odds against success.

Script To Screen: “L.A. Confidential”

The 1997 movie L.A. Confidential won two Academy Awards including Best Adapted Screenplay, written by Brian Helgeland & Curtis Hanson…

Interview (Video): Wernor Herzog

A 95-minute conversation with legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog.

Daily Dialogue — November 11, 2018

“I‘m not just talking about my wife, I’m talking about my LIFE, I can’t seem to get that through to you. I’m not just talking about one…

Saturday Hot Links

Time for the 366th installment of Saturday Hot Links, your week’s essential reading about movies, TV, streaming, Hollywood, and other…

Great Scene: “No Country For Old Men”

“You need to call it. I can’t call it for you. It wouldn’t be fair. It wouldn’t even be right.”

Daily Dialogue theme next week: Drive-Thru Window

Join the Daily Dialogue crew: 3,831 consecutive days and counting.

Interview (Video): Bruce Joel Rubin

An 68-minute conversation with Bruce Joel Rubin, Academy Award winning screenwriter of the movie Ghost.

Daily Dialogue — November 10, 2018

“The details of my life are quite inconsequential… very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie…

Reader Question: Is it useful to read a bad script to see what not to do?

Can we learn something from slogging through bad screenplays?

When something happens… something ELSE happens

The dynamic dual nature of a screenplay universe.

Songwriters on Songwriting: Brian Wilson

“You write in two ways… One, you go where your heart tells you to go. And you also consider, ‘What is it that people like?’ Commerciality…