Harrison Ford’s copy of Raiders screenplay.
Marc Bernardin’s blog has photos of what appears to be Harrison Ford’s copy of the screenplay for Raiders of the Lost Ark, complete with his notes. Makes interesting reading and shows how actors respond to lines on the page. What works in the mouth and what works on the page are not necessarily the same!
Travis Matthews on Interior. Leather Bar.
Here’s an entertaining interview with Travis about his work and especially Interior. Leather Bar.
James Franco on ‘Interior. Leather Bar.’
Here’s a link to an interview with James Franco who co-directed the feature ‘Interior. Leather Bar’ that will premier at Sundance in a few days. I was a story consultant, working with Travis Matthews, the writer and co-director. Fingers crossed it gets a good response!
Cutterjunk: “a hard science fiction novel come to life…”
I just received some very promising competition coverage on my little first draft science fiction spec screenplay Cutterjunk from three reviewers. Some of the highlights are below. Apart from the temptation to engage in a certain amount of own horn tooting, I’m posting them because I’m particularly pleased that many of the comments reflect lessons I try and teach my students in class. SFSU cinema majors read down to find how actual script readers look for the things I keep telling you they look for!
“The writing is very good. This script is like an excellent sci fi novel.”
“The world the writer has created is unique and the language is amazing. The invented jargon is strange yet relatable, like Firefly or Clockwork Orange. The main character is very likable and sympathetic and the reader is emotionally invested by page 20.”
“This script is a hard science fiction novel come to life. The setting is unique and very visual.”
“The characters really pop in this script in large part thanks to the amazing dialogue. The world of the screenplay has its own invented jargon and slang. This is often a trap for other writers but this script gets it right. The slang is evocative, exotic, but understandable. It has a good rhythm to it. The dialogue flows instead of sounding forced or fake much like Clockwork Orange or Firefly.”
“As a piece of writing it’s extraordinary. It takes the reader on an incredible journey to an imaginary place that feels as real as next door. The characters are truly special and the dialogue is fantastic.”
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Cutterjunk
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12-1069-SCI
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SCORE
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STORY/PLOT
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8
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DIALOGUE
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10
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CHARACTER
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10
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STRUCTURE
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8
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MARKETABILITY
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7
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FIRST 20 PAGES
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9
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COMPETITION TOTAL
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52
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SCRIPT
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RECOMMEND
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Interview with Martin McDonagh
A nice piece over at Scriptmag.com for all you Seven Psychopaths and In Bruges (and who could forget Six Shooter) fans.
By the way, go read his plays.
Trey Parker and Matt Stone on story beats
It’s what I try and teach, only they are cooler, richer and have the actual Cartman:
Breaking In: Writing Between the Lines
A good piece over at Script Magazine by the always interesting Staton Rabin about making your screenplay a good read!
Deconstructing the Protagonist
A nice piece from Martha Alderson over at the Writers’ Store. Useful for those in my CINE 353 class in preparation for your next exercise (hint).
The Rules of Adaptation
Interestingly wry piece over at MovieMaker magazine by Rowan Joffe on adapting well known novels for the screen. Joffe took on the daunting task of adapting Graham Greene‘s famous Brighton Rock, which had already been made into a classic 1947 film starring Richard Attenborough as Pinkie Brown. I wish him luck…
Screenwriters’ most important skill
There’s a friendly piece over at the Writers Store by D. B. Gilles that discusses how screenwriters deal with failure and the long process of improving one’s craft when there is no immediate chance of recompense. It reminds me of a comment I made in the opening of Write What You Don’t Know which I will share with you now:
In order to succeed you need to dig down deep inside yourself and find a reservoir of determination and persistence. Of course you need talent, but that won’t get you very far without the ability to finish your scripts. You need to be able to keep plowing ahead no matter what, and that is non-negotiable. Everything else depends on it.
I still believe that determination is at least one of the most important qualities any screenwriter needs to succeed. Assuming that you are going to be a good writer, it will likely take you a number of screenplays – a considerable amount of experience – to hone your skills and that is a big investment of time, creative energy and pure will. Only you will know whether that investment is worthwhile to you as your writing improves, and only you can keep that development going. The rest of us can encourage, steer and support your efforts but like anything worth doing well that effort will be your own.
