Dialogue Done Right
ScreenPrism asks 'How do you make dialogue scenes compelling and interesting?' and says Netflix's Mindhunter is an example of dialogue done right.
ScreenPrism asks 'How do you make dialogue scenes compelling and interesting?' and says Netflix's Mindhunter is an example of dialogue done right.
From Adventure to Zaxxon, author and screenwriter Ernest Cline explains the story behind every video game that he included in Ready Player One.
Coinciding with the limited release of the movie, Wes Anderson's screenplay for Isle of Dogs is now available in a paperback edition from Faber & Faber.
In Isle of Dogs, 12-year old Atari Kobayashi goes in search of his dog who has been exiled to Trash Island along with every other canine pet in Megasaki City by the order of his own father, Mayor Kobayashi. Atari is joined in his journey on the garbage dump island by a new group of friends, a pack of now wild but still noble former pet dogs.
In addition to the full screenplay, Isle of Dogs: The Screenplay also features twenty pages of drawings and an interview with with Anderson and his three co-writers, Jason Schwartzman, Roman Coppola and Kunichi Nomura, who all received 'Story by' credits.
Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Ready Player One, Ernest Cline's best-selling love letter to the 1980's, hits screens today from a screenplay by Cline and Zak Penn.
"The film is set in 2045, with the world on the brink of chaos and collapse. But the people have found salvation in the OASIS, an expansive virtual reality universe created by the brilliant and eccentric James Halliday (Mark Rylance). When Halliday dies, he leaves his immense fortune to the first person to find a digital Easter egg he has hidden somewhere in the OASIS, sparking a contest that grips the entire world. When an unlikely young hero named Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) decides to join the contest, he is hurled into a breakneck, reality-bending treasure hunt through a fantastical universe of mystery, discovery and danger."
Based on S.E. Hinton's novel of the same name, The Outsiders was released in theaters thirty-five years ago today on March 25, 1983.
Hinton was just seventeen years old when she began writing the novel and nineteen when it was published by Viking Press during her freshman year of college. The film, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, was written by Kathleen Rowell (Hear No Evil, Killing Mr. Griffin) as her first credited screenplay.
"Early 1960s. Tulsa, Oklahoma. The city is divided between teenagers who have grown up with wealth and privilege and the rough-edged "greasers" from the wrong side of the tracks. The greasers yearn for the life they see on the other side of town, but the rich kids want to keep them in their places. Then, one greaser dares cross the line to talk, and to dream of more, with a girl from across the tracks . . . an action that can only lead to conflict on a hot, steamy night."
According to Box Office Mojo, The Outsiders was the 28th highest grossing movie of 1983, earning $25,697,647 at the domestic box office.
Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water, winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture, and a nominee for Best Original Screenplay, is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.
Adapted from the Newberry Medal-winning novel by Madeleine L'Engle published in 1962, A Wrinkle in Time is premiering in theaters today with a screenplay by Jennifer Lee (Frozen, Wreck-It Ralph) and directed by Ava DuVernay.
Disney first adapted the book in 2003 as a made-for-TV movie that was written by Susan Shilliday (Legends of the Fall, I Dreamed of Africa).
Disney describes it's 2018 version as "an epic adventure based on Madeleine L’Engle’s timeless classic which takes audiences across dimensions of time and space, examining the nature of darkness versus light and, ultimately, the triumph of love. Through one girl’s transformative journey led by three celestial guides, we discover that strength comes from embracing one’s individuality and that the best way to triumph over fear is to travel by one’s own light."
Disney takes a look at Zootopia, from script to screen.
Journalist Malcolm Gladwell, staff writer for The New Yorker, has joined the growing ranks of accomplished personalities sharing their knowledge and insight through Masterclass.
According to Gladwell, "Writing has a higher purpose. It's part of the way in which we fulfill ourselves as human beings, both in the words that we write and the words that we read. This class is a chance for me to reflect on my career and share the insights I've gleaned in a form that my students can use."
Masterclass describes the program:
"In his MasterClass, Malcolm shares the research and writing techniques that have made him a prolific nonfiction writer and master storyteller. You’ll learn his approach to finding ideas in unusual places, structuring compelling narratives, and keeping readers engaged through every detail—including the art of the title and the role of semicolons. He also shares career tips for writers amassed over years in the industry—dealing with bad reviews, differentiating yourself as a writer, and identifying your own strengths and weaknesses as a writer."
Interested writers can learn more and sign up on the Masterclass website.
If you're interested in delving deeper into mother!, Darren Aronofsky's challenging allegory about religion and human nature, then you will be hard pressed to find a more useful reference than, "mother! The Making of the Fever Dream", the filmmaker's own analysis of his work on the film.
The book, published by Rizzoli, allows Aronofsky to detail his development and production of the film:
"Equal parts visual chronicle and artful scene study, mother! The Making of the Fever Dream recounts Darren Aronofsky’s spellbinding second half of mother!, and how it was constructed, with corresponding screen grabs, behind-the-scenes photography, script cues, and the annotated maps of his shot list.
mother! The Making of the Fever Dream is a deep dive into an auteur’s process about the heavily talked-about film mother! and its Bosch-like riveting sequence. From Aronofsky (Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream), mother! is the filmmaker’s newest polarizing offering, a psychological horror film with small nods to Roman Polanski, Luis Bunuel, and David Cronenberg, but is wholly Aronofsky’s original vision, a film presented in his singular and arresting style. This chronicle is a beautiful, dynamic presentation of that sequence, with corresponding screen grabs, behind-the-scenes photography, the script as it pertains to the sequence, and the “maps” of his shot list. mother! The Making of the Fever Dream also includes a preface from Aronofsky about this shoot, and this book is a record of a film that will have audiences, Aronofsky fans, and film school denizens discussing the movie for years to come."
"mother! The Making of the Fever Dream" is available in paperback now,
Paul Thomas Anderson on writing 'Phantom Thread':
"The story was a little bit more fully formed than I'm making it out to be. There was the idea that there was a very strong willed man and a woman who enters his life, and what happens when they discover that, when he's weak he's at his best in terms of the relationship, and how that affects their future."
The Hollywood Reporter sat down with Jordan Peele ('Get Out'), Anthony McCarten ('Darkest Hour'), Aaron Sorkin ('Molly's Game'), Fatih Akin ('In the Fade'), Emily V. Gordon ('The Big Sick'), and Darren Aronofsky ('mother!') to discuss screenwriting and more as we head in to the Academy Awards.
Pixar takes a look at Inside Out, from script to screen.
Just announced this morning by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, these are the writing nominees for the 90th Academy Awards:
WRITING - ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Big Sick - Written by Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani
Get Out - Written by Jordan Peele
Lady Bird - Written by Greta Gerwig
The Shape of Water - Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor; Story by Guillermo del Toro
Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri - Written by Martin McDonagh
WRITING - ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Calle Me by Your Name - Screenplay by James Ivory
The Disaster Artist - Screenplay by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
Logan - Screenplay by Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green; Story by James Mangold
Molly's Game - Written for the screen by Aaron Sorkin
Mudbound - Screenplay by Virgil Williams and Dee Rees
New in theaters today is 12 Strong, written by Ted Tally (The Silence of the Lambs, All the Pretty Horses) and Peter Craig (The Town, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2), adapted from Doug Stanton's book "Horse Soldiers."
The Warner Bros. film, directed by Nicolai Fuglsig, is 'based on true story' tale set in the wake of the devastating September 11th attacks:
"Set in the harrowing days following 9/11, a U.S. Special Forces team, led by their new Captain, Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth), is chosen to be the first U.S. troops sent into Afghanistan for an extremely dangerous mission. There, in the rugged mountains, they must convince Northern Alliance General Dostum (Navid Negahban) to join forces with them to fight their common adversary: the Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies. In addition to overcoming mutual distrust and a vast cultural divide, the Americans—accustomed to state-of-the-art warfare—must adopt the rudimentary tactics of the Afghani horse soldiers. But despite their uneasy bond, the new allies face overwhelming odds: outnumbered and outgunned by a ruthless enemy that does not take prisoners."
While hundreds of movies were released in 2017, only these two handfuls of films made this totally subjective list as the Top Ten Films of the year.
10. All the Money in the World
9. Wonder Woman
8. Darkest Hour
7. Blade Runner 2049
6. Dunkirk
5. I, Tonya
4. Baby Driver
3. Coco
2. Molly’s Game
1. The Shape of Water
Marvel takes a look at Black Panther's path from the comic book page to the feature film screen.
Deadline Hollywood sat down for a talk with author, screenwriter, and director Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Beauty and the Beast, Wonder).
From a screenplay by David Scarpa (The Last Castle, The Day the Earth Stood Still) that was based on a book by John Pearson (Painfully Rich: the Outrageous Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Heirs of J. Paul Getty), Ridley Scott tells the story of the 44-year old kidnapping of J. Pauly Getty III in All the Money in the World.
"All the Money in the World follows the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother Gail (Michelle Williams) to convince his billionaire grandfather (Christopher Plummer) to pay the ransom. When Getty Sr. refuses, Gail attempts to sway him as her son’s captors become increasingly volatile and brutal. With her son’s life in the balance, Gail and Getty’s advisor (Mark Wahlberg) become unlikely allies in the race against time that ultimately reveals the true and lasting value of love over money."
All the Money in the World is in theaters today.
After a screening of the film at AFI Fest 2017, the American Film Institute held a Q&A with Sebastián Lelio, co-writer and director of 'A Fantastic Woman.' and the film's star Daniela Vega.