Rian Johnson Talks 'Knives Out'
Writer-director Rian Johnson joined The Hollywood Reporter to talk about ‘Knives Out’ and its upcoming sequel.
Filtering by Category: Screenwriters
BAFTA Sessions 2019: Screenwriting
On a panel moderated by Hannah Patterson, BAFTA Sessions speaks with screenwriters Deborah Davis (The Favourite), David Rabinowitz & Charlie Wachtel (BlacKkKlansman), and Will Fetters (A Star is Born).
Academy Awards: 2019 Writers Roundtable
It’s that time of year - enjoy The Hollywood Reporter’s 2019 Writers Roundtable with Oscar-nominated screenwriters John Krasinski (A Quiet Place), Peter Farrelly (Green Book), Tamara Jenkins (Private Life), Bo Burnham (Eighth Grade), Eric Roth (A Star Is Born), and Paul Schrader (First Reformed).
No Writing Left Behind
Writers Guild of America West screenwriters weigh in on the ‘No Writing Left Behind’ initiative.
William Goldman Interviewed by the Writers Guild Foundation
The Writers Guild Foundation interviewed two time Academy Award winning screenwriter William Goldman (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President’s Men, Marathon Man, Misery, The Princess Ride) in 2010.
Nicole Taylor on Writing Wild Rose
“I thought, gosh, that’s so interesting. It’s such a conflict that’s got equal arguments on both sides and I thought gosh that’s a great basis for a drama. So that was about eight years ago and I’ve been sort of nodding away on it since.”
Here is The Wrap’s talk with Nicole Taylor, writer of Wild Rose, at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Christopher McQuarrie on Writing and Directing Mission: Impossible - Fallout
For Variety’s Playback podcast, Kris Tapley went behind the scenes of Mission: Impossible - Fallout with writer-director Christopher McQuarrie.
“What I do with writing action is I write everything I want you to see in the order that I want you to see it. So my action sequence tend to be long in their description and incredibly boring to read. There’s nothing more boring than reading a car chase. But you write that out because you want to communicate to your crew. It’s not really meant for anybody else to read. It’s a very dry, technical document. The helicopter chase was another instance where the script form of the helicopter chase was an afterthought to figuring out what exactly is the helicopter chase.”
/Film Interviews Writer-Director Bart Layton
The /Film Daily podcast interviewed Bart Layton, writer-director of American Animals.
The Kasdans on Writing Solo
The Star Wars Show speaks with Solo: A Star Wars Story screenwriters Lawrence Kasdan (The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Body Heat, The Big Chill) and Jonathan Kasdan (Dawson's Creek).
Ernest Cline on the Video Games of Ready Player One
From Adventure to Zaxxon, author and screenwriter Ernest Cline explains the story behind every video game that he included in Ready Player One.
Paul Thomas Anderson on Writing 'Phantom Thread'
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's Writers Roundtable
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.
And the 2017 Oscar nominees are...
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
Behind the Lens: Stephen Chbosky
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).
'A Fantastic Woman' Q&A
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.
Masterclass Got David Mamet to Teach Dramatic Writing
David Mamet is teaching dramatic writing for Masterclass and all you need to join in is a pencil and a piece of paper.
"As a dramatist, your job is to tell a story. David’s dramatic writing class covers the rules of drama and teaches you how to keep your story simple by using Aristotle's Poetics as a guide.
David’s MasterClass takes an in depth look at both plot and plot structure. His class includes case studies on the plot structure of two of his award winning works, Glengarry Glen Ross and American Buffalo. Become familiar with the essential ingredients of plot like the precipitating event, the second-act problem, how to connect plot points, and learn the structure of a three-act play.
Learn how David Mamet developed his style for writing dialogue, famously known as "Mamet-speak." In addition, David’s dramatic writing lessons also include advice on where to draw inspiration when trying to write great dialogue."
Mamet's Masterclass covers how to:
- Understand and recognize drama
- Keep your hero’s journey at the heart of your narrative
- Use the rules of writing to improve your script
- Harness your fantasies and life experiences for drama
- Create objectives for your characters
- Structure your plot
- Recognize and remove scenes that are unnecessary to your script
- Overcome writer’s block
- Convey truth to the audience
- Cast the right actors for your play
You can learn more and sign up on Masterclass.com.
BAFTA Breakthrough Brits 2016: Screenwriter Vinay Patel
BAFTA interviews screenwriter Vinay Patel as one of their Breakthrough Brits for 2016.
"One quiet night over Christmas in his technician job at the Met Film School, Vinay began manoeuvring himself around the kit room in a trolley with a boom pole for a punt and he knew something had to change. He’d always enjoyed writing, so that seemed like the most natural thing to do.
In 2011, Vinay graduated from Central School of Speech and Drama with an MA in writing and was initially attracted to the stage as a place to write and produce his own material. His first break came in 2014 with True Brits, a play juxtaposing the elation of London 2012 with the devastation of 7/7, that led to his selection for the Bush/Kudos TV writing scheme and to an original short commission for BBC iPlayer. Then, in 2015, he was unexpectedly invited to discuss joining BBC’s honour killing drama Murdered By My Father. Having written nothing full-length for television, he recalls thinking “there’s no way I’ll get it. But I met them on a Friday, and on the Monday I was announced as the project’s writer.”
As he works on his next single drama for BBC, Vinay says “I wish I’d been bolder and had the courage to write at a younger age. To anybody unsure about writing, you’ll never know unless you try!”"
Screenwriter Nicholas Martin on Florence Foster Jenkins
GoldDerby interviewed screenwriter Nicholas Martin about his work on Florence Foster Jenkins, the upcoming movie about the socialite who wanted to be an opera singer despite having a terrible singing voice.
Florence Foster Jenkins, directed by Stephen Frears, and starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant, was released in August 2016.
Aaron Sorkin is Teaching a Screenwriting Class
Aaron Sorkin is teaching for Masterclass:
"Learn how to write incredible screenplays from Aaron Sorkin in the most comprehensive screenwriting course he’s ever taught. In addition to both improving your storytelling skills and outlining what it takes to write incredible scripts, Aaron invites you into his writer’s room for an eight-part screenwriting case study where he and his team will script, rewrite, and break down a new Season 5 premiere of The West Wing.
Diving deep into screenwriting fundamentals, Aaron offers detailed lessons on narrative structure, character development, generating new ideas, and his signature style of dialogue. Aaron knows that great screenwriting requires intention and obstacle. He dedicates several lessons to explaining how to create conflict, raise dramatic stakes, and keep audiences watching. Designed to offer useful lessons to seasoned and emerging screenwriters, Aaron’s class can be enjoyed by writers of all skill levels."
Sorkin's class will cover how to:
- Create intention and obstacle
- Develop unforgettable characters
- Hook audiences from the opening scene
- Write compelling dialogue
- Add momentum to your scenes
- Apply and subvert the rules of drama
- Research and gather material
- Establish consistent writing habits
- Overcome writer’s block
- Pitch screenplays
Learn more or sign up on Masterclass.com.
Writers On Instagram: Josh Boone Shares the Cover Page of Interview with a Vampire
Josh Boone, director of The Fault in Our Stars and writer/director of Stuck in Love, shared a shot of the cover page of his latest work, a new adaptation of Interview with the Vampire. Co-written with Jill Killington, the script draws its story from two Anne Rice novels, Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat.