Spider Man movie directed by James Cameron coming soon! (Stan Lee’s Soapbox from 1991)

This was a very funny discovery.

I bought some old comics from a used book store over Christmas for nostalgia’s sake (and hoping the Wolverine guest appearances might be worth something) and I came across this gem in a John Byrne Namor comic from 1991:  Stan Lee announces the upcoming Spider Man movie directed by James Cameron!


Here’s the text, the bolds are mine: Read more

Getting Extreme (Part II)

Story Maps by Daniel Calvisi book coverContinuing this Excerpt from Story Maps: How to Write a GREAT Screenplay (Part One here):

GET EXTREME!

I love it when I see a movie or read a script and the writer is willing to “go there,” to take the story to the extremes of the dramatic conflict. Not afraid to shock, offend or make their audience uncomfortable, but to be true to the story and the dramatic elements that they have built.

In The Hangover, the guys tell Phil (Bradley Cooper) not to leave the baby in the car alone and he argues, “I cracked the window!” Awful…but hilarious.

In Million Dollar Baby, Maggie (Hilary Swank) is not just hurt but she is paralyzed from the neck down. Her condition worsens in horrible ways and she asks Frankie (Clint Eastwood) to euthanize her. There is no last-minute save; he must end her life to allow his arc to come to fruition.

In Sideways, Jack (Thomas Hayden Church) has already had one affair and got his nose broken in 3 places, but he still insists on sleeping with the waitress, leading him to get caught by her husband. It gets worse when Jack makes Miles (Paul Giamatti) go back to the house to retrieve his wallet, and Miles gets chased by the naked husband. This represents the ultimate test of Miles’ loyalty to his friend.

Or in Total Recall, when this happens to Arnie…

Total Recall copyright Sony Pictures

Now that’s good writing.

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Screenwriter Scott Rosenberg Gets Extreme

Story Maps by Daniel Calvisi book coverExcerpt from Story Maps: How to Write a GREAT Screenplay, coming soon.

Scott Rosenberg is a very successful screenwriter whose produced credits include Armageddon, Beautiful Girls, Things to do in Denver When You’re Dead and Gone in 60 Seconds. I had been a fan of his for years before I met him at the Austin Screenwriters Conference. Read more

Limitless screenplay

Here’s my short, exclusive Q&A with Leslie Dixon, screenwriter of Limitless, The Thomas Crown Affair, Mrs. Doubtfire, Hairspray, Freaky Friday, The Heartbreak Kid and the upcoming Tower Heist. Read more

Story Maps: How to Write a GREAT Screenplay

This exciting new screenwriting book is available now

Cover art for Story Maps by Daniel P. Calvisi www.actfourscreenplays.com

Design by Sonia Fiore

Excerpt from the Foreword of
Story Maps: How to Write a GREAT Screenplay
:

This book is the culmination of over twenty years of working with screenplays and screenwriters. Reading, analyzing, evaluating, studying, teaching and coaching. Read more

The real reason why Universal shut down “At The Mountains of Madness:”

The script.

I finally read it over the weekend (At the Mountains of Madness screenplay written by Guillermo Del Toro & Matthew Robbins) and I can see why Universal just couldn’t summon the confidence to put it into production with a $150 million pricetag.

There’s no theme. There’s no character development. The plot is repetitive and gets quite boring. The “method of defeat” is a silly construct that’s straight out of Shyamalan’s Signs. We don’t invest emotionally in the protagonist. Read more

Spec Script Market is on the Rise!

Spec Script market for 2011 is strong.

There’s a lot of buzz going around about increased spec script sales in 2011. Scott Myers of “Into the Story” has a post today about how 6 scripts have sold in just the past week, putting the pace for sold scripts in 2011 higher than 2008-2010. Myers says… Read more

Screenwriter Q & A: common questions answered

Here is a compilation of questions I was asked by screenwriters on varying topics a few years back and my advice still holds firm — some helpful screenwriting tips that I’ve learned over the years and I hope this information can help you…

Questions Below (links removed):

  • What is the criteria for script contests?
  • How long should I wait to submit my work to the industry?
  • Getting the read
  • How long will it take me to break through?
  • What do you look for in a story?
  • Art Films vs. Popcorn Movies
  • A contact wants a “cut” to pass on my script, should I do it?
  • To a writer worried about their idea being stolen…
  • I know I’m shooting my script as an indie feature, do I need your services?
  • Is it a big Hollywood movie or a TV spec sample?

WHAT IS THE CRITERIA FOR SCRIPT CONTESTS?

hi Dan,

What is the criteria for judging scripts in script contests? If you don’t place in one does that mean odds are you won’t place in another? Is it possible for a good script to not place simply because it wasn’t what they were looking for?

I entered my script into the San Diego Script Competition and found out yesterday I wasn’t even a finalist.  I was pretty disappointed and it got me thinking that my script isn’t as good as I thought. I am still waiting to hear from another contest but, I can’t get it out of my head that it is hopeless…

I won’t ever give up and have already begun redrafting, but man did that hurt. Can you offer some insight into to how the whole script contest thing works?

Thank you from a newbie!

J.

Read more

Worst Pitches Ever?

As my friends at Inktip prepare the next Inktip Pitch and Networking Summit (July 22-23 at the Marriott Burbank Airport), I came across these amazing pitches from last summer that were entered into a contest sponsored by American Express and the Tribeca Film Festival.

They have both achieved viral fame and it’s easy to see why.

The first is a frightening tale of the apocalypse that plays on a universal human experience…

The second, perhaps more inspired, is “a Greek-like tragedy” in the words of the wunderkind narrator…

With that shown, I encourage you to work on some REAL pitches for upcoming opportunities like the Inktip summit, which is the only “pitchfest” event that I’ve ever worked with and I had a blast. I’ll be telling you more about it in the coming weeks.

Until then, I’ll be here waiting patiently for the day that Gesundheit and Mr. Stache make it to the big screen! And they say no one comes up with great movie ideas any more…

-Dan