Raiders of the Lost Ark story map

Raiders of the Lost Ark is a flawless classic and my favorite film of all time. It is the benchmark of the action/adventure genre and features one of the most iconic heroes in cinema history.

Download the FREE Raiders of the Lost Ark sample Story Map

Read more

Sex and the City movie screenplay analysis



My e-book Story Maps: 12 Great Screenplays includes a Full Story Map for the first Sex and the City movie, which is a great example of a well-written modern Romantic Comedy.

Sex and the City took proven, beloved characters from the television series and wove them into a classic Hollywood Romantic Comedy for the big screen. The first rule of the TV adaptation is “go bigger,” so they gave all of the women life-changing conflicts to navigate.

Download the FREE Sex and the City Story Map Excerpt

Read more

Story Maps: Peter Guber on the psychology and the emotion embedded in story

In an article titled “The Inside Story,” published in Psychology Today back in March, super producer Peter Guber talks about the psychological, emotional and transformative powers of storytelling and how they apply to the movies — WHY we love movies and what gets us engaged.

Stories… are state-of-the-heart technology – they connect us to others. They provide emotional transportation, moving people to take action on your cause because they can very quickly come to psychologically identify with the characters in a narrative or share an experience…

I couldn’t help but find many points in the article where Guber affirms the very same tenets that I put forth in Story Maps: How to Write a GREAT Screenplay. The quotation above, specifically the wonderful phrase “state of the heart,” immediately made me think of a line from my Introduction (excerpt here): Read more

Buy Story Maps E-Book Now!

It’s HERE!

Story Maps: How to Write a GREAT Screenplay E-Book is ready for purchase. Go HERE for excerpts, a sample story map and three options, including a “Booster Pack” with 12 new story maps!

Story Maps by Daniel P. Calvisi www.actfourscreenplays.com

E-Book now available for purchase - Click on image for Limited-Time Offer

bin laden movie

For better or worse, Hollywood is always close behind major news stories so it’s no surprise that Deadline.com posted this story only a few hours after President Obama’s stunning announcement of the death of Osama Bin Laden.

Buy E-Book Now!

Could we see a movie about the hunt for Bin Laden sometime soon, and would it focus on the intelligence effort, the special forces operation, the politics behind U.S.-Pakistani relations or even the ground-level view from the various Middle-Eastern cultures impacted by the Al Qaeda leader? Whatever the focus, I hope that it’s made by top talent and not just a quick knock-off action movie.

Read more

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.

Read more

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

The Hangover Part II teaser trailer

The boys (a.k.a. “The Wolfpack”) are back! Read more

83rd Academy Award Nominations 2011

Here are the nomations for the 83rd Academy Awards, to be broadcast live on February 27, 2011. Read more

Golden Globes Winners 2011

Here’s the complete list because I’m the only source for this information… Read more

Show Character Through Action

You want to avoid any material that only exists to establish, to set up, to explain, and to transition into another scene. Avoid the static “Talking Heads” scenes and the characters telling us directly about themselves.

Most of all… SHOW CHARACTER THROUGH ACTION! Read more

Comedy Screenplay Set Pieces

A “set piece” is a clever, memorable sequence that captures the style and theme of a movie, often utilizing the central conflict of the story. If done well, it’s a “trailer moment,” as it would most certainly make it into the previews.

Think of it in terms of a pitch. When the other party hears you describe the scene, you want them to say “Cool!” Read more

Act Three Tips

Act Three in your screenplay — the final act — is the race to the finish line. It’s a fast-paced, high stakes push toward the climax, which ideally should be a direct confrontation between your Protagonist and your Antagonist. Read more