Tag Archive for: Oscars

Story Mapping Oscar Screenplays 2014 webinar now on sale!

storymappingoscarwinning-500_tinyMy Oscar Screenplays webinar is back for 2014!

My next webinar with the Writers Store, STORY MAPPING OSCAR-WINNING SCREENPLAYS, will go live on Monday, February 24, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. Pacific / 4:00 p.m. Eastern and you can now purchase tickets at the Early Bird Price of $69.99USD. Read more

2014 Oscar Nominations List | Full List Of 2014 Academy Awards Nominees

 

American-hustle-christian-bale-and-bradley-cooper

Below are the nominations for the 2014 Oscars, which rewards the films of 2013.

Interesting batch this year. Some personal thoughts on the list:

  • So glad Roger Deakins’ cinematography on Prisoners was nominated. Contemporary dramas and thrillers often get overlooked in this category, but his incredible lighting definitely stood out, even on the small screen I watched this great film on.
  • No Visual Effects nom for Pacific Rim?!! Robbery, I say. This is probably a snub against a film that wasn’t considered a big hit at the box-office. When it comes to big ‘popcorn’ studio movies, a film often has to be a big hit to be acknowledged by the Academy.
  • Nice to see four young newcomers get nominated for their song from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. I wish them the best. Who knows, maybe they’ll be the next U2 some day?
  • Jonah Hill again? He doesn’t need any more help after the Moneyball nom.
  • Meryl Streep again? Seriously, these “Academy darlings” take up spots that could be filled to recognize lesser-known actors that took on much more challenging roles this year.
  • Why is Before Midnight considered an Adapted Screenplay? It must fall under some odd classification, but that still doesn’t mean it makes sense. I loved the film and think it deserves acknowledgment as a wholly original work. Read more

Oscar Noms 2013 Full List

Here they are. Let us know who you’re rooting for in the Comments below and who you feel got snubbed.

Nominations for the 85th Academy Awards

Best motion picture of the year

  • “Amour” Nominees to be determined
  • “Argo” Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck and George Clooney, Producers
  • “Beasts of the Southern Wild” Dan Janvey, Josh Penn and Michael Gottwald, Producers
  • “Django Unchained” Stacey Sher, Reginald Hudlin and Pilar Savone, Producers
  • “Les Misérables” Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward and Cameron Mackintosh, Producers
  • “Life of Pi”Gil Netter, Ang Lee and David Womark, Producers
  • “Lincoln” Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers
  • “Silver Linings Playbook”Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen and Jonathan Gordon, Producers
  • “Zero Dark Thirty”Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow and Megan Ellison, Producers Read more

Academy Award consideration screenplays available for download

I’ve seen a number of pages with links to the various studio sites where they offer pdf downloads of screenplays, but this page on Rope of Silicon looks to be one of the best. They include links to many of the screenplays that are serious Oscar contenders, like Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, Tony Kushner’s Lincoln, Rian Johnson’s Looper and Tom Stoppard’s Anna Karenina. Lighter fare like This is 40 and Ted are also included.

Oscar nominations will be announced this week, on Thursday, January 10, and the Academy Awards telecast date is Sunday, February 24.

Stay tuned for more information on my next webinar, STORY MAPPING OSCAR-WINNING SCREENPLAYS! on Wednesday, February 20, 2013, where I’ll be analyzing this year’s nominated screenplays and past winners, like Little Miss Sunshine, Sideways, Slumdog Millionaire, The Godfather, Gladiator and more.

Good luck and happy writing,

Dan

Good Will Hunting Screenplay Analysis

Good Will Hunting is one of the finest screenplays of the 90s (a very strong decade in film) and it’s a great study in character and plot dynamics. There’s a new Good Will Hunting Story Map pdf online now that you should check out.

My talented student and friend, Robert Rich, has put together a fantastic site that showcases detailed analyses of popular films using my Story Maps method of narrative deconstruction. His latest analysis is of the Good Will Hunting script. The post begins by giving the history of the screenplay. 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