Dearest Screenwriters: If you find yourself wanting to give a character a supremely obvious name, please heed my “Mike Teavee is the worst character name ever” Rule, which states as follows: Roald Dahl can name a character who watches too much television, MIKE TEAVEE, which is pretty much the definition of on the nose, because […]
Dearest screenwriters: If you are thinking of giving two characters very similar names, please heed my “You are not J.R.R. Tolkien” Rule: J.R.R. Tolkien can name two separate villains SARUMAN and SAURON, which is a horrible idea, only because he’s J.R.R. Tolkien. You can’t because you’re not. -Dan Calvisi p.s. If you would like to […]
Black Swan is a tight, merciless thriller that forges one, driving throughline that is supported by every character and element in the story. In order to become the Black Swan and achieve her dream of ballet perfection, Nina must prove to her director Thomas that she can transform herself on stage, fight off her mother’s […]
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
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 […]
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. […]
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!
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 […]
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 […]
Continuing 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 […]
Excerpt 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 […]
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.
This exciting new screenwriting book is available now… 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.
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 […]
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…
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 […]
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 […]
The boys (a.k.a. “The Wolfpack”) are back!
Here are the nomations for the 83rd Academy Awards, to be broadcast live on February 27, 2011.
Here’s the complete list because I’m the only source for this information…