Archive for the 'QandA' Category
- 05.07.08 Does a working writer keep improving?
- 05.02.08 Secret history of the Kleinhardt Gambit
- 04.28.08 The six-hour scene
- 04.18.08 When friends read your script
- 04.16.08 Were I to seek examples of the subjunctive…
- 04.15.08 How to Meet
- 04.11.08 James Cameron on 3-D
- 04.10.08 HBO
- 04.10.08 Northeaster
- 04.01.08 One-sided dialogue
- 03.25.08 Rethinking motivation
- 03.24.08 Shot an indie pilot. What’s next?
- 03.10.08 How to explain quantum mechanics
- 02.28.08 Test screening questionnaires
- 02.22.08 Scripting a short film
- 02.21.08 When a character has two names
- 02.19.08 You know, like in that other movie
- 02.14.08 Changing horses mid-stream
- 01.19.08 Mysteries of Pittsburgh
- 12.31.07 On horseshit, and the New York Times
- 12.22.07 Characters who are not yet important
- 12.21.07 For Your Consideration
- 12.10.07 Including the unknowable
- 12.04.07 Short answer sprint
- 12.03.07 Strike, day 29
- 12.02.07 Class dismissed
- 11.15.07 Should I change my name?
- 11.15.07 In other news
- 11.14.07 What to do with a mediocre short film
- 11.11.07 Why writers get residuals
- 11.09.07 Using “we” in scene description
- 11.07.07 The Office is closed
- 11.02.07 Pencils down
- 10.31.07 Heroes: Origins: Gone
- 10.29.07 What does he want?
- 10.26.07 Advice for terrible writers
- 10.25.07 Pre-Lap
- 10.23.07 They love it and they’re passing
- 10.22.07 From Russia with Questions
- 10.12.07 Script Cops
- 10.11.07 Heroes: Origins
- 10.05.07 Mom and Dad are fighting
- 10.01.07 Calling on the hive mind: Writing the future
- 10.01.07 Strike authorization vote
- 10.01.07 2007 Insomnia Film Festival
- 09.14.07 Skipping drama class
- 09.12.07 Quitting, and the age question
- 09.10.07 Moving to LA (via NYC)
- 08.27.07 Is it risky to spec something in the public domain?
- 08.17.07 Starting out in Hollywood
- 08.14.07 The big Fox deal
- 08.14.07 INT. BOOKSTORE, or something better?
- 08.13.07 Selling novel rights
- 08.05.07 Filmmaking, permitted
- 08.02.07 Student Films Across America
- 08.02.07 Permitted filmmaking
- 07.30.07 Look out! He is a Spider-Pig
- 07.26.07 Economics of Screenwriting
- 07.19.07 My role in Transformers
- 07.11.07 Split screens
- 07.09.07 September 11th
- 07.03.07 Linear writing for non-linear films
- 06.30.07 Where to begin a script
- 06.20.07 She was mistaken
- 06.13.07 Should I direct my spec?
- 06.12.07 Changes while directing
- 06.11.07 The Unnecessary General
- 06.08.07 Interview up at cecil vortex
- 06.06.07 Based on your own novel
- 06.02.07 I talk with my hands
- 06.01.07 An intern with a script
- 05.31.07 Giving credit where it’s due
- 05.28.07 Screenwriters’ dinner
- 05.18.07 Should I write a novel or a script?
- 05.17.07 Inconvenient brilliance
- 05.10.07 Hello, Residuals
- 05.08.07 What is a script doctor?
- 05.06.07 The perils of coincidence
- 05.04.07 Being typecast as a writer
- 04.30.07 Finding out if a book has been optioned
- 04.25.07 Make your introduction
- 04.23.07 Comments for Jane Espenson
- 04.16.07 How to introduce a character
- 03.29.07 Renumbering when moving a scene
- 03.27.07 How do you become successful?
- 03.21.07 TV in movies
- 03.19.07 Writer/Directors and Co-Ops
- 03.15.07 Publicity 101
- 02.26.07 Masturbating to Star Trek
- 02.13.07 Writing for the very small screen
- 02.12.07 That’s a pretty expensive pad of paper
- 02.09.07 Pause vs. beat
- 02.08.07 What if my agent doesn’t like my idea?
- 02.07.07 How to write dialogue
- 02.06.07 Trusting your audience
- 01.31.07 What is independent film?
- 01.14.07 The Hollywood Standard
- 01.12.07 Scribble version, final version
- 01.10.07 Clarification on point one
- 01.09.07 How to write a scene
- 01.06.07 The Queen on a silver platter
- 01.03.07 Four for four, or Hooray for Chad
- 01.02.07 Ands and Ampersands
- 12.29.06 Little Children, a little late
- 12.28.06 For My Consideration
- 12.18.06 Is Scriptblaster worth trying?
- 12.18.06 Lost Rooms and American Zombies
- 12.16.06 Should I worry about a competing project?
- 12.14.06 Because nothing says quality like a cow
- 12.12.06 Follow up: What job should I beg for?
- 12.08.06 Clive Cussler really, really dislikes Sahara
- 12.06.06 When should I panic?
- 12.05.06 Workshops: An invitiation to idea theft?
- 12.02.06 Why isn’t The Nines in competition at Sundance?
- 11.29.06 Retcon
- 11.28.06 When do you walk away?
- 11.19.06 Follow up: Advice not taken
- 11.17.06 Follow up: That crushing doubt
- 11.16.06 Follow up: How to write a bio
- 11.16.06 The great big list of fictional diseases
- 11.15.06 Follow-up, please
- 11.13.06 High net-worth individuals
- 11.10.06 Is the Slamdance script competition a bad idea?
- 11.08.06 Help! I’m getting screwed on my own series
- 11.05.06 Chicago: The Musical. No, not that one.
- 10.27.06 Depression on film
- 10.26.06 Movies look nothing like reality
- 10.24.06 What if my movie is too much like another?
- 10.23.06 Using overheard dialogue
- 10.18.06 When characters have multiple names
- 10.13.06 As it turns out, I could care less
- 10.10.06 In defense of script supervisors
- 10.09.06 What job should I beg for?
- 09.30.06 Do screenwriters get a chunk of foreign TV money?
- 09.29.06 Two thoughts on the future of video
- 09.25.06 Agency wants me to pay their “editor”
- 09.24.06 Using your friend’s name in a script
- 09.22.06 Am I a writer or a director?
- 09.21.06 Can Dracula’s son get a book deal?
- 09.15.06 It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
- 08.28.06 Vampires are the imaginary numbers of modern literature
- 08.06.06 Test screening The Movie
- 07.27.06 Mixing in bits of other languages
- 07.25.06 Crisis of Infinite Celebrities
- 07.17.06 J.J. Abrams got a $55+ million deal
- 07.11.06 Spec, or write it for the producer?
- 07.08.06 Because really, he should drive a Chrysler LeBaron
- 06.28.06 What’s it like being the writer and director?
- 06.17.06 Making the geek movie
- 06.01.06 Rejection
- 05.05.06 Are you somebody?
- 04.27.06 Why I don’t have Google ads, part 432
- 04.25.06 Air vents are for air
- 04.20.06 What if the movie I wrote turns out god-awful?
- 04.12.06 Writing what can’t be shot
- 04.09.06 Things that get caught in the spam filter
- 04.07.06 La escritura profesional y el auge de los amateurs
- 04.06.06 Of course grammar matters
- 04.03.06 TV staffing season
- 03.24.06 Cut-scenes do not a videogame make
- 03.22.06 How accurate is the page-per-minute rule?
- 03.20.06 How many drafts does it take?
- 03.18.06 What does “calling bullshit” actually mean?
- 03.16.06 Copyright: The Comic Book
- 03.01.06 Professional Writing and the Rise of the Amateur
- 02.23.06 How to format lyrics in scripts
- 02.16.06 Write-up of my recent WGA Foundation Q&A
- 02.14.06 Does the editor even read the script?
- 01.27.06 The word escapes me
- 01.24.06 Writer and Director and Disaster
- 01.22.06 Why most scripts never become movies
- 01.20.06 Virtual Sundance
- 01.19.06 Drive-by tagging
- 01.06.06 What’s with all the remakes?
- 01.05.06 Turn to page 17 for a sex joke
- 01.04.06 Matt gets millions to make a movie
- 12.28.05 Interview with me at DVguru
- 12.14.05 Liam found a mistake in the Bible
- 12.12.05 The TV spec of the season
- 12.07.05 Day or Night when neither is apparent
- 12.05.05 Can’t stop writing
- 12.01.05 On accents
- 11.28.05 Set lingo for the clueless writer
- 10.30.05 Four quadrants of screenwriting style
- 10.26.05 Songs and production companies
- 10.06.05 Is the Screenwriting Expo any good?
- 10.05.05 Avoiding AD mistakes
- 10.04.05 Which side of the pond should I choose?
- 10.01.05 The sky is not falling
- 09.27.05 I am Hillary Clinton’s clavicle
- 09.23.05 Being a reader
- 09.21.05 As good as the Good Book?
- 09.19.05 Curse of the Pop-In
- 09.17.05 Should I fudge the date on the cover?
- 09.15.05 Someone actually wants to read my script
- 09.14.05 On friends, colleagues and jealousy
- 09.06.05 Please state your purpose
- 08.29.05 Which agent should I choose?
- 08.17.05 How to Rewrite
- 08.15.05 Welcome to the O.C., bitch
- 07.29.05 When should a writer become a corporation?
- 07.28.05 What format should I send my script in?
- 07.26.05 What’s the difference between Hero, Main Character and Protagonist?
- 07.14.05 Is that how the line was supposed to go?
- 07.11.05 Writing characters you would hate in real life
- 06.24.05 Deciding which parents get to visit the factory
- 06.21.05 Organizing reality
- 06.17.05 Writing loglines for a comedy
- 06.16.05 Formatting the one-sided phone conversation
- 06.14.05 Read lots of bad scripts
- 06.13.05 Theory #1
- 06.10.05 Fixing double-spaces after periods
- 06.09.05 Writing when the movie could get ruined
- 06.09.05 Handling dialogue-like situations
- 06.08.05 Screenwriting wastes a lot of paper
- 05.28.05 Good advice from agents
- 05.27.05 Michelle Pfeiffer, Supervolcanoes and the Yellowstone Fallacy
- 05.25.05 Glossary: Manuscript and Tentpole
- 05.24.05 From FD to MMS
- 05.23.05 Opening titles
- 05.18.05 Does bad work spoil mine?
- 05.14.05 A movie by any other name
- 05.07.05 Inciting Incident: Koo Koo Roo edition
- 05.05.05 Teenage girls and gay men
- 05.03.05 Good interviews about Father Knows Less
- 05.03.05 Good article on Shane Black
- 04.26.05 Taking a meeting without an agent or manager
- 04.24.05 LA Times story on DVD sales
- 04.18.05 Shoe leather and bric-a-brac
- 04.18.05 Writing about real events
- 04.13.05 How to include abstract images
- 04.12.05 Movable Type vs. WordPress
- 04.11.05 Whether to pitch or to spec
- 04.11.05 Whether or not to American-ize
- 04.10.05 Printing words on-screen
- 04.08.05 Intercutting
- 04.06.05 Why do you answer some questions, but not others
- 04.05.05 Sensible sluglines
- 03.27.05 Happy Easter from Beijing
- 03.25.05 Writing vs. relationship
- 03.22.05 What does a writer’s assistant do?
- 03.22.05 Picking a printer
- 03.15.05 How to get into film school
- 03.14.05 Pitch fests: Are they worth it?
- 03.11.05 Rewriting bad movies
- 03.09.05 No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die!
- 03.09.05 Using the story of a friend’s life
- 03.08.05 Screenwriter makes, saves a million dollars
- 03.08.05 Keep scene headers simple
- 03.02.05 Introducing off-screen characters
- 03.01.05 To Do: Destroy the world
- 02.25.05 Good discussion on end credits
- 02.22.05 Celtx screenwriting application shows promise
- 02.10.05 How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Courier
- 02.04.05 Formatting for sign language
- 01.14.05 Formatting text shown on screen
- 01.14.05 Keeping motivation after four drafts
- 01.13.05 Character depth in a short film
- 01.12.05 Writing about what you don’t know
- 12.30.04 Other interests and hobbies
- 12.28.04 Blind man’s point of view
- 12.26.04 Cover page artwork
- 12.24.04 Avoid clichés
- 12.17.04 Are four scripts better than one?
- 12.16.04 Dialogue versus exposition
- 12.07.04 Formatting a reality show proposal
- 12.06.04 Getting sidetracked by other movies
- 11.16.04 Pay-for-mentoring, part two
- 11.12.04 How many lines per page?
- 11.11.04 His name is my name too
- 11.09.04 Getting permission
- 11.08.04 How wide to take your spec script
- 11.07.04 What became of American McGee’s Alice?
- 11.05.04 Whatever happened to…
- 11.04.04 Big Green Envelopes
- 11.04.04 Glossary: Residuals
- 10.27.04 Page count and tight formatting
- 10.22.04 McGuffin and Set-Piece defined
- 10.21.04 Producer credits and what they mean
- 10.20.04 Stressing over structure
- 10.20.04 New CSS template for screenplay formatting
- 10.19.04 Avoid CUT TO’s in a busy sequence
- 10.13.04 Writers Guild agreement reached
- 10.13.04 Where to find Natural Born Killers novelization
- 10.04.04 What does I/E mean?
- 10.04.04 New Fox show announced
- 09.30.04 How do I find out who represents a given actor?
- 09.27.04 Can you be just a screenwriter anymore?
- 09.21.04 Very useful “Dead Zone” writer’s guides
- 09.20.04 Rewriting based on other people’s notes
- 09.16.04 Researching and writing The Circle
- 09.15.04 Four Seasons, Five Season or just some fancy hotel
- 09.14.04 Backing up is hard to do
- 08.30.04 Optioning a screenplay
- 08.24.04 Does your own writing make you laugh?
- 08.22.04 Using a song in a short without permission
- 08.19.04 Average price for a short story option
- 08.17.04 Short films and writer’s assistants
- 08.17.04 The not-so-well-dressed screenwriter
- 08.16.04 American English and troublesome contractions
- 08.12.04 The Get A Mentor program
- 08.11.04 Page count for animation scripts
- 08.09.04 Hiring a “script doctor”
- 08.08.04 Bringing a ringer for a pitch
- 08.07.04 Writing the script for a cooking show
- 08.05.04 Why agents send out terrible scripts
- 08.05.04 The challenge of writing good dialogue
- 08.05.04 Seeing a rough cut of your film
- 07.23.04 Regaining confidence when nothing is working
- 07.22.04 Setting up a project without having the underlying book rights
- 07.20.04 The fine line between talented and bonkers
- 07.19.04 History of Confederated Products
- 07.17.04 Using the music of an unknown band
- 07.16.04 Including illustrations with your screenplay
- 07.15.04 The difference between homage and rip-off
- 07.14.04 Writers Boot Camp
- 07.13.04 Slandering historical figures
- 06.24.04 New answers up at IMDb
- 06.21.04 Reading scripts at the WGA library
- 06.20.04 Working, but what’s the next step?
- 06.07.04 Did I ever watch the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?
- 05.26.04 ‘A’ scenes and ‘B’ scenes
- 05.25.04 Dead copyright holders, and being too young
- 05.23.04 Getting a reader job
- 05.15.04 Do screenwriters make anything from video rentals?
- 05.13.04 Sending a script to an actor
- 05.08.04 Screenwriting software survey results are in
- 04.28.04 Using a different font for the cover page on a script
- 04.22.04 Survey up for screenwriting software
- 04.18.04 Met the guy who runs Final Draft
- 04.17.04 David Dean Bottrell on How I Write
- 04.08.04 New Final Draft version 7.0 is…marginally better
- 03.31.04 Formatting a montage sequence
- 03.29.04 Working on multiple projects
- 03.22.04 Ergonomics for the screenwriter
- 03.12.04 Getting help as a deaf screenwriter
- 03.11.04 Incorporating titles into a screenplay
- 03.10.04 Selling a story if you’re not a screenwriter
- 03.08.04 Jessica Bendinger on How I Write
- 03.08.04 How I Write
- 03.08.04 Tyger Williams on How I Write
- 03.08.04 Getting rights when the story is based on actual events
- 03.08.04 Todd Graff on How I Write
- 03.06.04 Do you need permission to use a quotation?
- 03.03.04 Leonard Maltin’s mid-term exam
- 02.12.04 Franchises and the original writer
- 02.12.04 Getting a job from a pre-visualization
- 02.05.04 Does lack of confidence lead to great writing?
- 02.04.04 Metaphors in Big Fish
- 01.27.04 Good day jobs for writers and others
- 01.23.04 Finding a writer
- 01.21.04 Elephant and Columbine’s actual events
- 01.15.04 Getting a pitch meeting
- 01.05.04 Will digital ever replace film?
- 12.20.03 First rewrite
- 10.22.03 Ph.D. on adapted screenplays
- 09.29.03 Generating ideas
- 09.17.03 The Problem of Multiple Screenwriters
- 09.17.03 Getting rights to a concept album
- 09.10.03 Pitching by Email
- 09.10.03 Similar plotlines
- 09.10.03 Story first, then characters
- 09.10.03 Script writing software
- 09.10.03 Finding confidence
- 09.10.03 Copyright and changes
- 09.10.03 Movie quotes
- 09.10.03 Script comments
- 09.10.03 Television specs
- 09.10.03 Television ideas
- 09.10.03 First impressions
- 09.10.03 Themes
- 09.10.03 Spoofs in your script
- 09.10.03 Film censorship
- 09.10.03 Bob marley
- 09.10.03 What a "pitch"
- 09.10.03 Adapting a videogame into a movie
- 09.10.03 Writer’s block
- 09.10.03 Actors and dialogue
- 09.10.03 Voice-overs
- 09.10.03 Secondary scene headings
- 09.10.03 Writing for VFX
- 09.10.03 Getting stuck in a genre
- 09.10.03 Past mistakes
- 09.10.03 Avoiding cliches
- 09.10.03 Robert Mckee
- 09.10.03 Screenwriting contests
- 09.10.03 Writers on art direction and cinematography
- 09.10.03 Original films
- 09.10.03 Book before the script?
- 09.10.03 Various locations
- 09.10.03 Film vs. TV writers
- 09.10.03 Optioning your book
- 09.10.03 Genres and structures
- 09.10.03 More research
- 09.10.03 Where to find scripts
- 09.10.03 Third-party storytelling
- 09.10.03 More LA relocating
- 09.10.03 Writer’s strikes
- 09.10.03 Based on a true story
- 09.10.03 Being a writer’s assistant
- 09.10.03 Scripts sold
- 09.10.03 Script formatting
- 09.10.03 Copyrighted materials in your script
- 09.10.03 Does a Brit have a chance?
- 09.10.03 Film festival contacts
- 09.10.03 Western’s out?
- 09.10.03 Script length
- 09.10.03 Int. and Ext.
- 09.10.03 Using parentheticals
- 09.10.03 Television scripts vs. Screenplays
- 09.10.03 Moving to Hollywood
- 09.10.03 Collaborating with multiple writers
- 09.10.03 Writing is hard
- 09.10.03 Male vs. Female lead
- 09.10.03 Using CUT TO:
- 09.10.03 Writing a biography
- 09.10.03 Optioning a book
- 09.10.03 Getting rights to a concept album
- 09.10.03 The problem of multiple screenwriters
- 09.10.03 Split-screen
- 09.10.03 Journalism degree
- 09.10.03 Generating ideas
- 09.10.03 Ad-libbing
- 09.10.03 How young were you?
- 09.10.03 Character caps
- 09.10.03 Nominated screenplays
- 09.10.03 Foreign languages
- 09.10.03 Action writing
- 09.10.03 Process of writing
- 09.10.03 Script adaptations
- 09.10.03 Script promotion websites
- 09.10.03 Finding time to write
- 09.10.03 Flashbacks and dreams
- 09.10.03 Being rewritten
- 09.10.03 Co-producer credit
- 09.10.03 Characters w/ multiple names
- 09.10.03 "Fictional events" disclaimer
- 09.10.03 Good writing vs. the idea
- 09.10.03 Choosing character names
- 09.10.03 Finding the rights
- 09.10.03 Drafts and revisions
- 09.10.03 How many pages
- 09.10.03 Shooting shorts
- 09.10.03 Actress audition
- 09.10.03 Stealing sequels
- 09.10.03 Registering ideas
- 09.10.03 Writing for actors/actresses
- 09.10.03 Portraying "endurance"
- 09.10.03 Script, story, screenplay
- 09.10.03 Determining credit
- 09.10.03 Rewriting an old movie
- 09.10.03 Surviving development hell
- 09.10.03 How old is too old?
- 09.10.03 11-year old film fan
- 09.10.03 Research
- 09.10.03 Are jokes public domain?
- 09.10.03 Agency papers
- 09.10.03 9/11 - the movie
- 09.10.03 Sold a script, next stop: agency
- 09.10.03 Index cards
- 09.10.03 Finding assistant gigs
- 09.10.03 Rewriting, but where’s the script?
- 09.10.03 Over-editing
- 09.10.03 Got the story, but i can’t write
- 09.10.03 How long to write a script
- 09.10.03 What should a 14-year old do?
- 09.10.03 How much research does it take?
- 09.10.03 Ratio of pages to screen time
- 09.10.03 Writer on-set
- 09.10.03 The essentials of adaptation
- 09.10.03 Finding the structure
- 09.10.03 To google google
- 09.10.03 Do i have to write the courtroom scene?
- 09.10.03 Using copyrighted material in a short
- 09.10.03 Transitions
- 09.10.03 To live and die in LA
- 09.10.03 Courier 12 pt. font
- 09.10.03 How long is a scene?
- 09.10.03 Camera angles and edits
- 09.10.03 Dead rapper’s mom is calling the shots
- 09.10.03 How long a treatment?
- 09.10.03 A character sings a song
- 09.10.03 MPAA numbers
- 09.10.03 Are characters based on people you know?
- 09.10.03 Writer control
- 09.10.03 Was Go written on-the-fly?
- 09.10.03 Worried about copyrights
- 09.10.03 More camera angles
- 09.10.03 Theory #2
- 09.10.03 Is film school necessary?
- 09.10.03 Formatting and software
- 09.10.03 The sequence of Go
- 09.10.03 More on becoming a co-producer
- 09.10.03 My idea’s been stolen
- 09.10.03 Paying for notes?
- 09.10.03 Do i show my scripts or my short?
- 09.10.03 Reading reviews
- 09.10.03 Writer/director disagreements
- 09.10.03 A Go sequel?
- 09.10.03 Specs, treatments, and pitches
- 09.10.03 More copyrights and changes
- 09.10.03 Do writers have a say in the music?
- 09.10.03 Writing a biography
- 09.10.03 Using CUT TO:
- 09.08.03 Naomi Foner on How I Got My Agent
- 09.08.03 Tom Smith on How I Got My Agent
- 09.07.03 David Steinberg on How I Got My Agent
- 09.07.03 Howard Rodman on How I Got My Agent
- 09.07.03 Derick Martini on How I Got My Agent
- 09.07.03 James LaRosa on How I Got My Agent
- 09.07.03 Doug McGrath on How I Got My Agent
- 09.07.03 How I Got My Agent
- 06.05.03 Craft service