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Pitches

Writing for Hollywood without living there

Episode - 195

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April 28, 2015 Adaptation, Film Industry, International, Los Angeles, Pitches, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

Canadian screenwriter Ryan Knighton joins John and Craig to discuss how you sustain a career writing for Hollywood studios while living a flight away. Knighton’s first screenplay was the adaptation of his memoir about going blind. He’s since written for several studios, including a new project for Ridley Scott.

We also talk about general meetings, pitching, adapting true stories, and the Sundance screenwriting lab.

Links:

  • Ryan Knighton, and on Twitter, Wikipedia, This American Life, The Moth and Reading Aloud with Nate Corddry
  • Ryan’s books Cockeyed and Swing in the Hollow on Amazon
  • What is a treatment? on screenwriting.io
  • Ryan side-by-side with Chris O’Dowd
  • LootCrate
  • The For Dummies series and Google AdWords for Dummies
  • Lovage on Wikipedia
  • Outro by Scriptnotes editor Matthew Chilelli (send us yours!)

You can download the episode here: AAC | mp3.

UPDATE 5-4-15: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

The Tentpoles of 2019

October 21, 2014 Film Industry, Follow Up, Genres, How-To, Pitches, Projects, Rights and Copyright, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

Craig and John discuss the 31 superhero movies slated for the next few years. Is it good business or a trainwreck in the making?

How do you move from a vague idea to an actual pitch? We talk about what you say when you’re in the room pitching on a project, and why passion trumps plot in most cases.

We also look at copyright and how the current system is broken for everyone.

Next week will be Craig-less, because we’re recording live at the Austin Film Festival with a bunch of amazing guests.

Links:

  • The new iMac with 5k Retina display
  • OSX Yosemite
  • Retina displays on Wikipedia
  • Comedy Bang Bang
  • John’s schedule at the 2014 Austin Film Festival
  • Help is on the way at writeremergency.com
  • If there is a problem with your shirt order, reach out to Stuart
  • The 31 scheduled superhero films
  • Copywrong by Louis Menand, from the New Yorker
  • Dragonbox secretly teaches algebra to your children
  • Does Lockheed Martin really have a breakthrough fusion machine?
  • Tweet “help” to @writeremergency for assistance
  • Get premium Scriptnotes access at scriptnotes.net and hear our 1,000th subscriber special
  • Outro by Scriptnotes listener Jackie Ann (send us yours!)

You can download the episode here: AAC | mp3.

UPDATE 11-4-14: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

To Chase or To Spec

June 3, 2014 Apps, Bronson, Directors, Film Industry, Pitches, QandA, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig discuss whether screenwriters are better off pursing writing assignments or working on their own material. They also look at the visual comedy of Edgar Wright, and The Shawshank Redemption’s 20th anniversary.

Links:

  • WWDC14
  • Bronson Watermarker PDF is available now! (And is half-off thru June 8th)
  • Highland and Weekend Read Unlimited are also half off thru June 8th
  • Steve Ballmer on developers (developers, developers…)
  • Tony Zhou on Edgar Wright’s visual style
  • Russell Adams on The Shawshank Redemption from The Wall Street Journal
  • IMDb’s Top 250
  • A Guerilla Filmmaker’s Guide to After Effects
  • The New York Times Crossword for iOS
  • Outro by Scriptnotes editor Matthew Chilelli (send us yours!)

You can download the episode here: AAC | mp3.

UPDATE 6-7-14: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

We’d Like to Make an Offer

February 19, 2013 Film Industry, Follow Up, Pitches, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig discuss spec scripts, pitches and how it feels when your movie gets brutal reviews.

First up, an article by Margaret Heidenry in Vanity Fair tracks the history of spec script sales, going all the way back to Preston Sturges. We talk about the 90s bubble, and what’s changed.

Next, we discuss what a screenwriter needs to do in that last few hours before a pitch — including the drive over.

Finally, Craig talks about what it feels like when the movie you wrote does huge business, but you as the writer get singled out for harsh criticism.

In our One Cool Things, John admires Dungeon World, a newish RPG that radically simplifies the D&D mechanic, while Craig foresees the next big weight-loss drug.

LINKS:

  • When the Spec Script was king by Margaret Heidenry in Vanity Fair
  • Examples of early screenplay formats
  • Amor Fati on Wikipedia
  • Dungeon World RPG
  • Canker sore drug helps mice lose weight without diet, exercise
  • OUTRO: Roll a D6

You can download the episode here: AAC.

UPDATE 2-22-13: The transcript of this episode can be found here.

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