Month: April 2016

Interview with SHREK Writer Terry Rossio

Like the article below says, Terry just may be the highest-paid screenwriter of all time. And he’s pretty damn good at the actual, um, storytelling thing too. So, without further ado:

by John Robert Marlow

terry_rossioTERRY ROSSIO is probably the highest-paid screenwriter in the history of the medium. He prefers to write with a partner, which is almost invariably Ted Elliott. Together, they’ve written the screenplay and/or story for films such as: Aladdin; Godzilla;The Lone Ranger, Shrek; the Pirates of the Caribbean, Zorro, and National Treasure movies; and far too many others to mention here. Terry also co-wrote (with Bill Marsilii) the record-breaking Deja Vu spec script—which sold for $5 million–andLightspeed, which sold for $3.5 million. Terry is also a producer. (Read Terry’s official bio here.)

I interviewed him for the book, Make Your Story a Movie: Adapting Your Book or Idea for Hollywood. And while much of Terry’s adaptation-specific advice appears there, it just wasn’t possible or appropriate to include (in that format) the wisdom he was kind enough to share on other topics. And so you find it here… read article

Writers Productivity Tips: Getting Unstuck

Uh-oh....
Uh-oh….

by Help Scout

All creatives get stuck once in awhile (or a lot, or just about anywhere in between). Time now to address this frustrating and often painful situation:

e first step (always the hardest, right?) in solving a problem is recognizing you have one.

We’re all familiar with the feeling of grappling with a head-scratcher for longer than we’d like. It can take a while to connect the time we’ve lost staring at the screen with the fact that we’re stuck on something and it’s time to try a new approach. Stuckedness isn’t always immediately apparent, and we arrive at the realization in different ways. read article

Kelly Jo Brick: The Write Path with Manager Zadoc Angell, Part 2

A series of interviews with hard-working writers — by another hard-working writer!

by Kelly Jo Brick

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Finding the right representation can be a key component to growing and developing a writing career. TVWriter.com sat down with several managers to find out what they’re looking for in writers and what writers can be doing to help achieve success in the industry.

Literary Manager Zadoc Angell of Echo Lake Entertainment brings with him the unique perspective of having worked first as an agent and now as a manager. He shares experiences and insights from his years building, growing and revitalizing writers’ careers. read article

Cartoon: TEAM HOLLYWOOD

Is it just us, or are TV and films the only media in which contempt for the writing is universally accepted? Even comic strips look down at us with impunity!

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OTOH, let’s face it. This MISTER BOFFO daily panel not only is funny, it’s also – ulp – true? read article

Google Tolls the Death Knell of Old TV

As fans of excellence in all arenas, but especially TV, this affirmation of the future we’ve always hoped for makes us wanna shout!

Hollywood Googleby Matthew Hussey

Not content grabbing ad dollars from TVnetworks across the world, Google went a step further by announcing that the adverts it serves on YouTube are better at convincing watchers to buy stuff.

In a report seen by the Guardian, Matt Brittin, Google’s head honcho in Europe will say that 80 percent of the time, YouTube ads were more effective than TV ads later this week at an advertising conference. read article