Time now to celebrate our peer film makers with a few great tips from a guy who got his start at TVWriter™’s absolutely favorite film studio, Focus Features. (Cuz…Jeb Brody, you know?)
Category: Resources
40 years worth of TV writing experience and info, yours for the taking.
Troy DeVolld: Caucus Foundation Auction is On!
by Troy DeVolld
Two items with me up for bids this time out with the Caucus for Producers, Writers & Directors Foundation auction — lunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel OR two hours of phone consult time with me.
Also up for grabs are coffee with legendary producer Chuck Fries, Clippers tickets in the owners section for a 2013-14 season home game courtesy of owner Donald T. Sterling, a consult and $500 towards frame purchase with celebrity eyewear guru Julia Gogosha (who has adorned the peepers of Lady Gaga, Elton John, and even lil’ old me), an in-house concert with Bright Blue Gorilla, and much more.
Peggy Bechko: Suspension of Disbelief
by Peggy Bechko
All writers have heard the term.
We all expect it of our readers when we create that alternative world where our characters live and stuff happens.
So the question is how do we as writers get our readers or in the case of movies or TV our watchers to go along with us, suspend their disbelief and live in our world – through a book a movie or a TV show?
Martha Thomases: The Pesky Dreams Stuff
EDITOR’S NOTE: This column by Martha Thomases is some of the best advice TVWriter™ has ever heard anybody give writers. Read it and don’t forget to thank the nice lady when you’re rich and famous!
by Martha Thomases
The dame walked into my office just before closing. An older woman, dressed like every other woman in this city in a black leather jacket and black pants. You wouldn’t look twice at her unless you were allergic to cats, because she was covered with cat hair.
“I require your services, Mr. Spade,” she said, a trace of the midwest in her voice. “I’ve lost something very precious. Perhaps it was stolen. In any case, I must have it returned to me. I’ll pay you anything if you can find it.”
A Good Script’s Journey to Being a Bad Movie
Our hero The Bitter Script Reader scores again:
by The Bitter Script Reader
About a half-year into the life of this blog, I conducted an interview with screenwriter Dan Callahan. With his writing partner Adam Ellison, Dan wrote a pretty good script called COLLEGE that got turned into a rather terrible movie.
I feel bad saying that, but Dan basically says as much over the course of this interview. Rotten Tomatoes agrees, rating it at just 5%. I’ve read the version of the script that sold, and while it’s probably not anything that would make the yearly Black List, it is a perfectly good teen comedy. It was rather fascinating to read that draft and then see what resulted on-screen. There’s a lot to be learned just through examining that development process.