CRASHLANDER | EXTRASOLAR | IONWOLF | CONTACT
John August is taking some heat on his blog for a rather frivolous post about how to write a script. People are getting all bent out of shape that he didn’t help out a ‘noob’ with the ‘basics’ (even though he has two sites and a podcast dedicated to that). Anyway, if this so-called screenwriter won’t come down from his ivory…
I’ve been reading Scriptshadow for a while, so when I was scrolling through my Google Reader yesterday, and this came up: Screenplay Review – The Augmented Geologist (Amateur Friday) I stopped for a second. That’s my script. Reading through the review and comments I am just as encouraged as hell. The script has sticking points which people seem to…
I received two pieces of feedback from the BlueCat Screenplay Competition. It’s great to get stranger’s perspective on your script, they see it with clarity that you don’t have when you’ve been working on something for ages. Note: I might change the title because of The Hunger Games. Here’s the feedback: HUNGER STRIKE – Reader #5051 What…
I just wrote FADE OUT on my latest script. Think WIZARD OF OZ meets STAR WARS and you’ll have a pretty accurate idea of the tone and scope. It’s based on characters from my comic strip, and is essentially a sequel story set three years later. The great thing is, I know these guys like the…
There’s been some interesting developments in the land of screenwriting advice recently. Some sites are joining forces and others are branching out, which is great news if you’re like me and want to steal ideas from people that actually have them. Here’s a quick rundown: Scriptnotes John August has been running his invaluable (for stealing…
I read the script for PACIFIC RIM recently and came away impressed. Any movie that requires a two-page sci-fi glossary of terms at the beginning scratches me right where I itch. This is basically Voltron for semi-grown-ups (or Evangelion if you’re a nerd). In fact, a much more satisfying take on giant robots than Justin…
One of the biggest challenges writers face is finding the time to write, while still juggling their butt-numbing day job and butt-numbing personal life. At least, I think it is. I don’t know any other writers. I should say, one of the biggest challenges *I* face, is finding time to write, whilst still being able…
In an attempt to add to my movie knowledge, I’ve set a task for myself – I’m going through the IMDb Top 250 and watching every film on the list. I’m at 206 movies so far. Watching classics all the time is like eating steak every night – it’s definitely awesome, but you get used…
I gave Writing Movies for Fun and Profit, blah blah a shot and grabbed the Kindle version. It’s written by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon, the guys in shorts from Reno:911, who now write shitty tentpole comedies deep inside the heart of the modern studio system. And what a place it is. If you…
I took Old Betsy the laptop out for a stretch today – blew the cobwebs off the mummified remains of Windows XP and like a total word warrior, went to a coffee shop to write. I set myself up in a bright and breezy place on 5th Ave. It was a blazingly hot day, but…