If there’s an animal in your script, it better not be there as a lame, throw-away joke. Do you know how much that shit costs?

Please visit and contribute to the Screenwriting Wiki. It takes a little learning to get used to posting and editing wiki posts, but the result is worth it...

*Screenplay* by Cohen and Anthony Hines and Dan Mazer and Jeff Schaffer. Story by Cohen and Peter Baynham and Hines and Mazer. Directed by Larry Charles. *...

SportsBusiness Daily (subscription) Columbia Pictures is sending * screenwriter* Aaron Sorkin "to the plate to take a new cut" at "Moneyball," as Sorkin has...

Commiserations to all those who did not make it to the CBBC masterclass. There seems to be some people who have had an email and some who haven't. God bles...

FRIDAY AM: Sacha Baron Cohen has done it again. Based on $1.6 million in post-midnight shows in nearly 700 theaters this morning, and pre-sales for its wee...

It feels like it was just a couple months ago that I was sitting down and writing about my goals for 23. Here I am now at 24, an age that has nothing goin...

This weekend in the cinemaplex: BRUNO (2755 theaters). I've read predictions that this is going to make a ton of money (like $30-$40 million-plus opening w...

DAY OFF. THEORETICALLY. Today we shift to a Sunday to Thursday week with a Friday-Saturday weekend. It's something a lot of shows do because it's easier to...

Last night, GITS reader-editor-writer-director and major movie buff Kevin Wild stopped by, so I asked him for a Great Scene. He said, "Hey, you should do s...

*Day Five.* (Note: this was written before the online stuff happened, will do a full blog post over the weekend addressing it, and what I think, and respon...

Senior Editor Jeff Goldsmith interviews screenwriter, producer and studio head James Schamus about Lust, Caution Download my podcast here

Here are the notes for last week's LOST workshop at BAFTA, courtesy of my contest winner Nicholas Horwood. Enjoy! ------------------------------------------...

One of the great advantages of the web has been the ability for screenwriters to collect information from a variety of diverse sources - doing so results i...

The Academy of Arts and Sciences sponsor the world's largest *screenplay*competition, The Nicholls Fellowship, which awards recipients a nice cash prize as ...

‘Is it my fault I don’t talk much?’ asks eerily shy 8-year-old From kids with large, sad eyes to vaguely ethnic youngsters sporting bowl cuts, hundreds of ...

Hello from Milwaukee where the Dodger road trip and Manny Ramirez traveling circus continues. Here are some Friday questions direct from the great Midwest....

Christopher Rice sent a message to the members of SCREENWRITING. -------------------- Subject: 12 Steps to Mythic Screenwriting: Part 1 - World of Origin "...

Well, the results are in from our Second Save the Cat! Contest of 2009, and to quote Leonard Pinth-Garnell: Awwwwwful! Truly dreaaaaaadful! And that’s a go...

I’d hate to admit to how many books on screenwriting I’ve read. I tend to agree you need just one to get you on track and then start writing. (And this blo...

Congrats to Phil. His short, Not Even Death (6 pages, pdf format) was shot as the Grand Prize Winner in the Gimme Credit International Screenplay Competiti...

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs tops Wednesday's box office with $6.1 million

For the next few weeks we'll be featuring a weekly guest post by Barry Pearson, a veteran writer/producer and screenwriting guru covering various topics to...

My sister sent me a photo of her new bathtub outside the farmhouse she and her husband are building in the Texas hill country. It's one of the more timely ...

After weeks of agonising waiting, we were finally able to put the nine shortlisted ABBA writers out of their misery, when last night, at the prize giving...

Q. Do you think Friday Night Lights would be worth speccing? I don't know if I should bother trying to write a script for it since the reader will know t...

Look what just appeared in my Outlook In-tray... An advert from Waterstones. And the gentleman on the far right trying his very best to do a Kevin Spacey...

Scene cards are a great way to visualize your script before writing it. Many screenwriters swear by this technique. It’s pretty much an outline – but on ...

Hey guys, I’m in the new July/August issue of *Script* magazine with an article called “How to Show Don’t Tell,” a favorite subject of mine. It’s hard to c...

Genre: Thriller/Film Noir Premise: A gunman returns to the crime-ridden city of Fiasco Heights and teams with a degenerate gambler/private eye on the run fr...

Well, will you look at that? Origin, the short film I wrote & directed this year (for those of you new to the blog), has got its own page on IMDb. The film...

In Hollywood, written -- that is to say, legally binding -- contracts are thought of as vulgar. In fact, just asking for a written contract is apt to bri...

The next blog was meant to be about reading aloud, but I wanted to blog this rather than Twitter it to make sure that everyone had an equal chance: Go and ...

Somehow this escaped my notice until today? I used to go see Trish & Darin all the damned time back in the days when I was unmarried and unchilded and over...

Thought you guys might be interested in these new DVD's, hot off the press from the Writers Guild Foundation... * WRITERS GUILD FOUNDATION RELEASES LOST AN...

Pilar talks about her first (and unintended) LIVE appearance on thestream.tv, and she and Laurence discuss how to trim overwritten description using exc...

Hello, Wavers! I tell ya, it's a good feeling when TRW has a profile such that I get emails and requests from industry professionals. Just the other day, a...

Ooh, look! A spanky, shiny new website! http://www.justfortherecord-movie.com Where’s my flag?

http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/07/02/beck-guest-calls-for-osama-bin-laden-to-bomb-america/ I meant to post about this last week, when the crazy ex-CIA guy...

Power to the Pixel has launched the Pixel Pitch, a pitching forum for up to ten of the best UK and international cross-media film projects. We are looking ...

Although nothing can probably touch the media frenzy over the death of Michael Jackson, we are about to experience the mass coverage of the 40th anniversar...

be in industry-standard *screenplay format*. Short Screenplays must: * be written and submitted in English; * be an original and unproduced script that has...

You'll never make me stay So take your weight off of me I know your every move So won't you just let me be I've been here times before But I was to blind ...

[image: Making Movies] Making Movies (Hardcover) By Sidney Lumet 44 used and new from $1.06 Customer Rating: [image: 4.7] First tagged "screenwriting" by...

Yesterday I began to type up my longhand manuscript for The Hush. I'm not finished the redraft yet, but I have a chronic fear that I will drop it in the ...

⅝=₪

So 17 years ago, I had a dream. I don’t remember much about it; it wasn’t particularly interesting in terms of setting or substance. I was wondering throug...

The admonition to screenwriters to "show, don't tell" is about as old as the first time a meddling producer says, "I have notes." Admittedly, I give this n...

(thanks to Lisa Rosman for pointing to this) Roger Ebert, in a new journal entry, defends himself against people attacking him for attacking Transformers. I ...

June was yet another tough month for the spec script market. There was a small uptick compared to May in the number of scripts on the market as sellers rush...

Over the year and a half I've been writing this blog I have occasionallydirected readers to the official *Ten Dead Men *blog, usually when I've written some...

Two things struck me when I saw the title of this show last year: 1. the title, from a country who changed the title of the first Harry Potter instalment o...

So you have an idea for a movie? You just know it would be a big hit. All you need now is a good script. You remember that your friend has a buddy who know...

* NOT BONDING* ** I watched the latest James Bond entry, Quantum of Solace, last week (a stupid title). As much as I like Daniel Craig, this may be the wo...

I'm still on writing retreat hiatus, but so as not to leave your Living RomCom appetite entirely unslaked, I offer you this news item from Japan that is it...

Going Down the Yellow Brick Road with Michael Jackson by Jaden Born in Gary, Indiana, USA on August 29, 1958, Michael Joseph Jackson departed this world Ju...

See you at Channel 101 tonight. 7:30 Cinespace on Hollywood. Controversial new pilot "Daryl" by Dan Harmon. No cover. # See next episode of #1 show "George...

The spec market is up the Swanee at the moment. It’s grim. According to Jason Scoggins only 14 out of the 227 spec scripts that went wide since January h...

Go Into The Story: ""Screenplays are structure." That's what William Goldman once famously said. And that's true in some ways, most especially because a sc...

Commenter Jon H for the win on Palin: "She's going to transfer to the governor's office of a couple other states, and eventually rack up enough credits to ...

Since you released "The Variant" independently, how'd you get the nifty cover art?

Outrageously violent, time-twisting, and in love with language, Pulp Fiction was widely considered the most influential American movie of the 1990s. Direct...

[image: click tracking] It's been 20 years since I've seen *Gone With the Wind*, the jewel in the crown of the Hollywood studio system, released in it...

(Apologies for a recent recurring theme but we feel Depression-era films are going to be big this year… just a hunch) Hobocop (PG-13) Train hopping hobo Ho...

originally posted 8th March 2004 -- Draft Zero of the Enterprise spec is finished. It's not a First Draft. It's not at that level yet. What it has, is enou...

I've been reading "The Namesake" and remembering why I fell in love with Jhumpa Lahiri in the first place. When I started out writing fiction, as a fresh ...

Sheri Davenport's *Kiss Me Lucky* has been named the winner from amoung 142 entries to the May, 2009 Script Savvy Screenwriting Competition.

Characters require contrast. Sounds like a bit of a no-brainer, right? But as with every basic concept in screenwriting, it’s easier said than done. My wri...

A Serious Man Movie Script

A KING AND AN ANGEL Today they have Michael Jackson's will in hand and Farrah Fawcett will be laid to rest in Los Angeles. Wow. This all seems so surreal. ...

I did this post on editing for The Blood Red Pencil last month, but I know that, unbelievable as it may seem, not all of you made it over to every single o...

A brief look at how to select a script that is appropriate for production at a Fringe Theatre Festival.

Breaking Bad’s creator and exec producer Vince Gilligan on his series:

*"Excuse me... but what's that star on the wall for?"* Just the facts: Director John Landis creates the freshest entry into the "man to wolf" genre in deca...

The Quonset Air Show and the Collings Foundation Spring Open House falls on the same weekends every single year like clock work. Collings Foundation had ov...

When I first transitioned The Editing Room over to Wordpress, I decided I’d leave the comments system enabled. Initially I did this on the assumption peopl...

Every year at the same time, the Brussels Film Festival competes with hot weather while hosting a selection of first and second films from European direct...

Mark Kratter (ProSeries 9) completed negotiations with Radar Pictures (The Amityville Horror, The Last Samurai, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, etc.), who will pr...

ScriptGirl Report 06.27.09 Follow me on twitter! twitter.com Fan me on facebook! www.facebook.com Friend on myspace! www.myspace.com Shop at my favorite ...

ScriptGirl Report 06.27.09 Follow me on twitter! twitter.com Fan me on facebook! www.facebook.com Friend on myspace! www.myspace.com Shop at my favorite ...

I got a good question the other day while talking to some film school students. They asked what they’d be expected to know about the business in order to ...

Question: I have been with my manager for a year now. There was a script that I have been working on and right before we were going to take it out to the t...

Sluts by Elizabeth Meriwether Shutter Island by Laeta Kalogridis PDF Podcast Episode 15

From the web site: The Writers Guild Foundation Presents SCI-FI and FANTASY – Writers On Genre Wednesday, July 22 At the WGA – 7000 W 3rd St, 90048 John Au...

*Web-series news...* Well, it looks like we finally have somewhat of a teaser trailer for my upcoming web-series My Roommate Sam. You can give it a peek he...

Thank you to the 90 guests who came to our mixer/party on Monday to make it a special night. Gabrielle and I appreciate everyone who made her birthday and ...

Hey Gang, We modified the save process with version 2.0.2 which should improve project recovery after an unexpected OS shutdown which results in a corrupte...

Went to the Writersroom's CBBC session this afternoon/evening - a splendidly informative affair, which both reminded us of what CBBC are up to these days, ...

commenter todd left a lengthy entry on my previous post, 'why procedurals don't work in movies', and i thought it better to create a follow-up post rather ...

This is so very true! I can identify with the line "We're gonna make it up on the next one" Enjoy!

THE man who wrote the script for Martin Scorsese’s classic films Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, will be the star guest at a brand new annual festival in Nott...

Successfully navigating your first, or second, or third screenplay is a feat that should be applauded. CONGRATS! But once the dust has settled, and you're ...

If we make the analogy that drama is a language for presenting emotional energy and that, as a language, it possesses its own, unique grammar for the const...

Got an email from INFOList about a call for finished “creature feature” scripts. If you have a script like this then this just might be your break. Below i...

Excuse the site's appearance and behavior for a little while. I'm testing out new themes and plugins to make it a smooth ride for all and sometimes it gets...

So where was I? Oh. Right. I had this little scary robot show and for whatever reason couldn't convince enough people that it was a) scary enough b) robo...

Whether you are new to writing or have been around the block a few times, you've probably heard the writers' mantra: "Show, don't tell." Unfortunately, mos...

Publicists/journalists on how screenwriters can generate their own publicity How does the Hollywood PR machine really work? Should you hire a publicist o...

While I work my way up to an actual post… If you use Movie Magic Screenwriter 6, they have a new Michael Hauge structure template you can download for free...

And I say "merry" with all the sarcasm I can muster. Oh, it didn't start off too badly. I did my temp stint and, as I expected, I was tossed to the wolve...

If it's summer, it must be time for another home run from the folks at Pixar. And this year is no exception, with the release of "Up." Initially, I was ske...

I am aware that it’s been a while between blogs here. Just wanted to say that it’s going to be a little longer. I’m too busy with more pressing stuff. H...

From time to time it’s good to go back to basics and learn screenplay writing from the experts. You don’t have to agree with all that they say, but by chec...

…that we were not able to get to on the show. Unanswered Questions from John August on Vimeo.

I'm happy to announce that Brenda Strong (*Desperate Housewives*) will star in Pavaline's winning environment-themed short film. Brenda has guest starred...

By Raisy Roo I’m a firm believer that if you have a great story that’s professionally written, it will be discovered, one way or another - but it doesn’t h...

Dan's 2-minute Screenwriting School #3 - THE FIRST TEN PAGES! DAN GETS TOUGH ON YOUR FIRST TEN PAGES! The first ten is the most important part of your sc...

Results on the last big Goldmine Survey, and a new Screenwriting Tool.

This is a very special character that has a lot of history and expectations to uphold. We're having a blast already.

In episode 5 I look at the upcoming summer blockbuster G.I. Joe. Will it live up to the memories I had growing up?

Many writers overlook short form material, concentrating on full-length works such as novels, films, and plays. Though longer works can seem more fulfill...

Blogging? What's that? All my thoughts are formed in 140 characters or less these days. Yes, you can now follow me on Twitter @awrymag. Aren't you just the...

The inestimable action movie screenwriter William Martell (he of 19 produced films) happens to conduct a 2-day seminar/instructional type event on the art ...

Good luck to everyone doing Script Frenzy this year! If you haven’t quite sorted yourself out yet, get on over to their web site and get registered now… I ...

Look at what happens when I take two months off of blogging. EVERYTHING. Katherine Heigl joined the cast of FIVE KILLERS and with Ashton Kutcher and direc...

How to utilize passion in your writing, screenwriting, and all things.

It's been months since I saw Definitely, Maybe. I knew I'd blog about it eventually, but it's taken me all this time to really articulate why I think it's a ...

(1) With a parrot perched on your shoulder (2) Sprawled debonairly on the 'casting couch' * images courtesy of Google LIFE

A few people have asked me if I am going to the You-Know-Whats. (N00bs: that's how we refer to a certain awards show around here. Otherwise I get a tic. Th...

Once again, the name of my two day master class in screenwriting comes from a famous quote. Jack Warner, studio chief of Warner Brothers, said in the 1940'...

[image: kryptonite.jpg] First of all, let's settle down. There is no concrete news here, except that the director of *The Matrix* and *Speed Racer* have bee...

---------- Forwarded message ---------- Glenn M. Benest sent a message to the members of Secrets of Screenwriting Group. -------------------- Subject: CO...

In my last post, I forgot to mention a very important resource. The PRS (Production Reference Services) is a list of all the productions that are going int...

This one is from fellow screenwriting instructor Michael Barlow: The best notes are the ones that make you feel stupid for not having thought of them first.

I keep coming back to this but I really have to bid the blog goodbye. It's been a great ride and I want to thank all the regulars who have been so stalw...

Dear Gentle Readers, As you have probably noticed, the frequency of these posts has declined in the recent months. I have been telling myself that I wil...

I haven’t posted anything in a while so I thought I’d offer a couple of (three) scene comp entries for you to have a look at. I find scene challenges a lot...

So happy to hear that the map exercise was helpful to some. Here’s another sparky spark - get things going - or breathe new life trick. Pick up someth...

New Script Girl Report. She starts off with a time travel script. I love time travel scripts.

So, first of all, I wanted to remind you all one last time about the two seminars I am teaching at this year's Screenwriting Expo. After being named a Star...

My first white paper was also called ‘Fish Where The Fish Are’. That was back in 2006. This one by Chris Brogan is as well. And it’s awesome. I’m tagging i...

A common complaint of many films is that while they are stunning visually, they somehow lack heart. Often it is hard to describe exactly what is missing, l...

I thought I should put a quick post up here. I’m going to be taking a break from posting for a little while. However, I will continue to answer any quest...

Stumble It! Good article by TERRENCE RAFFERTY from the always excellent, NY Times. Enjoy! ThatActionGuy.com *** When the strange, arresting, thoroughly fri...

Where the #@$% have we been?! ...Scouting out the new landscapes of business in Hollywood, among other things.

“I am afraid my idea will get stolen if I pitch it to a producer/agent - should I be worried?” No. When I first moved to LA in the early 90’s I was also un...

— Chapter 1 —Badger has a PlanOld Mr. Aardvark was not happy. He lived in a beautiful land and had a lot of money, but no matter how many times he counted hi...

Coverage can be valuable to a writer if you can keep it in perspective. The reality is, every script in history has had at least one detractor. It’s simply...

it's a thrill being back on the lido. it is a beautiful festival. perfectly run. always putting the films first. the audiences are generous and true ci...

"The 39 Clues","1000 Steps To World Domination", "Alabama Moon", "All Creatures Great And Small", "All Saints Day" (aka "Boondock Saints 2"), "The Amazing ...

The Milano International Film Festival kicks off in a few weeks… so I thought it might be interesting for people to see this interview, where the programme...

Whatever you guys crossed, it worked. Life is pretty awesome right now.

This is a test post from [image: flickr], a fancy photo sharing thing.

This exercise was submitted by Marilyn Horowitz, screenwriting instructor for NYU’s Graduate Film program. Visit her online at: http://www.marilynhorowitz....

Several days ago, instead of the usual update on the nuts-and-bolts contract negotiations, Writers Guild members received a fascinating bulletin from fine...

LENS MAGICBy Terry RossioThis really happened.In 1993, my best friend from high school, Scott Brown, planned a Caribbean summer sailing trip for his family...

Screenwriter JOHN HAMBURG: Tricks of the Trade A sure-thing comedy closer, New York City native John Hamburg built hilarious set pieces and character wor...