Disney Buys Marvel

According to Variety, The Walt Disney Co. has agreed to acquire Marvel Ent. in a stock and cash transaction worth $4 billion. Disney will acquire ownership of more than 5,000 Marvel characters, including Iron Man, Spider-Man, X-Men, Captain America, Fantastic Four and Thor.

Question for the day: What Disney/Marvel crossover are you NOT looking forward to? Spider-Mouse, The Incredible Duck, Beauty & "The Beast"?

Let me know.

Rebecca Gwynne at FringeReport.com

My student Rebecca Gwynne was interviewed by the FringeReport.com. Read the full interview here:

http://www.fringereport.com/int0906rebeccagwynne.php

Heathers Redux

According to Variety, the 1989 film Heathers is being adapted for TV by Mark Rizzo and Jenny Bicks.

Which classic film would you like to see adapted for TV?

FilmFresh.com

I've been poking around FilmFresh.com lately. They offer a bunch of DivX quality movies for play on your computer and TV.

If you watch a lot of stuff on your computer, you might want to check them out.

My thanks to Miles Maker and his Facebook status for the info.

BuskerFest

I was reading an interesting article on The Toronto Star's website today about the 10th annual Toronto Buskerfest. From today until Sunday, Toronto will be home to some of the most entertaining street performers in the world.

Here is a quick list of 5 things a street performer should never do, courtesy of The Star's report:

1. Cry
2. Bleed
3. Get Sick On Your Audience
4. Make Children Cry
5. Offend The Event Coordinator

What's the best street performance you've ever seen?

Combining Stereotypes

I will be attending the Venice Film Festival this year and I have spent the past few hours deciding which films to see and sites to visit while I'm there.

I've also been dealing with the Venice Film Festival website which is, to put it kindly, not the most user-friendly thing I've ever used.

It reminded me of an old joke:

Heavens is where:

the policemen are British
the cooks are French
the mechanics are German
the lovers are Italian
and it's all organized by the Swiss...

Whereas in Hell:

the policemen are German
the cooks are British
the mechanics are French
the lovers are Swiss
and it's all organized by the Italians...

I don't post this to make fun of any one group, but rather to make a point about writing. Increasingly, it seems like writers are going for the one-dimensional "heaven" or "hell" stereotype in their films... The British are wimpy. The Germans are mean. The Italians are good lovers. Etc.

I would suggest that instead you might want to take note of this joke and combine "heaven" and "hell" when writing your story.

Perhaps a story about a very organized Swiss watchmaker who is also a great lover. Or a British policewoman whose secret passion is cooking. What if these two met?

By taking the extra time to confront stereotypes and then flip them, you will develop a layered and ultimately more satisfying story.

Chipping Away At Rejection

A friend of mine forwarded me the following story about the origin of potato chips:

In the summer of 1853, Native American George Crum was employed as a chef at an elegant resort in Saratoga Springs, New York. On Moon Lake Lodge's restaurant menu were French-fried potatoes, prepared by Crum in the standard, thick-cut French style that was popularized in 1700s France and enjoyed by Thomas Jefferson as ambassador to that country. Ever since Jefferson brought the recipe to America and served French fries to guests at Monticello, the dish was popular and serious dinner fare.

At Moon Lake Lodge, one dinner guest found chef Crum's French fries too thick for his liking and rejected the order. Crum cut and fried a thinner batch, but these, too, met with disapproval. Exasperated, Crum decided to rile the guest by producing French fries too thin and crisp to skewer with a fork. The plan backfired. The guest was ecstatic over the browned, paper-thin potatoes, and other diners requested Crum's potato chips, which began to appear on the menu as Saratoga Chips, a house specialty.

It made me think of a new approach to rejection and rewriting. Just as Crum passive aggressively cut the chips extra thin to annoy the guest, you do the same with your rewriting.

As an exercise take all of the "constructive" criticism you've received from people (agents, producers, fellow writers) about your writing and take it to the extreme when rewriting one or two scenes. If someone said there are too many characters, for this exercise cut all but one or two of them; if your character isn't likable, make them disgustingly sweet; too much dialogue, write a scene with no dialogue at all.

Even though you'll be doing this for just one or two scenes, and you probably won't use the scene you've created in your final draft, you might be surprised to see what is revealed about your script.

Good luck and happy writing.



Also check out Dylan Moran on Rejection at YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS1NOXWVWgo

Lauren Bacall Tweets

I'm not sure if I'm more surprised that Lauren Bacall took the time to discuss contemporary films or that she's on Twitter.

Lauren Bacall writes on her Twitter.com page, "Yes, I saw Twilight - my granddaughter made me watch it, she said it was the greatest vampire film ever. After the 'film' was over I wanted to smack her across her head with my shoe, but I do not want a (tell-all) book called Grannie Dearest written on me when I die. So instead I gave her a DVD of Murnau's 1922 masterpiece Nosferatu and told her, 'Now that's a vampire film!' And that goes for all of you! Watch Nosferatu instead!"

What's your favorite vampire movie?

Living Openly & Notoriously

My friend Elizabeth Hess will be performing her solo trilogy from Friday, September 11, 2009 through Sunday, September 20, 2009. It's received terrific reviews - The New York Times said "The woman gazing out at the audience as the lights go down is so stunning you need a moment to remember she was there all the time." - and tickets are now on sale.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Father Knows Best

I regularly tell my private students to take note of what people around them say, as it can lead to interesting story ideas and pieces of dialogue in future scripts. Here's an entertaining example of just that:


http://twitter.com/shitmydadsays

Truly Free Film

A friend of mine mentioned that Jade Wu had said some very nice things to say about me at Ted Hope's Truly Free Film site, so I took a peek. I'm glad I did because it's a great site with a number of valuable resources for filmmakers. Do yourself a favor and check it out here:

CLICK HERE TO VISIT TRULY FREE FILM

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

To celebrate the film's 70th anniversary, MSNBC posted an article about the influence of Wizard of Oz on contemporary cinema. Read the full article here and let me know which films you think were the most influential on modern film.

FREE Coaching Webinar Tonight

If you've already signed up for tonight's FREE coaching webinar, please disregard this post. You will receive the logline worksheet via email very soon.

If you didn't get a chance to sign up for the class during the initial registration period, I'm excited to say that I have opened tonight's class to an additional 10 people. During tonight's class I will be discussing how to get your script ready for market and answering any questions you might have about structuring, writing or rewriting your screenplay.



CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR TONIGHT'S FREE COACHING SESSION



If you have any questions or comments, please let me know.



Good luck and happy writing,

Marilyn Horowitz

www.ScreenPlayClass.com

What Is Your Villain's Hidden Talent?

This month's issue of GQ includes an interview with Scarlett Johansson. She recently completed her second album as a singer (a series of duets with Pete Yorn). It made me think about other actors with hidden talents: Harrison Ford is a master carpenter, Paul Newman raced cars and Ashton Kutcher, um, Twitters.

As an exercise, think of a hidden talent for the villain in your story. Maybe it's the reason they do what they do, something that humanizes them in the mind of the reader, or just something that will come into play later in your script.

Even if you don't end up using it in your final draft, it can reveal interesting details about a character that is too often one-dimensional.

Good luck and happy writing.

Judging A (Face)book By Its Cover - Becca Johnson

Your characters have imaginary backgrounds and we must treat them as if they are real people. A good way to stay sharp as a writer is to practice by creating imaginary backgrounds for real people you don’t know.

To do this exercise, go to your profile page, click on any of your friends, click on one of their friends (who you don’t know) and take note of their name and photo.

Now, go to your profile page again, click on the Notes tab, paste these rules into a new note and then write a short, imaginative story outline about them. Don’t take too long to think about it. Tag the friend you found the person through and then tag me because I’m interested in what you come up with.

Good luck and happy writing,

Marilyn Horowitz
http://www.ScreenPlayClass.com


Becca Johnson, a lifelong Boston Red Sox supporter, angers her Massachusetts businessman father by bringing home her new boyfriend, a diehard Yankees fan. The situation is further complicated when Becca agrees to marry the guy if the Yankees beat the Red Sox in the World Series. When Becca’s father finds out he does everything in his power to save his little girl and make sure the Yankees don’t win.

Ben Stiller, Mickey Rooney and Twitter

Wonder Woman

My very talented student Debbie Katz Berkelhammer had a piece published at More.com. Please take a moment to read it at the link below.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

What Lies Beneath

I have heard of writers lying about what they're working on, directors padding their resumes and actors hiring autograph seekers to approach them in front of a producer. But this might take the cake:

The Office Kid

What's the best/worst white lie you've ever told?

More Hope Than Usual

On Sunday I read a terrific article in the Fashion & Style section of The New York Times. It's a beautiful story about a woman who gets cancer, goes through therapy, meets someone at a cancer survivor program, recovers from cancer and marries the guy.

In addition to being a remarkable story, it's a good reminder that truth is still so much more interesting than fiction, and sometimes the best story is one that doesn’t seem believable, with more hope than usual.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Deadline Tonight!

Screenplay competitions are an excellent way to get free coverage. If you have a finished screenplay ready (and you're interested in feedback), consider submitting something to the Screenwriting Expo contest. Deadline tonight!!!

Here's the info:

Finish up that draft and get a chance at $20,000 AND unparalleled industry access!


PITCH YOUR IDEA TO EXECS...RIGHT AFTER YOU WIN

Imagine winning...and walking into a roomful of A-LIST execs the VERY NEXT DAY - and all of them know who you are!

Each year, the Screenwriting Expo has held one of Hollywood's and the world's biggest and most popular movie and TV script pitch fests during the Expo. And each year, this great pitch fest has ended just a couple of hours before the screenplay competition winners are announced.

But not this year - winners will be announced beforehand!

And now the winners and runners-up will have the golden opportunity to pitch their idea while the buzz from their victory is still fresh!

Every exec in the pitch fest room will know who you are and willing to listen to your idea.

This is unparalleled access that only the Expo can offer!


CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE CONTEST


THAT'S NOT IT - WE SEND YOUR SCRIPT AROUND AFTER THE EXPO

If the immediate pitching was not enough, we still fulfill the promise to get your script into as many hands as possible.

Over 300 production companies, agencies, and management companies have request to see the winning script and the loglines and synopsis of all the finalists.

Add that to the large media campaign that will follow your win, and you'll be hard pressed to find someone in Hollywood who won't know your name after you win the 2009 Expo Screenplay Competition.


$20,000 Grand Prize!
$20,000 cash, a trip to Los Angeles to attend the Screenwriting Expo
plus free or refunded Golden Pitch pitch tickets, plus other product and services prizes


Four Genre Category Prizes Totaling $10,000 Cash
Each prize is $2,500 cash plus a trip to Los Angeles to attend the Screenwriting Expo,
plus $1,000 in finalist prizes. The four winners will be picked from among these nine genre categories:

- Action-Adventure - Thriller - Sci-Fi
- Comedy - Family - Animation
- Low Budget Indie - Horror - Fantasy



NEW CONTEST - WRITE A SCENE, WIN $3000


Remember the CS Open - the open writing tournament held during every Screenwriting Expo? Now, that tournament is available to EVERYONE - online.

The Creative Screenwriting Cyberspace Open is the 2009 successor to the popular and unique CS Open, which has been run on site at the Screenwriting Expo for the past seven years by CoverageInk.com. Like the CS Open, it is an elimination tournament. To win, you need to survive three eliminations by writing three scenes of three to five pages each from premises we will give you.

In the original CS Open, all contestants had to be at the Screenwriting Expo. They had to write longhand. And they had just 90 minutes to write each scene.

In the new Creative Screenwriting Cyberspace Open, you do not need to attend the Expo to win. You can write from anywhere, on a computer, and you can submit on line.

TweetAMovie

My students and friends following me on Twitter (at TweetAMovie) have been working on a collaborative effort to write a movie Tweet by Tweet.

As the story develops 140 characters at a time, it's been amazing to see how people's visions may differ, but the story can stay remarkably cohesive. But "cohesive" may be an understatement! What's unfolded is becoming a remarkably exciting, taut mystery.

If you haven't been following our experiment, please enjoy the screenplay so far and be sure to direct message your suggestions to TweetAMovie!

(Apologies for not being able to make the formatting more accurate in Blogspot.)


EXT. - LUXURY CRUISE SHIP DECK – NIGHT - A distraught young bride frantically searches for her husband. She finds his jacket caught around one of the rails on the port side. The arms of the jacket flapping eerily out towards the sea. Off the port bow in the shadows of the hull of the large vessel floats a small group of pirates who hold him bloodied and bound.

INT. LUXURY CRUISE LINER - While below in the cargo room, a stowaway is pacing. His eyes are filled with lust & murder.

MIRA
Joe! Joe! Where are you?

JOE
Help me! I'm over here.

From behind her, a moving SHADOW passes over her shoulder. She spins and SHRIEKS. Joe sees what's happening but can't help her. His boat of pirates takes off into the black darkness.

INT - LUXURY CRUISE LINER - A radio squawks.

RADIO
We got him.

The stowaway steps into light, smiles. He looks just like Joe.

INT. ROOM ON THE SHIP - Boat security questions Mira.

OFFICIAL
Ma'am, when did you last see your husband?

MIRA
Two hours ago. We had just come back from the ballroom. We're on our honeymoon.

SECURITY GUARD
Your honeymoon?

The Security Guard who looks just like Joe, glances at his security detail.

MIRA
Uh, yeah. You know, that vacation you take together after the wedding? 



The guard slams his fist on the table, close enough to Mira that she feels the air move. 
 





GUARD
You'd think you'd watch your tongue if you wanted your husband back. 




Mira doesn't flinch. The guard paces the windowless room.


 


MIRA
My husband's name was Joe.

The guards look at each other. 
The guard silently pulls out a file labeled Robert Harrison.


GUARD #1
That name is familiar.

GUARD #2
He's a VIP on this boat. He's seated at the Captain's table tonight.


MIRA
Holding my tongue is what put Joe's life in danger in the first place. 



GUARD #1
Everybody's named Joe. Sometimes, they got other names, too.

He opens the file.

GUARD #2
Is this your Joe? Or this? 



MIRA
I saw him after dinner. We were looking at the moon. He said... we said goodbye. I should've known. Can I see that file?

The Guard hesitates.


She pours over the file, staring at Joe's face, his outfit.

MIRA
That's us in Venice. That's Joe in Paris, on business. That's impossible. I know a Photoshop when I see it. No no no.

She slams files to the floor, she notices a dufflebag tucked away in a corner. Stenciled on it, the name JOE.

She bursts into tears.

MIRA
Why are you yelling at me? 
Can I go, please? My husband's missing and I need to make some phone calls and go sleep.


GUARD #2
Just one more question. You said "was".



MIRA
What?

GUARD #2
You said a minute ago that his name "was" Joe. Family of missing people usually refer to loved ones in present tense.


Int. Cafe - One year earlier Mira waits for her computer to start up. She impatiently makes circles with the cursor.


Joe, waiting for his coffee, watches her intensely.

JOE
There are two kinds of people in the world.

MIRA
I'm sorry?

JOE
People who wait for things to happen and people who make circles with their cursors. 



MIRA
Sorry, I just have so much to get done this morning.

JOE
You realize the first two things you said to me were both "sorry"?


MIRA
The first two things? Will there be more I say to you?

He considers that for a moment. Suddenly Mira's computer comes to life, finally done loading.

MIRA
Sorry. Back to work.

Joe smiles.

Mira can feel Joe still staring at her. Wanting to protect what's about to come up on her screen, she closes her laptop, trying to be casual. 
 



 



WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Man In The Mirror

Self-examination is one of the most difficult things for a writer (or person) to do and my writing system, The Horowitz System®, teaches writers to consider how they would react to a situation before deciding how their characters would react.

If you're not quite ready to find out what you think about you, click the link below to find out (courtesy of Personas) how the internet sees you.

CLICK HERE

News From Our Friends at ChaoticSequence.com

Lost and Found Gathers Steam
Arthur Vincie's latest project, "avant-garde noir" feature Lost and Found, is gathering steam. We will be holding a backer's reading in October; a special e-blast will go out once we have the date and place pinned down. A night of fractals, time travel, and murder will ensue. Check the Chaotic Sequence Website around mid-September when we have more details.


John Bonafede's BALLOONING AWARENESS to premiere at Under The Bridge Fest in September
John Bonafede, artist, production designer and long-time friend of Chaotic Sequence, will be premiering his performance art piece BALLOONING AWARENESS at this year's DUMBO Arts Center (DAC's) Under the Bridge Festival. It's an interactive performance that will engage children. September 25 - 27th. Check out DAC's website for more details.

In case you miss it at the Fest, John will be staging BALLOONING AWARENESS at the NYC Art Biennale. Also check out John's site, Slowcrack.com, for more details on the event and to see his other work.


Shriekfest 2009 Festival Call
Shriekfest, one of the friendliest and most fun festivals we've ever attended, still has an open call for submissions. A full four days of horror, sci-fi, and fantasy! They also have a monthly networking meeting coming up on August 25th, out in LA. The whole operation is run by dynamic duo Denise Gossett (actress/producer) and Todd Beeson (entrepreneur). They make everyone feel welcome and take real pride in the festival. Check out the site for details on submissions and on the networking night: http://www.shriekfest.com/.


Stransky stars in American Buffalo
Charles Stransky, one of the lead actors in Caleb's Door, will be starring in Shadowland Theatre's production of David Mamet's American Buffalo. The show will run from September 11-September 27th at the Shadowland Theatre in Ellenville, NY. Go see a great actor performing a great play, in a lovely part of upstate New York. Call 845-647-5511 or go online to Shadowlandtheatre.org for details and tickets.


Part I Of the Sky Is NOT Falling
I just finished a new blog entry analyzing the current indie crisis in relation to the previous ones that we all (or at least some of us) went through in the early 90's and early 00's. Each time the film/tv industry got knocked down a bit, it evolved, changed models, and moved forward, usually with good results. So if you've had enough bad news, check it out. In Part II I'll predict what happens next.


RSS Feed Online!
The downside of rolling your own code is that you have to reinvent the wheel. But better late than never! The RSS feed for the Chaotic Sequence website can be accessed at: http://www.chaoticsequence.com/rss.php. If you like FeedBurner, you can check it out at: http://feeds.feedburner.com/chaoticsequence. At the moment it's only the blog that's being "fed" but we will be adding articles, news, and other tidbits as things heat up on our various projects.

What Is The Answer To Your Movie's Questions?

Last night I watched the movie Don Juan DeMarco again.

Even though on many levels it is a very silly movie, it has an excellent message, illustrated by the scene between Don Juan (Johnny Depp) and Don Octavio/Dr. Jack Mickler (Marlon Brando). In the scene, Don Juan tells his doctor:

"There are only four questions of value in life, Don Octavio. What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for, and what is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same: only love."

This film is about people of all ages rediscovering the passion in their soul, so the answer to every question is, of course, love.

Now, as an exercise, take a look at the script for your own movie. If you could only pick one answer to all of these questions for your character, what would that answer be? Love, money, revenge, or something entirely different?

When you have your answer, click below to find out how to apply your answer to your own script with The Four Magic Questions of Screenwriting.


CLICK HERE FOR THE FOUR MAGIC QUESTIONS OF SCREENWRITING

Reduce, Reuse, Rite

I received some new art supplies yesterday and my adorable cat, Big Red, has moved into the box. He has inspired me to start recycling too, and I have gone back to some of my old, unused characters, scenes and sequences and considered them for my current projects.

Our first instinct is always to abandon an idea if we can't find a place for it, but I much prefer the method of storing these lost ideas (in a notebook or a drawer) for a rainy day.

Do you have a scene that isn't working? Do you need an interesting location? Would a unique character punch up your script?

Check in with some of your old ideas and see if you find a match and let me know how it goes.

Shut Your Facebook

I've heard so many stories about writers talking themselves out of deals by bad mouthing producers or directors in elevators and bars, where people can overhear. What's the worst foot-in-mouth (or Facebook-in-mouth) story you've heard?

What We Talk About When We Talk About Mushrooms

The other day I sent my assistant to buy crimini mushrooms at the store. She came back empty handed. I couldn't believe the store wouldn't have crimini mushrooms and I made her go back again. She came back empty handed again. At this point I began to question why I had hired her in the first place, explained I had seen them there just yesterday, and sent her back one...more...time. She came back without them again. As I was contemplating the best way to find a new assistant, it dawned on me that when I was saying crimini mushrooms, I actually meant portobello mushrooms. I was the idiot, not her. And now, when she doesn't understand something, or I don't know how to explain something, we just say "mushroom."

This got me thinking about the power of misunderstanding and mistaken identity, particularly in films.

In Slumdog Millionaire the authorities believed Jamal is a criminal, in Galaxy Quest extraterrestrials believe that Jason is actually a space commander and in Aladdin Princess Jasmine thinks Aladdin is wealthy.

Take a moment to think of your own script and the relationship between two of the characters. Could some sort of a misunderstanding help to heighten the conflict?

Maybe a mother finds drugs in their child's room and doesn't believe they're just "holding it for a friend," someone overhears a conversation and misunderstands it, or a character on a date misinterprets what the other person really means.

Let me know what you come up with.

The Suddenness of Life

I just witnessed the aftermath of a very serious car accident involving a taxi cab around the corner from my office.

In addition to my initial concern for the driver, passengers and pedestrians involved in the collision I was also taken with the reaction from the witnesses standing around the crash.

A few kept their heads down and pushed through the crowd to continue with their day.

Some of them whipped out their cell phones and cameras and began documenting it for, I imagine, blogs, status updates (Facebook and Twitter and others) and the local and national media sources.

And almost all of them began throwing out their own theories behind the crash: "he was driving too fast," "he swerved to avoid a truck," "he swerved to avoid a pedestrian," "he was talking on the phone," etc.

Whenever something happens as suddenly and unexpectedly as a car crash, the people involved see the cause and effect differently.

Take a moment to consider what that moment in your own story is. It doesn't have to be as dramatic as a car crash, it could just be an argument between two people, a missed appointment or hearing from an old friend. But consider how that event is perceived by the characters in your story and how it changes them.

I hope this story has a happy ending for everyone involved.

Good luck and happy writing.

Structure For Your Screenplay

I was working with one of my private students this morning and her story just wasn't 'popping' the way I thought it could.

I suggested she consider looking at the structures of other stories, including Pulp Fiction, The Usual Suspects and The Sixth Sense to see if maybe part (or all) of her story needed to be moved.

As an exercise, watch a movie that's structured the same way as your own script and then watch a movie that's structured differently. You might be surprised to see that if you just move one sequence (or even one scene), you can find the dramatic intensity your story was lacking.

Various structures to consider:

Chronological
The Straight Story
About Schmidt

Divided
Pulp Fiction
Memento
The Sixth Sense


Flashback
Fried Green Tomatoes
English Patient



CLICK HERE FOR SAMPLES OF YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE BREAKDOWNS

Is It Okay To Kill Babies?

Here's a brief clip from the Q & A session of my most recent webinar. To register for my next FREE private coaching webinar, CLICK HERE.

Space is limited to the first 25 people who register.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW

Short and Sweet

When I moved into my current office the only thing left behind by the previous tenant was the August 2006 edition of Reader's Digest. It still holds a place of honor on the shelf in the bathroom. So, you can imagine how upsetting it was to hear that the magazine officially declared bankruptcy today.

Could it be that in a world of Twitter and Facebook, even Reader's Digest (AKA American In Your Pocket) is just too time consuming for the average reader?

End of Summer

It's been almost two months since I first suggested we set the end of the summer as the deadline for our screenplays and so many of you have updated me on your terrific progress.

But before the summer slips away for good, I wanted to let you know about a few more opportunities I've developed to help my friends and private students power through those last few pages.

How To Rewrite Your Script Or Novel With Ease
Thursday, August 20, 2009
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Eastern
10 AM PT, 11 AM MT, 12 NOON CT
In this exclusive interview with Annie Jennings, Marilyn will spend the hour discussing how to write your best screenplay or novel in fewer drafts.

The teleseminar is only available to the first 50 people who register.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW


Private Coaching Session with Marilyn Horowitz
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
9:15PM Eastern
Have you always wondered what it's like to take one of Marilyn's private classes? Well, now's your chance. The first 25 people who register below will be able to participate in a FREE 1-hour private coaching webinar with Marilyn Horowitz.

Space is extremely limited. Register today.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW


The Four Magic Questions of Screenwriting (Home Study Kit)
Can't make either class? Don't worry. I've developed the most thorough package available to structure, write and rewrite your screenplay. It's called The Four Magic Questions of Screenwriting and it's available by clicking the link below...


CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

The Jay Leno Show

I have been following the announcements about The Jay Leno Show, NBC's "new" talk show. Rather than focus on the fact that, if successful, it represents 5 less hours of scripted television each week, let's consider his first guest: Jerry Seinfeld.

If you were hosting a new show, who would you pick to be your first guest? Now think about who the main character in your script would choose for their own show.

Taking the time to decide who your hero would want to talk to can reveal interesting details about their character.

Where were his balloons?

My student Lanie tried to take the bus home last night that goes down Columbus Avenue. But he was told by another driver that busses weren’t running on that route because an old shopkeeper shot and killed two of four robbers who assaulted his employee.

Because we’re always talking about genre in our neck of the woods, we decided that the story of an old man fighting back would have to be called Up noir.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/back-at-work-harlem-store-owner-recounts-shooting/?hp

Hugo Award Winners Announced

Full list of Hugo Award Winners:


BEST NOVEL: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins; Bloomsbury)

BEST NOVELLA: "The Erdmann Nexus" by Nancy Kress (Asimov's Oct/Nov 2008)

BEST NOVELETTE: "Shoggoths in Bloom" by Elizabeth Bear (Asimov's Mar 2008)

BEST SHORT STORY: "Exhalation" by Ted Chiang (Eclipse Two, also: audio version)

BEST RELATED BOOK: Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded: A Decade of Whatever, 1998-2008 by John Scalzi (Subterranean Press)

BEST GRAPHIC STORY: Girl Genius, Volume 8: "Agatha Heterodyne and the Chapel of Bones" Written by Kaja & Phil Foglio, art by Phil Foglio, colors by Cheyenne Wright (Airship Entertainment)

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, LONG FORM: WALL-E Andrew Stanton & Pete Docter, story; Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon, screenplay; Andrew Stanton, director (Pixar/Walt Disney)

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION, SHORT FORM: Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Joss Whedon, & Zack Whedon, & Jed Whedon, & Maurissa Tancharoen, writers; Joss Whedon, director (Mutant Enemy)

BEST EDITOR, SHORT FORM: Ellen Datlow

BEST EDITOR, LONG FORM: David G. Hartwell

BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTIST: Donato Giancola

BEST SEMIPROZINE: Weird Tales edited by Ann VanderMeer & Stephen H. Segal

BEST FAN WRITER: Cheryl Morgan

BEST FANZINE: Electric Velocipede edited by John Klima

BEST FAN ARTIST: Frank Wu

WorldCon 2009 Update

More from WorldCon...

Hey Marilyn:

Hope you are well. Just another quick update from Montreal.

Went to a few panels about writing, submitting your material and The Hugo Awards. Interesting stuff. Heard a lot of things I had already considered but explained in very clear ways. Here's a sample:

"There are two kinds of people... those who know how to build a house and those who know how to design a house. Writers are the same."

"90% of science fiction is about philosophy rather than science."

"This book was a failure of character. Not that the character failed in his quest but rather that the author failed the character by making them do something they would NEVER do."

See you next week.

Christopher
www.ThruTheWormhole.com

Pas de don't

I was walking down 43rd Street earlier today and spotted an elegantly dressed woman walking her large black Doberman that was sporting a pink tutu. They trotted happily along, with her in haute couture and the dog in his Swan-Lake-inspired costume. I was too stunned to get my camera out in time, but you can see from the picture above, she’s not the only dog owner out there who thinks this is a good idea.

Another power woman rolled her eyes as she walked by and told me, “Ugh, and she said he was a male dog!”

I said, “I hope she doesn’t do that to her husband."

The homeless and Hollywood

I saw a homeless man with the face of an angel sitting near 72nd and Broadway yesterday, making a meal of things from garbage cans. I offered him a few dollars. He smiled, took the money - and handed it back!

"I don't use money," he smiled, "but thank you so much!"

Wow! Do any of you think this would make an amazing scene in the right movie?

Hollywood has always loved telling stories about down-on-their-luck people, like Robin Williams in The Fisher King or the interaction between William Powell and Carole Lombard in My Man Godfrey.

Remembering John Hughes

Remembering John Hughes, Filmmaker Extraordinaire

I'm watching The Breakfast Club and feeling the loss of John Hughes keenly. First Blake Synder and now this.

John Hughes made many amazing movies as well as this one, including Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Animal House. His films are masterpieces. They combine originality with classical structure and so embody the period they were shot in while also being timeless. John Hughes will live on in our hearts.

He contributed to the pantheon of teen movies, while reinventing the teen’s coming-of-age genre.

I am often asked how to structure an ensemble film, and The Breakfast Club is a perfect example of how to do this. A well-written ensemble script should focus on the main character who has the most to lose, in this case, Judd Nelson’s character John Bender, a.k.a The Criminal. The other characters’ arcs should parallel his emotional journey. In The Breakfast Club The Criminal is pitted against the principal, who is the villain, a character who doesn't change.

John Hughes was a great filmmaker and this film really personifies the new adventure I teach in my newest book, The Four Magic Questions of Screenwriting.

The first Magic Question is: What is the main character's dream? In the beginning of the film, each of the characters personifies a stereotype, and each character is desperately trying to maintain the persona they have chosen. Each character's dream is to stay as they are.

The fourth Magic Question asks: What is the resolution of the main character's dream, or what is the new dream? In Act III, the character either realizes his or her dream from Act I, forfeits the dream, or finds a new goal during Act II.

As the film progresses, their roles shift and change. By the end of the film, each character has realized that each has each other's personas inside of themselves and they connect with the least likely classmate: The Athlete with The Basket Case and The Princess with The Criminal. The resolution of The Breakfast Club is that each character goes on a new adventure: They are willing to be who they are, and to go for what they want instead of maintaining the status quo.

Gaiman talking about writing with others...

Neil Gaiman at WorldCon

An update from The 67th World Science Fiction Convention in Montreal.

Hi Marilyn:

Thanks for mentioning the podcast on your blog. I thought I'd pass on some announcements made during today's Neil Gaiman session:

- Stardust is being reworked as a musical for the stage.
- He is also working on an original musical about a French theatre. He says it's an alternate history - "The way the story should have went..."
- Director Neil Jordan is turning The Graveyard Book into a film.

He also let it slip that his friend John Hodgman will appear on the British program QI.

During the Q&A period he was asked about whether he considers his audience when writing his books. He said writers should always write for "someone who's kind of like you, but hasn't read the book yet. It's an idealized version of you."

Thought you'd enjoy that.

Christopher
www.ThruTheWormhole.com

Thru The Wormhole

My assistant will be spending the next few days in Montreal to attend the 67th WorldCon with friends. If you're a Sci Fi fan, or just want to learn more about genre conventions, listen to their daily podcast Thru The Wormhole.


CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

Blake Snyder 1957-2009

I was on the phone with one of my colleagues and I was telling her I was looking forward to having coffee with Blake Snyder – screenwriting coach extraordinaire and author of Save the Cat – the next time he was in town.

“Are you sitting down? I have to tell you, he passed away yesterday,” she said, adding she saw the bad news on his blog yesterday.

I want to share the screenwriting community’s distress, dismay and shock that this amazing teacher is no longer with us.

It’s such an abrupt and dramatic ending. I, for one, can’t take it in. I didn’t know him well, but I found him to be an incredibly generous and gifted teacher and mentor and supporter of writers.

Teachers with such generosity are not replaceable. His legacy and influence will continue to be felt in the students he taught.

Join Marilyn in Maryland!

How would you like to go on one more trip to the beach this summer... AND FINISH YOUR SCREENPLAY?!?

If you answered yes, then Marilyn's Writers Retreat is the trip for you.

During this three-day retreat, August 21-23, writers will enjoy the beach, an indoor and outdoor pool, ocean view rooms, fresh seafood and dancing... and learn Marilyn’s latest, most advanced screenwriting techniques.

For just $797 you will receive:

- Round trip transportation from New York City to Ocean City, MD
- A private room with ocean view and balcony in the Flamingo Motel
- A daily continental breakfast
- And, most importantly, daily private classes and consultations with Marilyn Horowitz

Marilyn is only offering this class to the first 8 people who apply, so call 212-600-1115 and register today.

*** REGISTER BEFORE AUGUST 11th and PAY JUST $697 (SAVE $100)!!!

*** PRIORITY WILL BE GIVEN TO MARILYN'S PRIVATE STUDENTS

JUST 5 SPOTS LEFT

CALL 212.600.1115 TO REGISTER