December 2011
29 posts
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It's Deadline Day at Amazon Studios: Some Advice
The second-to-last contest deadline of the year is fast approaching (check out our November contest countdown clock to see exactly how fast). This means two things: We have an excuse to use the word “penultimate,” and it’s a good time to offer some advice for a smooth upload experience: 1. If you’re uploading a test movie, hopefully you’ve already started. We recommend giving yourself an hour...
November 2011
18 posts
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From The Script Lab: The Truth About "The...
By Michael Schilf The Script Lab
It’s true. The character can do your job, but not in the way you’ve probably been told. Here’s how it really works: If you know your characters — and I mean truly know them, down to their core details (backstory, paradoxes, psychology, etc.) — it isn’t so much that the character writes for you. Instead, the character STOPS you from going down the wrong roads...
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From The Script Lab: Getting Unstuck...
By Michael Schilf The Script Lab
“Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.” – Henry Ford
You’re stuck. You know your ultimate goal: do a rewrite of your sci-fi spec script. But you’ve gotten sidetracked, run out of steam, or completely lost your way. Now the goal itself seems too daunting to tackle, and you have no idea how to begin. The best way to move forward is by...
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New: Open Writing Assignment at Amazon Studios
Amazon Studios is offering writers a chance to pitch their ideas and get hired to create a full-length movie script. This open writing assignment — which will pay up to $75,000 — is based on a project called Original Soldiers, a short created by the Amazon Studios team.
“This is a wide-open opportunity for writers from around the world and we’re excited to see what people come up with,”...
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From The Script Lab: Finding the Magic Within
By Michael Schilf The Script Lab
If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it. - Toni Morrison
Good advice. And screenwriting is no different. If there’s a movie you want to see but hasn’t been written, write it yourself. But be original. Having a good idea and writing a solid script is almost never enough. Great material rises to the top ...
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From The Script Lab: Networking = Hollywood Gold
By Michael Schilf The Script Lab
“It’s not what you know, but who you know.”
I’m entirely aware that this gray-haired saying is unoriginal and overused; however, sometimes we need to hear what we’ve heard a thousand times before in order for it to really sink in. And when it comes to Hollywood, the cliché is verifiable: it’s all about relationships.
A strong network is valuable in all...
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"Real Steel" Director (and Amazon Studios Judge)...
Shawn Levy (just announced as guest judge for Amazon Studios’ Best Kids and Family Script contest) is a director frequently associated with crowd-pleasing pop and booming box office. And on the face of it, it might seem that his rock ‘em sock ‘em Real Steel is more of the same — albeit with more of a literal punch than, say, Date Night. But no less an authority than Steven...
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From The Script Lab: The “Not So Smart” Smart Film
By Michael Schilf
The Script Lab
The ancient Egyptians built the pyramids, the Romans had their aqueducts, and we … well, we have our smart phones. But trying too hard to “be smart” isn’t always such a “smart” idea.
I must admit that I too have jumped on the smart phone bandwagon, and it’s abundantly clear to me that it’s a wagon with way too many bells and whistles. What I really need is a...
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Andy Borowitz on Hollywood, Happiness and John...
Twitter star, humorist and bestselling author Andy Borowitz had what some would consider a charmed run in Hollywood: He started out working with TV legend Norman Lear, created Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (the sitcom that made Will Smith a megastar), and produced the movie Pleasantville, starring Reese Witherspoon and Tobey Maguire. And then he walked away — not unlike late director John Hughes,...
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From The Script Lab: Writing Dialects and Accents
By Michael Schilf The Script Lab
Your characters come from all over, and it makes sense that they speak a particular dialect or with a specific accent. Knowing these details adds another intricate layer to your characters; however, the execution of delivering a clearly defined language or distinctive mode of pronunciation is not for the screenwriter to perfect. Leave that to your ...
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