Announcement

December 18

Society of Southwestern Authors Forum
The Tucson Sheraton Four Points on Speedway and Campbell in the conference center (south of the hotel). Program begins at 10 am.

Howard Allen will do his Presentation on the Storytelling Secrets of the Christmas Classic: It's A Wonderful Life

Two-time Contest of Contest Winners Finalist to Be Published!

Timothy Jay Smith, who has been a finalist twice in ScriptDoctor's Contest of Contest Winners screenplay competition, has turned one of those screenplays into a novel, Cooper's Promise, which will be published early in 2012. To learn more about the novel and/or pre-order a copy, please visit the author's kickstarter page.

ScriptDoctor's Contest of Contest Winners

ScriptDoctor's Contest of Contest Winners is still accepting entries through December 15. Do you have a screenplay that has won a contest? Visit ScriptDoctor.com to see if your screenplay qualifies and enter today!

Writing Advice

November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and The Atlantic has a slideshow of several prolific authors and their advice to writers. The piece is here.. From Stephen King's admonition to read voraciously and indiscriminately to Christopher Hitchens' advice to "write the way you talk," inspiration abounds for writers of all kinds. (Although, Muriel Spark's advice to get a cat may not be practical or sensible for all writers.)

William Monahan Interview (Collider)

William Monahan, who wrote the screenplays for Kingdom of Heaven and The Departed, was interviewed by Steve "Frosty" Weintraub for Collider. Monahan discusses the status of several recent and upcoming projects, but the interview holds interest for screenwriters in particular because of some of the lessons he's learned along the way, including that a writer can't be a "precious author" because changes, sometimes significant ones, will be made. (Monahan says that The Departed is the only film he's written that is essentially the script on film.)

Be sure to go to Collider to read the whole interview.

IFP Phoenix Member Discount

ScriptDoctor is offering a discount on services for members of IFP Phoenix for short film script analysis and diagnosis. See the IFP Phoenix website for details.

Beverley Smith-Dawson

Beverley Smith-Dawson, who was a finalist in the Contest of Contest Winners, was also a finalist in the Feature Screenplay category of the 2011 Moondance International Film Festival for her screenplay, Wild Horse Woman.

Congratulations, Beverley!

A New Testimonial

TESTIMONIAL #1

Blurb:

Thank you very much for your insights. I’d recommend your service to anyone who wants some straight, honest feedback. It is a valuable service. I look forward to working with you again in the future. -- Brian Pulido, Writer-Director of Lions Gate national release: The Graves that features ScriptDoctor as a Screenplay Consultant.

Complete:

I wanted to give you some feedback on your feedback on my horror script, Cursed. As you may recall, I was looking to revise and complete the script for a round of horror/genre themed screenplay festivals. At the same time you were diagnosing the script, I had five other screenwriters/story editor types reading it. I received all their feedback before I received yours. It was all good thoughtful stuff. When I received your feedback, you essentially suggested a page one re-write. You saw things that the others didn’t. You saw that there wasn’t a "logic” or a "reality” to how the supernatural force operated. You wanted to see more character development. It went on from there. Your diagnosis was broad and to the point, specific and surgically precise. It revealed big, underlying story problems no one else saw. Once I read your diagnosis and digested it, I couldn’t argue with it. The problems became clear as day. I’ve written comic books professionally for twelve years now. I have 240 comics to my credit, have had some of my books chart as high as the #2 book of the month—hell, I even sold a screenplay to RCA/Columbia back in 1990. But wrangling this particular form—the screenplay—has been a challenge. Cursed is my first attempt since 1990. Thank you very much for your insights. I’d recommend your service to anyone who wants some straight, honest feedback. It is a valuable service. I look forward to working with you again in the future. -- Brian Pulido

Howard Allen "the script doctor" is in a new book!

http://www.amazon.com/Now-Write-Screenwriting-Exercises-Teachers/dp/1585428515/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1294164097&sr=1-1

Interview on Script Links 2011

http://members.shaw.ca/any-word/interview_scriptdoctor.htm?

Script Magazines Q & A with Howard Allen the Script Doctor

http://www.scriptmag.com/2011/05/02/qa-with-howard-allen-the-script-doctor/

Contest of Contest Winners

FOR RELEASE:
April 15, 2011
ScriptDoctor.com
CONTACT: Howard Allen, thedoc@ScriptDoctor.com

The WINNERS of the CONTEST OF CONTEST WINNERS ™

There are dozens of screenwriting competitions held annually across the country. But which screenplay from among the winners of all of these quality competitions is the best of the best?

All of us at ScriptDoctor.com are amazed at the response – more than 50 entrants -- in this the sixth year of our Contest. To show our gratitude, we took the extra time and expense of getting two Writer Judge’s coverage-style evaluations sent to every single entrant in the Contest.

Who is the best of the best? The Contest of Contest Winners ™ hopes to answer that question and shine the spotlight on these accomplished, award-winning screenplays. A good showing in this contest proves your script stands out among the toughest competition. What a priceless marketing tool for your screenplay!

Our top ten Finalists also receive free Final Draft software.

Also as promised, we are directly contacting more than 200 publications, agencies and production companies with the names and screenplays of our 10 Finalists.

Our access to major studios and production companies is aided by the fact that many of our judges are working professionals. This includes ScriptDoctor (rated No. 1 in a national survey), Howard Allen. And Chris Haughom, who has been in the film business for over 25 years, starting out in the biz as Executive Assistant to the President of Filmways Pictures, Inc. Over the years, Chris evaluated scripts for AFI, CAA and many production companies, and also wrote many script novelizations. For the past 16 years, Chris has been a Judge for the Academy’s Nicholl Fellowships, reading over 250 scripts in a 4-month period each year. And Victoria Lucas with almost 20 years of experience as a development and production executive at both major studios and independent film companies.

Our First Place Winner receives the cash prize, storyboard software from FrameForge 3D, a free set of Story Notes from ScriptDoctor.com (valued at $700), as well as the prize given to the top ten Finalists.

We would like to thank our sponsors and the great response we got from all of the contest winners who entered. We remind everyone that some Entrants qualified just being Quarter-Finalists or Semi-Finalists in certain contests like the Nicholl Competition (see our web site for details).






And now our winner:

JENNA'S GONE by Russ Meyer

When the waitress they both love goes missing, an untried deputy and an exceptional hunting guide strain their friendship tracking the kidnapper across the desert--each suspecting the other of playing a role in her disappearance.

Contact: tortoise@att.net


And our Finalist Winners in alphabetical order:

FINDING YOUR INNER DOG by Erna Mueller

Can a surly cop enter the gates of heaven? You bet: The Jerk Redemption Program. He just has to become his K-9 Partner dog first.

Contact: images9@comcast.net


JUST KILL ME ALREADY by Sundae Jahant-Osborn

A desperate down'n'out actor takes extreme and temporarily insane measures to make sure he wins the role of a lifetime. How? He hires a hitman to "eliminate" his competition.

Contact: wysiwygprod@compuserve.com


KING'S HEART by Svilen Kamburov

An extraordinary true story: a King risks everything to defy Hitler's Nazi Germany and make his small country the only nation in Europe to save its entire Jewish population.

Contact: svilenpk@yahoo.com


NEW MOMMY by Hamilton Mitchell

A boy falls for his baby sitter, and 12 years later--moving home from college--he discovers she’s going to marry his step-dad.

Contact: ham9875@aol.com


NORTH 40 by Timothy Jay Smith

A Special Ops soldier, whose grief over the loss of a son has torn his family apart, takes them on vacation hoping to relive happier times, when a perilous situation forces them to pull together to survive. Straw Dogs meets Ordinary People in this Hitchcockian suspense thriller.

Contact: timothysmith.paris@gmail.com


RED STAR by Ruth Johnson

She survived the un-survivable. The inspiring true story of Margaret Werner, the only American woman to endure the Gulag death camps in Stalinist Russia.

Contact: ruthiejohnsonofhb@gmail.com


TAKU'S QUEST by Michael Pallotta

An orphaned Japanese boy is chosen to thwart a diabolical scheme by the Lord of the UnderWorld ten years in his future.

Contact: pallotta_m@yahoo.ca


UNDERWOOD by Theresa Giese

While a teenage farm boy fights to save his family’s farm, a young squirrel battles his own fears to follow in his famous father’s footsteps. When their paths cross, both lives change in ways even they don’t truly understand.

Contact: bgiese@centurytel.net


WHEN TIGERS SLEEP by James Walker

In 2009, a Tamil boy arrives in London from Sri Lanka, having escaped the brutal civil war, but becomes embroiled in a violent Tamil gang instead.

Contact: jamesjmwalker@gmail.com


THE VOYEUR by John Bengel

An ethicist and college dean with a voyeurism obsession sees something that creates his ultimate ethical dilemma.

Contact: rbengel@ca.rr.com


And our Honorable Mention:

THE YUAN WIDE MOVIE by Wayne Diu

A fat kid unintentionally wreaks havoc in his hometown after a suspiciously not-so-random draw seals his fate: He will become the unfortunate student chosen to interview candidates in the upcoming election.

Contact: wayne@readmyscreenplay.com

Magnolia Picks Up Lars Von Triers, Melancholia.

The controversial filmmakers new film starring Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlotte Rampling, John Hurt, Alexander Skarsgård, Stellan Skarsgård and Udo Kier, will be completed in the spring and will most likely be at Cannes.

Todd from Twitch saw a promo for Melancholia this weekend in Berlin. He says,

In short, it is gorgeous – instantly recognizable as Von Trier’s work and very likely the most commercial iteration of his talent that we have seen yet. This in no way implies that he has dumbed things down, just that the wild transgressions of Antichrist are not present here – where they would be entirely inappropriate – and that the imagery is so beautiful that this is a film that you could clearly cut one hell of a trailer for…Though firmly grounded in reality there are a lot of special effects in this and they are integrated seamlessly, shots of static electricity arcing off skin and dead birds falling from the sky in super slow motion being particularly effective.

Say what you will about Von Trier, he can be hit and miss for me, but I really liked Anti-Christ and this movie is certainly on my most anticipated movies list for 2011.

Criterion Adds 150 Titles to Hulu Plus

Starting today, there are more than 150 of our most important films online on the Hulu Plus subscription service. Over the coming months, that number will swell to more than 800 films. For the true cinephile, this should be a dream come true. On Hulu Plus, you’ll find everything in our library, from Academy Award winners to many of the most famous films by art-house superstars like Ingmar Bergman, Akira Kurosawa, and Federico Fellini to films so rare that they have never been seen in the U.S. in any medium. Some of these lost gems have been so hard to see that even most of the Criterion staff will see them for the first time only when they go live on Hulu Plus! Each month, we’ll be highlighting a mix of programs, centered on themes, directors, actors, and other creative artists, as well as celebrity picks, and mixing them with deep cuts from the catalog that will be unknown to all but the most prominent cinephiles in the world.

And finally, why Hulu? In short, because they get it. As their regular viewers know, the Hulu user experience is exactly what it should be: simple, elegant, and focused on the content. Hulu has built their brand on letting the shows and movies take center stage. Nobody does it better, and we’re honored that they see Criterion as a good match for their audience. We’re going to do all we can to make the experience of Criterion on Hulu Plus an exciting adventure for all of us, so please check it out and let us know what you think.

(from Criterion.com)

Scriptdoctor Testimonial #1

Hi Howard,

I’d been meaning to get back to you about your services regarding my
screenplay, THE N WORD, but my schedule got away from me. I just
wanted to say that I was extremely thankful for the quality of your
service, as well as the quick turnaround, and I won’t hesitant to
recommend you (and your company) to friends and colleagues.

I appreciated the fact that you encourage writers to “own” their
rewrite, rather than telling the writer what is “right or wrong” with
the story. Personally, it allowed me to approach my next pass with a
sense of discovery rather than a sense of correction.

Another major consideration I took from your review was a
clarification of the sense of comedic tone (specifically, that I
should set up the tone of the story more appropriately). I also found
helpful the multitude of notes in the margins of the script itself,
especially as it pertained to streamlining my formatting. And it goes
without saying that the audio recording gave the review a sense of
personalization that rarely comes with standard coverage. The overall
experience was, in a word, awesome.

My primary goal with this spec is to showcase my
talent by (hopefully) placing in several contests and securing
representation. I’m in it for the long haul, and I look forward to
utilizing your services again (perhaps as early as March 3rd) as a
guidepost to keep improving my craft along the way.

Thanks again, Howard!

Sincerely,

Robert Hestand

Megan Ellison Helps Out Another Master Filmmaker

Not only has she put up the financing for two new Paul Thomas Anderson films (The Master and Inherent Vice) now she's making a deal to buy the North American distribution rights for Wong Kar Wai's new film, The Grandmasters.

Eastwood Breaks Another Mold from NY Times

Eastwood Breaks Another Mold from NY Times

“Hereafter” was written by Peter Morgan, better known for his films about British royalty — “The Queen,” “The Other Boleyn Girl” — and for his play “Frost/Nixon,” which he later turned into a movie as well. His involvement in a project about the afterlife is in many ways even more remarkable than Mr. Eastwood’s, and his script, as it happens, underwent a near-death experience and then a resurrection.

“How did this come about? I have no idea, really,” Mr. Morgan said from his car while stuck in traffic in Vienna, where he lives part of the year and does almost all of his writing. “I am a person of the Enlightenment, as it were.”

What prompted “Hereafter,” he went on to say, was the book “If the Spirit Moves You: Life and Love After Death,” by Justine Picardie, a British journalist devastated by the premature death of her sister, Ruth. At once hopeful and skeptical, she visited spiritualists, mediums and people who claimed to be able to record the voices of the dead and examined her own experience of bereavement. “I was just gripped by it,” Mr. Morgan said of the book. “It made me realize that we know so much of life before birth, and so little about life after death.”

Normally an obsessive outliner and reviser, he began writing a screenplay without any clear idea of where it was going. “So much of what I usually do offers solution or explanations, but this time I wanted to write something open ended,” he said. “I didn’t want answers. I wanted to ask questions.”

The first character he imagined was Marcus, the twin who lost his brother, and then the two others, the journalist and the psychic, quickly suggested themselves. “I was writing instinctively, almost in sketch mode,” he said. “It was all so spare and skeletal that the pages were very white.”

He put the script away for a while, but after a close friend died unexpectedly, he picked it up again. “That really startled me,” he said of his friend’s death. “In the church I kept thinking: ‘Now what? Where? What’s happened?’ ”

Hoping just for a reaction, he passed the script to his agent, who instead sent it off to the producer Kathleen Kennedy (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Jurassic Park”). Seeing a resemblance to “The Sixth Sense,” she in turn showed it to the director of that film, M. Night Shyamalan. Later she happened to be on the soundstage of “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” while talking to Mr. Shyamalan on the phone, and she was overheard by Steven Spielberg, who according to Mr. Morgan said, “I like the sound of that.” He liked the sound of it so much that he read the screenplay and made extensive notes, which Mr. Morgan immediately addressed in a revision.

But Mr. Spielberg thought the revision was not as “humble” or “pure” as the original, Mr. Morgan said. “He told me, ‘I think I’ve ruined your screenplay.’ Then he said, ‘Can I show it to my friend Clint?’ ”

“So now we’re really in the realm of the absurd,” Mr. Morgan said. A couple of months later he was further bewildered when he learned that Mr. Eastwood, who had purchased the rights to “Hereafter,” was already filming off the original script. Though known for writing on spec and resisting the traditional development process, Mr. Morgan had been looking forward to working with Mr. Eastwood.

“I imagined we’d have all sorts of conversations about the characters, about the plot,” he said. “But we never did. What you see on the screen is this thing I wrote very sketchily in the mountains of Austria.”

Mr. Eastwood said he typically works this way. “I believe very strongly in first impressions,” he explained. “When something hits you and excites your interest, there’s really no reason to kill it with improvements.” He even resisted the idea of having Penélope Cruz play the female lead, because it meant changing the character from a French journalist to a Spanish one.

“Clint is incredibly instinctive,” Mr. Morgan said, “and he’s anti-neurosis. It’s like antimatter. He’s totally without neurosis. The set of ‘Hereafter’ was one of happiest places I’ve ever been. It comes from trusting yourself and eliminating fear.”

Referring to Ron Howard, who directed the film version of “Frost/Nixon,” he continued: “Ron is the same way. He’s completely at home on a movie set, and I think it comes from practically growing up there. He and Clint are rather like sailors from a bygone century. They come into port every now and then, but really they live on the ship. They’re seafarers.”

John Augusts coverage of Natural Born Killers, circa 1992

http://johnaugust.com/archives/2010/a-visit-from-the-ghost-of-coverage-past

Letter from David Mamet to the writers of The Unit.

TO THE WRITERS OF THE UNIT

GREETINGS.

AS WE LEARN HOW TO WRITE THIS SHOW, A RECURRING PROBLEM BECOMES CLEAR.

THE PROBLEM IS THIS: TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN *DRAMA* AND NON-DRAMA. LET ME BREAK-IT-DOWN-NOW.

EVERYONE IN CREATION IS SCREAMING AT US TO MAKE THE SHOW CLEAR. WE ARE TASKED WITH, IT SEEMS, CRAMMING A SHITLOAD OF *INFORMATION* INTO A LITTLE BIT OF TIME.

OUR FRIENDS. THE PENGUINS, THINK THAT WE, THEREFORE, ARE EMPLOYED TO COMMUNICATE *INFORMATION* — AND, SO, AT TIMES, IT SEEMS TO US.

BUT NOTE:THE AUDIENCE WILL NOT TUNE IN TO WATCH INFORMATION. YOU WOULDN’T, I WOULDN’T. NO ONE WOULD OR WILL. THE AUDIENCE WILL ONLY TUNE IN AND STAY TUNED TO WATCH DRAMA.

QUESTION:WHAT IS DRAMA? DRAMA, AGAIN, IS THE QUEST OF THE HERO TO OVERCOME THOSE THINGS WHICH PREVENT HIM FROM ACHIEVING A SPECIFIC, *ACUTE* GOAL.

SO: WE, THE WRITERS, MUST ASK OURSELVES *OF EVERY SCENE* THESE THREE QUESTIONS.

1) WHO WANTS WHAT?
2) WHAT HAPPENS IF HER DON’T GET IT?
3) WHY NOW?

THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS ARE LITMUS PAPER. APPLY THEM, AND THEIR ANSWER WILL TELL YOU IF THE SCENE IS DRAMATIC OR NOT.

IF THE SCENE IS NOT DRAMATICALLY WRITTEN, IT WILL NOT BE DRAMATICALLY ACTED.

THERE IS NO MAGIC FAIRY DUST WHICH WILL MAKE A BORING, USELESS, REDUNDANT, OR MERELY INFORMATIVE SCENE AFTER IT LEAVES YOUR TYPEWRITER. *YOU* THE WRITERS, ARE IN CHARGE OF MAKING SURE *EVERY* SCENE IS DRAMATIC.

THIS MEANS ALL THE “LITTLE” EXPOSITIONAL SCENES OF TWO PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT A THIRD. THIS BUSHWAH (AND WE ALL TEND TO WRITE IT ON THE FIRST DRAFT) IS LESS THAN USELESS, SHOULD IT FINALLY, GOD FORBID, GET FILMED.

IF THE SCENE BORES YOU WHEN YOU READ IT, REST ASSURED IT *WILL* BORE THE ACTORS, AND WILL, THEN, BORE THE AUDIENCE, AND WE’RE ALL GOING TO BE BACK IN THE BREADLINE.

SOMEONE HAS TO MAKE THE SCENE DRAMATIC. IT IS NOT THE ACTORS JOB (THE ACTORS JOB IS TO BE TRUTHFUL). IT IS NOT THE DIRECTORS JOB. HIS OR HER JOB IS TO FILM IT STRAIGHTFORWARDLY AND REMIND THE ACTORS TO TALK FAST. IT IS *YOUR* JOB.

EVERY SCENE MUST BE DRAMATIC. THAT MEANS: THE MAIN CHARACTER MUST HAVE A SIMPLE, STRAIGHTFORWARD, PRESSING NEED WHICH IMPELS HIM OR HER TO SHOW UP IN THE SCENE.

THIS NEED IS WHY THEY *CAME*. IT IS WHAT THE SCENE IS ABOUT. THEIR ATTEMPT TO GET THIS NEED MET *WILL* LEAD, AT THE END OF THE SCENE,TO *FAILURE* – THIS IS HOW THE SCENE IS *OVER*. IT, THIS FAILURE, WILL, THEN, OF NECESSITY, PROPEL US INTO THE *NEXT* SCENE.

ALL THESE ATTEMPTS, TAKEN TOGETHER, WILL, OVER THE COURSE OF THE EPISODE, CONSTITUTE THE *PLOT*.

ANY SCENE, THUS, WHICH DOES NOT BOTH ADVANCE THE PLOT, AND STANDALONE (THAT IS, DRAMATICALLY, BY ITSELF, ON ITS OWN MERITS) IS EITHER SUPERFLUOUS, OR INCORRECTLY WRITTEN.

YES BUT YES BUT YES BUT, YOU SAY: WHAT ABOUT THE NECESSITY OF WRITING IN ALL THAT “INFORMATION?”

AND I RESPOND “*FIGURE IT OUT*” ANY DICKHEAD WITH A BLUESUIT CAN BE (AND IS) TAUGHT TO SAY “MAKE IT CLEARER”, AND “I WANT TO KNOW MORE *ABOUT* HIM”.

WHEN YOU’VE MADE IT SO CLEAR THAT EVEN THIS BLUESUITED PENGUIN IS HAPPY, BOTH YOU AND HE OR SHE *WILL* BE OUT OF A JOB.

THE JOB OF THE DRAMATIST IS TO MAKE THE AUDIENCE WONDER WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. *NOT* TO EXPLAIN TO THEM WHAT JUST HAPPENED, OR TO*SUGGEST* TO THEM WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.

ANY DICKHEAD, AS ABOVE, CAN WRITE, “BUT, JIM, IF WE DON’T ASSASSINATE THE PRIME MINISTER IN THE NEXT SCENE, ALL EUROPE WILL BE ENGULFED IN FLAME”

WE ARE NOT GETTING PAID TO *REALIZE* THAT THE AUDIENCE NEEDS THIS INFORMATION TO UNDERSTAND THE NEXT SCENE, BUT TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO WRITE THE SCENE BEFORE US SUCH THAT THE AUDIENCE WILL BE INTERESTED IN WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.

YES BUT, YES BUT YES *BUT* YOU REITERATE.

AND I RESPOND *FIGURE IT OUT*.

*HOW* DOES ONE STRIKE THE BALANCE BETWEEN WITHHOLDING AND VOUCHSAFING INFORMATION? *THAT* IS THE ESSENTIAL TASK OF THE DRAMATIST. AND THE ABILITY TO *DO* THAT IS WHAT SEPARATES YOU FROM THE LESSER SPECIES IN THEIR BLUE SUITS.

FIGURE IT OUT.

START, EVERY TIME, WITH THIS INVIOLABLE RULE: THE *SCENE MUST BE DRAMATIC*. it must start because the hero HAS A PROBLEM, AND IT MUST CULMINATE WITH THE HERO FINDING HIM OR HERSELF EITHER THWARTED OR EDUCATED THAT ANOTHER WAY EXISTS.

LOOK AT YOUR LOG LINES. ANY LOGLINE READING “BOB AND SUE DISCUSS…” IS NOT DESCRIBING A DRAMATIC SCENE.

PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR OUTLINES ARE, GENERALLY, SPECTACULAR. THE DRAMA FLOWS OUT BETWEEN THE OUTLINE AND THE FIRST DRAFT.

THINK LIKE A FILMMAKER RATHER THAN A FUNCTIONARY, BECAUSE, IN TRUTH, *YOU* ARE MAKING THE FILM. WHAT YOU WRITE, THEY WILL SHOOT.

HERE ARE THE DANGER SIGNALS. ANY TIME TWO CHARACTERS ARE TALKING ABOUT A THIRD, THE SCENE IS A CROCK OF SHIT.

ANY TIME ANY CHARACTER IS SAYING TO ANOTHER “AS YOU KNOW”, THAT IS, TELLING ANOTHER CHARACTER WHAT YOU, THE WRITER, NEED THE AUDIENCE TO KNOW, THE SCENE IS A CROCK OF SHIT.

DO *NOT* WRITE A CROCK OF SHIT. WRITE A RIPPING THREE, FOUR, SEVEN MINUTE SCENE WHICH MOVES THE STORY ALONG, AND YOU CAN, VERY SOON, BUY A HOUSE IN BEL AIR *AND* HIRE SOMEONE TO LIVE THERE FOR YOU.

REMEMBER YOU ARE WRITING FOR A VISUAL MEDIUM. *MOST* TELEVISION WRITING, OURS INCLUDED, SOUNDS LIKE *RADIO*. THE *CAMERA* CAN DO THE EXPLAINING FOR YOU. *LET* IT. WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERS *DOING* -*LITERALLY*. WHAT ARE THEY HANDLING, WHAT ARE THEY READING. WHAT ARE THEY WATCHING ON TELEVISION, WHAT ARE THEY *SEEING*.

IF YOU PRETEND THE CHARACTERS CANT SPEAK, AND WRITE A SILENT MOVIE, YOU WILL BE WRITING GREAT DRAMA.

IF YOU DEPRIVE YOURSELF OF THE CRUTCH OF NARRATION, EXPOSITION,INDEED, OF *SPEECH*. YOU WILL BE FORGED TO WORK IN A NEW MEDIUM – TELLING THE STORY IN PICTURES (ALSO KNOWN AS SCREENWRITING)

THIS IS A NEW SKILL. NO ONE DOES IT NATURALLY. YOU CAN TRAIN YOURSELVES TO DO IT, BUT YOU NEED TO *START*.

I CLOSE WITH THE ONE THOUGHT: LOOK AT THE *SCENE* AND ASK YOURSELF “IS IT DRAMATIC? IS IT *ESSENTIAL*? DOES IT ADVANCE THE PLOT?

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY.

IF THE ANSWER IS “NO” WRITE IT AGAIN OR THROW IT OUT. IF YOU’VE GOT ANY QUESTIONS, CALL ME UP.

LOVE, DAVE MAMET
SANTA MONICA 19 OCTO 05

(IT IS *NOT* YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO KNOW THE ANSWERS, BUT IT IS YOUR, AND MY, RESPONSIBILITY TO KNOW AND TO *ASK THE RIGHT Questions* OVER AND OVER. UNTIL IT BECOMES SECOND NATURE. I BELIEVE THEY ARE LISTED ABOVE.)

Now scriptdoctor.com has a blog!

This blog is dedicated not only to promote scriptdoctor.com, but will focus on film, television and screenwriting. From film news, what we're watching, screenwriting tips and what's new with scriptdoctor.com, this blog will be a great resource, not only for screenwriters, but to the fellow film lover in all of us.