I had the pleasure to meet Syd Field on two separate occasions back in the early 2000s when I was doing speaking engagements promoting one of my books. The man was gracious and informative and I greatly enjoyed knowing him! You will be missed Syd Field!
Here's an audio interview I did with Syd 15 years ago or so, the audio is not great but it's good enough to listen to. You will need a Real Audio Player to listen, here's the link:
[1/18/13] Back in October Scott Frank delivered the second in a series of BAFTA Screenwriters' Lectures presented annually in partnership with BFI, now in its third year.
Scott Frank was born in Fort Walton Beach, Florida but the family moved to Los Gatos, California, where he graduated from college with a degree in film studies in 1982. He got his first start in the industry doing research for documentaries. His first writing efforts found their way to the screen quickly and early on his talent for creating dynamic characters and edgy drama shined through. His first film was a quirky teen comedy, Plain Clothes (1988). Since then Frank has been a consistent producer of quality screenplays, perhaps none better than Little Man Tate, Get Shorty or Out of Sight.
7 Tips to Secure the Right Rep This Year
If you are like many writers, getting a great representative on your team or motivating the one you have to put in their best effort on your behalf is on your wish list for 2011. Here are 7 tips that will give you your best opportunity for the successful relationship you desire.
HOW I KNOW YOUR SCRIPT SUCKS! -- THE CRUEL AND SHALLOW MONEY TRENCH – saccharine free advice for aspiring screenwriters.
Pitch Perfect -- It doesn't matter how good your screenplay is if nobody reads it.
How a commerical fisherman becomes an A-List Hollywood screenwriter is itself an interesting story. Helgeland grew up in New England, the son of a commerical fisherman. Helgeland himself was fisherman but thought better of it after his first cold winter on the job. He decided to move someplace warm, and once in LA he found his calling after attending film school. After graduating, he sharpened his screenwriting teeth on such films as "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master", "976-Evil", and "Highway to Hell". Things changed for Brian when he literally bumped into Richard Donner and finagled his way into scripting the Stallone/Banderas spy thriller "Assassins". By 1997 it was the best and worst of times for the screenwriter-director when he saw three of his screenplays produced: Kevin Costner's legendary bomb, "The Postman", "Conspiracy Theory", and the acclaimed James Ellroy adaptation "L.A. Confidential" for which Helgeland shared a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar with Curtis Hanson. Read the Interview.
MARKET: Pitch Perfect - NEW!
Each year, thousands of spec scripts are written. Many of these scripts are written by established screenwriters who have agents and/or managers and an existing track record, all of which aids in actually getting someone to read the script.
MARKET: You’re an Idiot: Making Value from Reaction to your Screenwriting
If you’re like me, if someone doesn’t like something about my screenplay, my very first reaction is always the same.
MARKET: The Construction of a Pitch
It seems a cruel irony, after months and months of carefully plotting story, creating vivid characters and structuring a hundred and twenty pages in such a way for maximum dramatic impact, that screenwriters must become orators if they are to convince anyone to read their screenplay.
CRAFT: Understanding Spec Scripts A number of readers responded to my last column on Verticality and raised several interesting issues, most of which relate to a confusion about the nature of spec scripts.
Call in and pitch your story to Executive Story Editor at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment Christopher Lockhart, where he looks for potential projects for a small roster of "A" list clients including Mel Gibson, Denzel Washington and Steve Martin.
Call-in Number: (646) 716-5193
Date: January 27, 2010 Time: 6 PM LA Time (PST)
To just listen to the show, tune in then using receiver below!
Michigan native Peter Hanson studied film and screenwriting at New York University. He has written, directed and produced numerous films. Recently Peter, director and co-writer of Tales From the Script, along with creator/producer Paul Robert Herman, put together perhaps the most definitive and informative documentary on the not just the art and craft of screenwriting, but the business of the Hollywood scribe. In this insightful DVD and book, Peter and Paul have gathered 50 screenwriters who trade war stories.
Call-in Number (To ask question): (646) 716-5193 Listen BELOW:
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I had the pleasure to meet Syd Field on two separate occasions back in the early 2000s when I was doing speaking engagements promoting one of my books. The man was gracious and informative and I greatly enjoyed knowing him! You will be missed Syd Field!
