7

Know What Your Screenwriting Audience Wants: The Business of Spec Scripts

04.3.13 @ 1:22PM Tags : business, chrisfenton, gointothestory, sales, scottmyers, screenplay, screenwriting, script, spec

Many of us here on NFS will write screenplays for our own films that we plan to make ourselves. That said, it’s always good to know which scripts are selling in the marketplace: 1) to know what movies may be coming to a theatre near you soon so your script is different (or better); 2) to know the styles and genres of scripts that studios and financiers are buying should you want to sell your own spec; and 3) to know who represents and manages writers of scripts like your own to help you find representation. To shed some light on the spec script market, Scott Myers at Go Into The Story has been running a weekly series on this very topic, covering the history of the spec script market, the buyers of spec scripts, the spec screenwriter-representation relationship and more. More »

12

Breaking Screenwriting Rules with 'The Princess Bride': Unfilmables

10.18.12 @ 2:33PM Tags : gointothestory, scottmeyers, screenplay, screenwriting, script

Screenwriting is a topic broached fairly regularly, and often authorities on the subject talk about the rules that govern scripts. An aspect of screenwriting discussed less often that seems to govern all other rules, however, is the Secret Rule, which is: “Feel free to break any of the aforementioned Rules if necessary.” Scott Myers at Go Into the Story recently posted about doing just that with screenwriting, and why The Princess Bride should never have worked as a film. More »

12

When is Your Script Truly Done? 10 Things to Consider Before Locking Down Your Screenplay

10.8.12 @ 4:46PM Tags : gointothestory, scottmyers, screenwriting, script

For some people, the hardest part of screenwriting is muscling through that first draft. For others, the dreaded editing and rewriting phase, which can last for days, weeks, or even years, is the most difficult. As a writer, at some point in the process, you will have to ask the question: when is it time to lock the script and finally get it out to those who need to read it (whether that be buyers or producers)? To help answer the question, Scott Myers over at Go Into The Story has put together a list of 10 things to consider before locking a script. More »

20

How I Really Feel About Screenwriting Gurus Courtesy of Frank Darabont and Scott Myers

07.13.12 @ 10:23AM Tags : frankdarabont, gointothestory, gurus, scottmyers, screenwriting

As an aspiring screenwriter myself now writing for NFS for a few months, I have searched for advice from professional screenwriters that would be useful to the NFS community. My personal preference is to learn more about the craft and career of screenwriting from working, professional screenwriters. Of course, screenwriting gurus who are not actually screenwriters offer advice to aspiring screenwriters through a litany of seminars, books and websites — some of which can be useful — but always make me wonder about their true value (or harm) for those of us striving to learn the craft day in and day out. The other day, Scott Myers at Go Into the Story posted this quote from writer/director Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile) that crystallized my thoughts: More »

3

Keep Up to Date on the Spec Script Market with TheGrid and Go Into the Story

06.20.12 @ 2:00PM Tags : database, gointothestory, itsonthegrid, sales, scottmyers, screenwriting, script, spec, theblacklist, thegrid

For many of us on NFS, we’re pursuing our filmmaking goals through the independent, DIY route. If you’re focused more specifically on screenwriting like myself, however, you may find yourself straddling the line writing content you can sell to the Hollywood studios and writing content you want to make as your passion project. Either way, it’s important to know what’s currently in development and production so you know what is selling and so you don’t get blindsided when you discover your current script is already in production as a major feature film. For decades, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter have been the standard trades for Hollywood. For the independent film community, IndieWire has established itself as the must-read sight. These publications typically cover done deals or finished films. For screenwriters that want to know what specs are heading out into the market before the deal is done, there’s TheGrid. More »