nofilmschool » screenwriters

5 Award-Winning Screenwriters Discuss How They Approach Their Craft

Christopher Boone — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 17:24:40 +0000

A few months ago, Justin posted a series of videos of 10 renowned directors offering their advice on filmmaking. While this list isn’t quite as extensive, today I present to you five award-winning screenwriters discussing their approach to the craft of screenwriting. You may want to get a snack or even a small meal because some of these videos are long, but all of them offer unique insights into how each of these writers (or writing teams) approach a story, and then break the story down into screenplay format. Hopefully, these videos will educate and inspire you as you work on your own screenwriting craft.
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Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab Now Accepting Applications for January 2014

Christopher Boone — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 22:59:46 +0000

After posting about the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting now accepting applications for 2013, one of our NFS readers asked which screenwriting contests I recommend. Well, I recommend screenwriting opportunities that will further your career – namely, making contacts in the industry or finding ways to turn your writing into films yourself (that’s why you’re here at NFS, right?). Beyond making industry contacts, I think there are a few screenwriting opportunities worth considering. The Academy Nicholl Fellowships is one. The Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab is another — a long-standing program known for championing emerging voices in screenwriting and helping those writers turn their words into films. Sundance Institute has now opened applications online for the January 2014 Screenwriters Lab. (more…)

Screenwriter Roundtable: Apatow, Boal, Haneke, Krasinski, Magee and Terrio On Writing

Christopher Boone — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 15:00:30 +0000

Film is a director’s medium, or so I’ve been told. With this in mind, you probably recognized all of the directors by last name in the title of Joe’s post the other day on the Director Roundtable from The Hollywood Reporter (okay, maybe you thought Spike instead of Ang, but then quickly realized your error, and hey, you can name two directors with the last name Lee). Beyond Apatow, you may have been hard-pressed to recognize this post’s list of surnames as screenwriters at first glance, but you’re likely familiar with their current and upcoming work: Judd Apatow (This is 40), Mark Boal (Zero Dark Thirty), Michael Haneke (Amour), John Krasinski (The Promised Land), David Magee (Life of Pi), and Chris Terrio (Argo). Today, thanks again to The Hollywood Reporter, the screenwriters get their turn in an hour-long roundtable discussion in the video below. And their table, unlike the directors’ table, is actually round. Because words are a writer’s medium, or so I’ve been told. (more…)

Academy Award Nominated Writer/Director Tony Gilroy Analyzes Some Movie Pitches

Joe Marine — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 17:22:50 +0000

There aren’t too many screenwriters with as many hit movies as Tony Gilroy (who, full disclosure, also happens to be one of my favorites). Even fewer screenwriters make the full transition to writer/director and are nominated for an Academy Award for their directorial debut (Michael Clayton). Regardless of the validity of Hollywood’s most prestigious award, that still takes a bit of skill to pull off. So when someone with his experience level sits down and listens to some movie pitches, there’s a good chance he has a pretty good idea about the difficulties of getting those films made in the Hollywood studio system. (more…)

'The hardest part is dealing with failure' - Academy Screenwriters Discuss Their Craft

E.M. Taboada — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 18:21:51 +0000

What are the highs and lows of being a screenwriter? What kind of misconceptions do people have about screenwriting? How do you find your voice in an assignment or get through writer’s block? Academy screenwriters offer their views on these questions and more in this interesting six part video-series at the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences website. With screenwriters like John August (Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Body Heat), and Marc Norman (Shakespeare in Love) sharing their thoughts, there’s lots of great food for thought: (more…)