36

So You Want to Be a Writer? Don't Try. Exploring Bukowski's Immortal Philosophy

03.23.13 @ 10:00AM Tags : bukowski, screenwriting, writers

The poet and novelist Charles Bukowski was buried in Los Angeles in 1994 with the simple words “Don’t Try” adorning his headstone. It always struck me as a beautiful way to explain art, life and the quest for creativity. Don’t try? This seemingly flippant philosophy might be easily marginalized, but is there something more profound to Bukowski’s immortalizing words? What did he really mean by this? Digging through his letters, it becomes more clear, and it’s punctuated nicely by this poem posthumously released in 2003, So You Want to Be a Writer?: More »

34

Rian Johnson's Sci-Fi Film 'Looper': A Great Case Study of the MacGuffin

11.19.12 @ 2:00PM Tags : looper, rianjohnson, screenwriting, writers, writersblock, writing

You see Joseph Gordon-Levitt on the left here? He seems pretty confused. Now, it’s arguable that he’s contemplating the nuances of time travel. Or maybe pondering how he can elude male pattern baldness. But you know what? I think he’s thinking about something else entirely — his MacGuffin in Looper, written and directed by Rian Johnson, who also helmed and wrote Brick and The Brothers Bloom. Hit the jump for a great video by Isaac Niemand that looks at the MacGuffin in general, and a take on Looper‘s MacGuffin by boingboing’s Jamie Frevele that provides a great case study. Note the bottom portion of this post is SPOILER-ridden if you haven’t seen Looper yet! More »

40

Please Welcome New Writers Justin Minich, Christopher Boone, and MarBelle!

05.4.12 @ 2:34PM Tags : hiring, meta, writers

NoFilmSchool is written by filmmakers, for filmmakers, and the upside of that is we bring real-world knowledge and experience to our daily writing. The downside, as far as the “daily” part is concerned, is that we are sometimes off working on projects and unable to blog (this is where that real-world experience comes from, though). So when I go AWOL for a couple of weeks (as I just did during the Tribeca Film Festival, as one of the Tribeca grantees), that means it’s up to another writer to pick up the slack. The same goes for Joe and E.M., who also have real-world projects and responsibilities. While I want to make sure we’re always covering the news, I also want the site to start focusing more on issues of art and craft — as well as sharing short films and other content from around the web — which requires more bandwidth. With this in mind, please give a warm welcome to our new writers, Justin Minich, Christopher Moore, and MarBelle! More »

36

Want a Great Job You Can Do Anywhere? NoFilmSchool is Hiring Writers.

11.15.11 @ 4:32PM Tags : hiring, jobs, meta, writers

UPDATE: the application form is now closed. Thanks for your interest and stay tuned for future opportunities!

As a writer/director I’ve done my best to learn a bit about every aspect of filmmaking, but I want to bring on more writers — with different areas of expertise — in order to take NoFilmSchool to the next level. I believe this site can become an even more valuable resource with a proper team. So after two years of building this site myself, it’s time to expand into a site with multiple bylines. Interested in a part-time job writing about something you love? Read on. More »