Over at the Writers Guild of America, West site, Shira Gotshalk interviews writers Karen Lutz and Kirsten Smith (The House Bunny, 10 Things I Hate About You, Legally Blond). Despite multiple successes, Lutz & Smith still feel like underdogs.
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“… I think we all put too much emphasis on meeting the ‘right’ people - i.e. currently successful people…. I think it’s smarter to think long term.   Make contacts among your peers.  Get in good with writers you actually like and respect before they become the next big thing.  Which, again, requires making the effort […]

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These two articles are mostly about how LinkedIn is pursuing the job market in Hollywood, but in reality, this means they are focusing on Hollywood in general as a big market for them. 
Guess what?  The more Hollywood people are on LinkedIn, the more connections you can make.  So the ProSeries Alumni has made the right choice […]

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“… How you ever heard yourself say ‘I wrote this scene in this way because I was concerned that…’?
“You’re not writing toward something as much as you’re writing away from something else.
“Is this a subtle distinction? I don’t think so. Writing something because you don’t want the scene or character to be something else is, […]

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“When you direct an independent film, there’s one thing you can be sure of: It’s never over.
“I’ve been at this for a few years now, so I have projects in every conceivable stage of development from ‘complete’ to ‘just an idea’, from ‘treatment’ to ‘in distribution’, and from ‘optioned script’ to ‘dead-as-a-doornail’. But the thing […]

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Evelyn Roberts Brooks landed an assignment to do a family comedy. Congratulations, Evelyn!
Go To Screenwriting BUZZ …

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In a recent post, Ken Levine listed parentheticals as a “biggie” among things actors hate. Veteran Wil Wheaton responded in a Comment:
“… Parentheticals are complicated. You write your script with the studio or network in mind, and the sad truth is that most of the people reading it don’t have the time (or interest) to […]

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One of our members just posted about a creative way for a screenwriter to help out a worthy cause in Los Angeles. Action needed right away, if interested. See inside for details.

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“‘Is the crew laughing?’ is one of the questions we ask all the time on a comedy shoot. Because unlike the writers and producers and studio executives, they’re not paid to laugh. Or, to put it more honestly: they’re not paid enough to pretend to enjoy something they’re not enjoying….
“… So when the camera operator […]

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“… Developing relationships and getting your work read is essential to your success.
“Most writers who face this challenge fall into one of two traps: they listen to all the statistics about how hard it is, or take their first couple rejections personally, and recede into the woodwork; or, they assume that agents and producers are […]

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Writer-director Douglas Horn’s first feature film, ENTRY LEVEL, has been acquired for US distribution by Porchlight Entertainment. The film will be released in December 2008 on Porchlight’s new Ocean Park Label.
“ENTRY LEVEL stars D.B. Sweeney (THE CUTTING EDGE), Missi Pyle ([GALAXY QUEST], CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY), Kurtwood Smith (THAT 70s SHOW), Cedric Yarbrough (RENO […]

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Variety’s Anne Thompson reports that “Indie film’s easy-money era is over, but new opportunities are emerging.”
“These days, any seller hoping to land a distribution deal at a fest or market like Toronto in September realizes that only a few lucky winners will land a seven-figure minimum guarantee from a studio specialty division.
“With New Line Cinema, […]

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The complete film list for the 33rd Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was announced earlier this week. This year’s festival takes place Thursday, September 4 to Saturday, September 13, 2008.
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Jon Bonnell reports that MATCH.DEAD is “going into distributors and studios next week in full force.” There’s a small task he could use some help with if you are in the Washington D.C. area. Details inside at Jon’s ProSeries blog.
Go To Jon Bonnell’s Blog …

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We’ve opened our PS Alumni Social Network and already have 100 PS Alums there. 
This is a place where you can network with other PS grads and put deals together.  You’ll want to establish your presence ASAP.  Also, you’ll be surprised how many of our writers have some level of success that they’ve kept quiet about.  
See you […]

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