Variety reported that Claire V. Riley’s screenplay “The Perfect Family” is moving toward a release date next year with name actors and a director attached. The film, starring Kathleen Turner, begins shooting this week.
More details at Screenwriting BUZZ …

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“… In high school, we were taught that a theme is usually about opposing forces, e.g. ‘man vs. nature’ or ‘the struggle for independence.’ I don’t know that this kind of analysis is all that useful when you’re talking about a screenplay, however. It’s helpful for writing an essay about a movie, not for writing […]

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“… If I see 1,000 scripts, there are, within that pile, maybe three to five that are worth discussing. And of that three to five, maybe two that look like viable projects. Wow, right?!
“So what’s going on with the other 995 scripts culled from the general screenwriting public? Well, those would fall under categories about […]

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“… You’re writing a scene and you want it to be funny. What do you do? An easy way to build comedy into your screenplay is to create a comedy situation….”
Go to article …

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Dylan Callaghan interviewed writer-director Rodrigo Garcia (Mother and Child, In Treatment) at the WGA West site.
“… There are a lot of things you have to know technically to be a writer, but writing also comes from the subconscious. The thing talks to you and ideas come to you that you never would have thought of. […]

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“… One of the biggest mistakes that writers make is they’re worried whether the script is funny or not funny. But funny, as we’ve said, is subjective. What comedians will tell you is that you can’t live or die by whether this person or that person laughs. You have to do your material and just […]

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“… If your lead characters don’t engage a reader, your script will be turned down. So it is very important that the top three characters have great introductions.
“I can’t tell you how many times a lead character is introduced in a bland way — often through ‘talking-heads’ scenes that do little to make the character […]

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“… It is quite risky to walk away from the enthusiasm of someone who can make your project happen. Enthusiasm is rare. People who can actually make it happen are much rarer. But still, even when you meet someone with both, if that person wants to change the material, every creator’s natural impulse is going […]

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Angela Page’s rom-com “Marry My Nanny” is an official selection and fifth place winner in the 2010 Mexico International Film Festival Screenplay Competition.
Go to site …

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“… There are only eight original ideas left in Hollywood, and they have to space them out accordingly.
“Take a look at this partial roster of movies I’ll be seeing in the spring and summer of 2010 …”
Go to Richard Roeper’s place …

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“… I never read romances as a kid, or any time after – I had less than zero interest, although looking back I can see there was some romance crossover in the Gothic thrillers I gobbled up in my endless quest for the supernatural. And it’s that crossoverness that definitely makes Romantic Times a more […]

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“… (M)any of the best writers of subtext operate primarily from intuition. So they don’t have a conscious structure they can teach.
“But there is a structure to subtext and it can be learned.
“The quality of your dialogue can be dramatically improved by building in meaningful subtext. Well written subtext is the mark of a professional […]

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