Notes from a Screenwriter: Entitlement
Photo via Go Into the Story. A good title tells a story for you, honing in on the theme and tone. When a reader scans a list of titles, a strong one puts them in an optimistic mood. Keep it short. A short title suggests that you know exactly what your story is. A long...
READ MORETerry’s Picks: NYWIFT Members Win Creative Arts Emmys, Helen Mirren Shines & CBS Says Yes to Female Sports Anchors
//embed.gettyimages.com/embed/453185496?et=xUDgzoWrT1h3lQ9PQXtAcQ&sig=Sbb8SSyxF2jdd3v2GYPygEHQLfvQjqRCHrkN_hCofdg= Helen Mirren at New York premiere of The Hundred Foot Journey. Congratulations: to NYWIFT members Sheila Nevins, who won TWO Creative Arts Emmys (one for One last Hug: Three Days at Grief Camp and one for Life According to Sam) and Susan Lacy, whose final season at American Masters won in the Outstanding Documentary...
READ MORESocial Media for Film & TV: Engagement Is the Magic Word
If your social media accounts have largely been for personal use, the words “engagement” and “metrics” likely haven’t peppered your vernacular. But they are truly the magic words in trying to define the success of your social media strategy. More followers mean more buzz when you’re promoting your project — and being able to quantify...
READ MOREWeekly Roundup: ‘OITNB’ Showrunner on Hollywood, Women Directors ‘Flip the Script,’ Remembering Bacall & Williams
//embed.gettyimages.com/embed/453186152?et=o9NkiCh-TK1tizzWkP_gvg&sig=SRE6KUelvaAjhLqoevg-gQilY_muFxOiLBPH9h9poGk= “We all want our f— you money,” ‘OITNB’ showrunner Jenji Kohan. Six powerhouse women directors who are “flipping the script” in Hollywood big time! Writers, are you developing a marketable screenwriting brand? Christina Hendricks brings 1960s sensibility into the present day (Video). Disney announces its 2014-2016 Directing Program participants. Judy Greer loves to audition and never feels like she’s...
READ MORE#TBT Flix Not to Miss: ‘Gas Food Lodging’
Gas Food Lodging (1992) by Allison Anders is one of those films that has stayed with me over the years. It resonated at the time I saw it as well as years later when I decided to revisit it. Anders has directed a few gems, but this is my favorite. It’s gritty without being mean, hopeful...
READ MORENotes from a Screenreader: Bonsai for Beginners
Photo via Go Into the Story. It looks like it grew naturally, its boughs and crown pleasingly asymmetrical in the way wild things grow, but you can hold it in your hands. Bonsai looks entirely wrought by nature and time, but it’s a painstaking process of complete artifice. Constant bending, pruning, grafting, wiring and clamping...
READ MORESocial Media for Film & TV: Follow, Like, Share, Repeat
Image by Paola Peralta, via Wikimedia Commons. By now you should know how to set up your social media accounts and who your target audience is. But once you’ve created that Facebook page or Tumblr blog, your presence needs to be more than just your film’s teaser or a selection of production stills. A good...
READ MOREAdvice from an Indie Producer: What You Need for Filming
The CameraThere are many things you need to actually make a movie. The most important one is the camera. Without one there’s no movie. Here are some key questions you need to ask yourself when choosing a camera: What type of look are you trying to achieve? Each camera’s output has a different look and...
READ MOREWeekly Roundup: E!’s New Talk Show Host, Vieira Returns to TV & Some Things Last Forever
//embed.gettyimages.com/embed/174392904?et=bVzMogZPR3ZK4M71gbYeNw&sig=oaM3P7tNujyof9jRndxT1GZbdZ1J-wjPs4ZBo9udBes= 1.8 million YouTube subscribers agree, Grace Helbig will be a hit for E! Cinderella makes history on Broadway. After a few career stalls, “the road is good” for OITNB’s Uzo Aduba. Meredith Vieira returns to daytime television. Writer-director Jennifer Lee goes from making Frozen history to penning A Wrinkle In Time screenplay. Before you sign that contract, remember “in perpetuity” means forever....
READ MORENotes from a Screenreader: Breaking Hearts for Fun & Profit
Photo via Go Into the Story. Statistically speaking, you do not have a serious antisocial personality disorder. It’s difficult for you to choose to hurt people intentionally, to throw the only copy of their manuscript into the fire, seduce their massive crush, or cut up the one dress they have to wear to the ball....
READ MORETerry’s Picks: Barbara Kopple, Robin Wright and Women Can Direct Superhero Movies
Barbara Kopple (with headphones) directing Running from Crazy Congratulating: Barbara Kopple on her Primetime Emmy nomination for her documentary Running From Crazy. Admiring: NWWIFT Muse honoree Robin Wright’s performance in A Most Wanted Man. Phillip Seymour Hoffman also gives a stunning last performance in the film. Agreeing; with Melissa Silverstein’s Open Letter to Sony Chief Amy...
READ MOREFey-Seagal Scale: The Truth About Sexism in Film Production
Tina Fey, who New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) honored at its 2005 Muse Awards, is in the news again. This time it’s not a brand-new project or further mention of her nonexistent sequel to Hocus Pocus. Instead, Fey has had a grading scale named after her: the Fey-Seagal Scale. Producer and writer Stephen...
READ MOREWeekly Roundup: Octavia Spencer Post-Oscar, Achieving Writing Calm
//embed.gettyimages.com/embed/452695256?et=x9YQuZPYTT5raMTSH5CCLQ&sig=rPk7n1SEA0Kx8glVOzhGsulMk1ZDftZNYGjVK5YeZNM= “Thank God for television.” Get On Up’s Octavia Spencer on life after her Oscar win. It’s still a tough road, but women prevail in Hollywood nonetheless. Lisa McNulty named Artistic Director of Women’s Project Theater. “I can’t wait to come back to an organization that feels like home…” Screenwriters, be confident and stop overthinking. Courtney Kemp Agboh, a female showrunner...
READ MOREFlix Not to Miss: ‘Mansfield Park’
Particia Rozema is a wonderfully subtle director who’s made some terrific films. I recently re-watched one of my favorites, Mansfield Park. It’s a wonderful adaptation of the Jane Austen novel, with a slightly modern treatment of some of the more shocking events. Frances O’Connor is a delightfully sly Fanny Brice, and Jonny Lee Miller is smoldering...
READ MORENotes from a Screenreader: Rethinking Dialogue
Photo via Go Into the Story. Dialogue is a necessary evil, according to legendary director Fred Zinnemann, and writers of spec scripts should print that out and tack it up over their monitors. It is the polar opposite of telling your story visually. So why do you need it at all? As director Kelly Reichardt...
READ MORENYWIFT Announces 2014 Women’s Film Preservation Fund Grantees
Alice Guy-Blaché (image: Wikipedia Commons). New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) has announced the grantees of this year’s Women’s Film Preservation Fund (WFPF). Founded in 1995 by NYWIFT in conjunction with The Museum of Modern Art, the fund is the only program dedicated to preserving the cultural legacy of women in the industry....
READ MOREWeekly Roundup: Sarandon Dishes, Fox Sports Disses
//embed.gettyimages.com/embed/451533912?et=Dg3p-JU7QZlnIhlsO7EK9w&sig=0UXch5e9ci2GOwWGC50rFQDQQZA7aOEBZdpITrITJx4= The Last of Robin Hood star Susan Sarandon discusses, well…everything. The percentage of women on film crews is only 23% (in 2013, less than 2% of directors were women!), but thank you again, Tina Fey. Terry Press named President of CBS Films. Did Fox Sports demote reporter Pam Oliver because of female ageism? Suggestions...
READ MORESocial Media for Film & TV: To Tweet or Not to Tweet
Image by Paola Peralta, via Wikimedia Commons. It was by default that I played the role of social media manager for the weekly PBS program I produced. I was the youngest person in a very small production office, after all. But as someone who loves new apps and technology, I enjoyed posting regular updates and...
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