What’s New in the Sept/Oct 2011 Issue of Script

Beyond the Page: Words’ Worth
by Peter Hanson

For Oscar®-nominated screenwriter Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich), helping at-risk youth express themselves through poetry underscores the transformative power of language.

M.Y.O.M. (Make Your Own Movie)
by Jim Cirile

As lowly writers, we are taught that we are at the mercy of others. If you can’t get a representative or your screenplay doesn’t sell, sorry, pal — you will never get produced. But the digital age has changed all that. It’s time to seize the reins. You CAN make your own movie.

Concept is King
by John Buchanan

In today’s tight spec-script market, nothing is more important than your idea. In fact, an inferior concept can render even talent and opportunity effectively meaningless. Learn why story concept is king of the screenwriting jungle.

Writers on Writing: 50/50
by Will Reiser

Diagnosed with cancer at 25, scribe Will Reiser decided he finally had firsthand knowledge of a topic deep enough to merit a movie. He tackled the misconceptions about having the dreaded disease and a wrote a poignant, funny, and sometimes irreverent ... buddy comedy.

From Script to Screen: Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark
by David S. Cohen

It took about 17 years, but Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins turned Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark into the movie del Toro saw in his head when it scared the bejeezus out of him at age 10.

Story in Television
by John Truby

Renowned screenwriting instructor and sought-after story consultant John Truby explores why he advises: If you want to be a working writer, and the very best writer you can be, turn your sights to TV.

Emilio Estevez Shows Us The Way
By Bob Verini

Using the classic tale of The Wizard of Oz as an inspirational starting point, filmmaker Emilio Estevez writes and directs his father Martin Sheen in his modern-day spiritual epic The Way.

Writers on Writing: Martha Marcy May Marlene
by Sean Durkin

Writer-director Sean Durkin reveals the challenges in writing a character, Martha Marcy May Marlene, for whom time, like her own name and identity, is fluid. His critically acclaimed drama about a woman released from a cult back into her family challenged his ability to capture the emotions of several characters and led him to embrace the old writer’s mantra: Less is more.

Rubber Stamp Misery!
by William M. Akers

Screenwriter and teacher William M. Akers has seen the same mistakes in screenplays so many times that he created a series of rubber stamps for each common error. Learn how to avoid these tell-tale blunders and get your script on top of the read pile.

Transition Points
by Ray Morton

Over the 100 or so years of its existence, narrative cinema has developed a number of devices that screenwriters can use to effect transitions. Professional script analyst Ray Morton catalogues which devices to use to create seamless changes in time, place or perspective for the reader.

How to Get Your Script Read by Industry Players
by Michael Ferris

You can have the best screenplay in the world — but unless you can get people to read it, it might as well be a paper weight. Find out how to get your script in the right hands.

Script Secrets: Your Own Devices
by William C. Martell

MacGuffins, villains’ plans, Bellamys, and broomsticks are some of the most common types of plot devices. Do you know how to use them? If not, columnist and professional scribe William C. Martell is here to show you.