Crafting a Story & Writing for You

Written by Tony LaScala Monday, February 20, 2012, 11:42 AM

To Any Odd-Jobbers It May Concern,

I learned a lesson years ago: If someone puts a free advertisement on the Internet looking for a screenwriter to develop a screenplay on deferred pay, no matter how professional they sound, I’m not clicking on it. (I still might click on it now that I think about it. What if Dustin Hoffman wrote the free advertisement searching for a new script!? Sigh, stop dreaming and get back to work.)

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Top 10 Period Dramas

Written by Ally Sinyard Tuesday, February 14, 2012, 1:24 PM

Occasionally, when I’m not watching my standard blokey films like Fight Club and Inglourious Basterds, I like to swoon my face off to some Jane Austen and a bit of Colin Firth in the lake. I believe it is called “equilibrium.”

When the swooning had ceased and it came to actually sitting down and writing this list, I found “period dramas” hard to define. It turns out that this genre that I knew very little of was not just limited to adaptations of feminist literature, the Yorkshire Moors, petticoats and so on. Period dramas are films that are set in a time period other than contemporary and setting and costume play a greater role than usual.

Moreover, period dramas could literally be from any period. Citizen Kane counts. I, Claudius counts.  Schindler’s List counts. You see my problem?  So, it is important for me to be clear on narrowing a focus for this list, and therefore, I have chosen to look at period dramas that are set from the 18^thcentury onwards. The reason for this is because I felt that the films set even earlier were more concerned with playing out particular events from history, hence filling the genre mold as “historical films.”

For me, period dramas set towards the end of the millennium use history as more of a backdrop, and so our characters are more-often-than-not fictional. The authors and screenwriters of the films on this list do not just present history to us; they rework them and create new worlds, new plots and new heroes and heroines. They also include themes that are important to a modern day audience. So, let us begin…

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#6: On the Beach

Written by Brock Wilbur Tuesday, February 14, 2012, 12:47 PM

When I moved to Los Angeles, the hills were alive with the sound of inferno.

Forest fires raged, and consumed subdivisions whole. Smoke covered the smog that covered the city, and on several occasions, my friends from the Valley evacuated and crashed with me. Darkness never blotted out our sky, but if the wind hit just right, you could smell the embers. One morning my car was covered in soot — a surreal image I'll never shake.

In an op-ed piece which ran at the time, a coastal contrast was highlighted. New Yorkers had to deal with 9/11, taxi drivers, extreme weather, and other New Yorkers on public transit. Los Angeles was jealous of this threatening lifestyle, but overcompensated. Our people proved we could hang by fully embracing the Apocalypse, in whatever form it took that week. Californians never ran from their own burning homes, but stood out front in sunglasses, gin and tonic in hand, smiling and humming "Light My Fire" as the flames took control.

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10 Great Movie Kisses

Written by Noelle Buffam Monday, February 13, 2012, 4:39 PM

Ingrid Bergman once said, "A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous." Though the great actress says it much more eloquently than I, the message is clear: kissing is the quintessential expression of love. It is no wonder then that as human beings we put great emphasis on "the kiss". Whether it is the "first kiss" or the "last kiss", this display of affection plays an integral part in our lives. 

Romantic, passionate, and always dramatic, kissing plays a huge role in many films. There are even entire movies based on the concept of locking lips. The year 1896 saw the release of The Kiss. It was the first silent film to ever portray a kiss. Over a century later in 1999, audiences enjoyed Never Been Kissed: a film that leads up to the moment when Josie Geller (Drew Barrymore) waits in the middle of a baseball field in hopes of receiving her first kiss. 

Like many things in life, kissing is even better in the movies. Take Titanic. The famous kissing scene isn't just a simple peck. The back stories of Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet) increase the tension of their love. By the time they put lips to lips, the audience is practically bursting from anticipation. And not only do they kiss, but they do it just a few steps from death. Yes, it happens while the lovers are perched on the prow of the Titanic. In secret. At sunset. Try making that one happen in real life. 

Below are Ten Great Kissing Scenes.  As you will see, kissing scenes usually serve as pivotal moments in film. Whether they are out of lust, love, passion or revenge, these scenes are the pinnacle of drama. So get out your chapstick and pucker up.

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To Write, Rewrite, and Reward (Ice Cream)

Written by Tony LaScala Monday, February 13, 2012, 4:17 PM

Good Day Odd-Jobbers,

In order to write, you must write. It’s the ultimate cliché, but it always rings true. Like going to the gym: the hardest part is stopping with the excuses, admitting you have a developed idea, and putting pen to paper. I’ve said my goodbyes to Old Screenplay, and it’s on its way to apply for fellowships, enter competitions, the works. It’s new screenplay time.

Shit.

There’s so much work to do when you start a new script. Where I usually fail is the moment after the initial burst of inspiration ends. You get an idea for a character, a situation, setting, etc. You’re excited about it. You jot down a bunch of notes, maybe for a few hours.

“OMFG this is gonna be amazing!” You may say to yourself while sipping on gin and juice, laid back, with your mind on your inciting incident and your inciting incident on your mind. (Brace yourselves, they get worse).

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