That's one of the funniest movies I've ever seen... E! News Reporter (to Ben Stiller's character): "You're on the wrong side of 40, you have no family, your last movie bombed, and someone close to you said if your next film isn't a hit your career is finished." Ben Stiller's character: "Someone said they were close to me?"
I love that line! That movie is awesome. And I feel like that one basically sums up Ben Stiller's characters through almost all his movies. HE's so funny. A buddy of mine was on the verge of selling a spec to his production company for him and owen wilson to star in but Ben thought it was too similar to something he already had. OWen loved it though.
Yeah, I looked it up on IMDB and he has a film in pre-production call "The Hardy Men" (they're grown up and they don't like each other anymore -- that could be very funny). So what kind of scripts do you write?
Yea that's what I thought. I personally like to write thrillers. I've written a little bit of everything but I've settled on thrillers. I had this high concept comedy idea but in the end it wasn't ready enough to send out yet. Thrillers come to me better I fell like. How bout you?
Thrillers are good -- there's always a market for those.
I like to write comedies -- it comes naturally for me (the last time I had representation was back in 2002 for a baseball comedy -- it didn't sell).
The last thing I wrote was a contained horror script called "Fetalgeist." It made it into Scriptshadow's top 100 logline contest last November, but that's as far as it went.
Yea those contained thrillers are really going now too. I sent my script in for this past week's Amatuar month but nada happened. Mine didn;t get picked because its mostly an old premise with an exciting new twits to it, but the logline didn't do it justice compared to the creativeness of the other scripts.
I don't know if you do this, but I always come up with a logline first and then write the script around it. The most difficult thing for me is writing a one page synopsis -- that kicks my ass for some reason.
Yea I do that sometimes too f the idea really hits me. I don't like the one page synopsis. I like to have an idea for a script to float around in my head for at least two weeks before I attempt to do a treatment.
I really hate doing treatments and outlines too lol. One thing that I justs tarted doing that works is I'll outline what i'm going to write for that day in the morning, that way when I sit down to do it at night it really flows out. Plus you kinda step back more to see how it applies to the whole thing
Exactly. You give your subconscious all day to work on the story and then when you sit down to write it's almost like you're a conduit. So much easier than banging your head against the wall trying to get the words to come.
YeaI love walking around all day with these ideas, jotting them down, seeing how theyll work. I read an interview with Shane Black one time and he said he basically does that and puts it in a shoebox for six months. Then he'll open it up and try to make a story out of things he has. Half the time they won't fit or won't make sense and that's how he gets his stories.
I didn't know that about Shane Black. I'm a big fan of his, though. He brought a certain legitimacy to screenwriting when he sold "Lethal Weapon" back in 87.
Yea he's my favorite screenwriter. He has a way of making such unique characters that stick with you GAy perry - Martin Riggs.... I want to try and get an interview with him, but its pretty hard. HE revolutionized screenwriting at the age of 23!
Have you ever read "Shadow Company" (I'm sure you have -- I believe it was his first screenplay from 1984). It was reviewed over at Scriptshadow awhile back (there's also a link for it).
Yea. I think I read half of it and then never got around to finishing it. It seemed good. If I remember Carson had said that that's what helped get him repped but I could be wrong. I think he wrote it with Fred Dekker but I could be wrong.
I just found it so amazing that this guy at age 23 said "screw the conventional writing style, I'm going to write so I can engage my audience. I dont care what people think"
We need more people like that now adays. Although when you go as far out as balls out did it kinda turns you away from the nonconventional. I couldn't get through more than the first 10 pages. Just wanst for me.
That's one of the funniest movies I've ever seen...
ReplyDeleteE! News Reporter (to Ben Stiller's character): "You're on the wrong side of 40, you have no family, your last movie bombed, and someone close to you said if your next film isn't a hit your career is finished."
Ben Stiller's character: "Someone said they were close to me?"
I love that line! That movie is awesome. And I feel like that one basically sums up Ben Stiller's characters through almost all his movies. HE's so funny. A buddy of mine was on the verge of selling a spec to his production company for him and owen wilson to star in but Ben thought it was too similar to something he already had. OWen loved it though.
ReplyDeleteHe can really nail those sad sack characters. "Heartbreak Kid" was another good one, and of course, "There's Something About Mary."
ReplyDeleteSo the spec your friend wrote that Ben thought was too similar to something he already had -- did that ever get made (Ben's version, that is).
I believe its just a future project he has. It might be the hardy boys, Im not quite sure lol
ReplyDeleteYeah, I looked it up on IMDB and he has a film in pre-production call "The Hardy Men" (they're grown up and they don't like each other anymore -- that could be very funny).
ReplyDeleteSo what kind of scripts do you write?
Yea that's what I thought. I personally like to write thrillers. I've written a little bit of everything but I've settled on thrillers. I had this high concept comedy idea but in the end it wasn't ready enough to send out yet. Thrillers come to me better I fell like. How bout you?
ReplyDeleteThrillers are good -- there's always a market for those.
ReplyDeleteI like to write comedies -- it comes naturally for me (the last time I had representation was back in 2002 for a baseball comedy -- it didn't sell).
The last thing I wrote was a contained horror script called "Fetalgeist." It made it into Scriptshadow's top 100 logline contest last November, but that's as far as it went.
Yea those contained thrillers are really going now too. I sent my script in for this past week's Amatuar month but nada happened. Mine didn;t get picked because its mostly an old premise with an exciting new twits to it, but the logline didn't do it justice compared to the creativeness of the other scripts.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you do this, but I always come up with a logline first and then write the script around it. The most difficult thing for me is writing a one page synopsis -- that kicks my ass for some reason.
ReplyDeleteYea I do that sometimes too f the idea really hits me. I don't like the one page synopsis. I like to have an idea for a script to float around in my head for at least two weeks before I attempt to do a treatment.
ReplyDeleteI really hate doing treatments and outlines too lol. One thing that I justs tarted doing that works is I'll outline what i'm going to write for that day in the morning, that way when I sit down to do it at night it really flows out. Plus you kinda step back more to see how it applies to the whole thing
Exactly. You give your subconscious all day to work on the story and then when you sit down to write it's almost like you're a conduit. So much easier than banging your head against the wall trying to get the words to come.
ReplyDeleteYeaI love walking around all day with these ideas, jotting them down, seeing how theyll work. I read an interview with Shane Black one time and he said he basically does that and puts it in a shoebox for six months. Then he'll open it up and try to make a story out of things he has. Half the time they won't fit or won't make sense and that's how he gets his stories.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that about Shane Black. I'm a big fan of his, though. He brought a certain legitimacy to screenwriting when he sold "Lethal Weapon" back in 87.
ReplyDeleteYea he's my favorite screenwriter. He has a way of making such unique characters that stick with you GAy perry - Martin Riggs.... I want to try and get an interview with him, but its pretty hard. HE revolutionized screenwriting at the age of 23!
ReplyDeleteHave you ever read "Shadow Company" (I'm sure you have -- I believe it was his first screenplay from 1984).
ReplyDeleteIt was reviewed over at Scriptshadow awhile back (there's also a link for it).
Yea. I think I read half of it and then never got around to finishing it. It seemed good. If I remember Carson had said that that's what helped get him repped but I could be wrong. I think he wrote it with Fred Dekker but I could be wrong.
ReplyDeleteI just found it so amazing that this guy at age 23 said "screw the conventional writing style, I'm going to write so I can engage my audience. I dont care what people think"
We need more people like that now adays. Although when you go as far out as balls out did it kinda turns you away from the nonconventional. I couldn't get through more than the first 10 pages. Just wanst for me.
"Balls Out" sounds kind of familiar. Is that one of those sports spoof movies?
ReplyDeleteI think that's the title of it. I'm not sure. But it was that script that made the blacklist this past year by robotard 8000.
ReplyDelete