Administrator
12-23-2001, 07:44 AM
The Jan./Feb. 2002 issue of SCREENTALK magazine is at the printers. The new issue will ship out January 7, 2002. It will be available at most major newsstands including Barnes & Noble, Borders, Bookstop, Tower, and Hastings around January 25, 2002.
Thanks to everyone who participated in our e-mail survey some weeks ago. I'm delighted we have such a supportive and satisfied readership. Your suggestions tell us how to further serve your needs and have been taken into consideration; in fact, some suggestions have even made it into the Jan./Feb. 2002 issue! Others will appear in the future.
In a comfortable cigar bar in Knightsbridge, London, Athos Kyrus met with maverick filmmaker Robert Altman and Brit character-actor-turned-screenwriter Julian Fellowes to talk about life in GOSFORD PARK. With his new film, Altman journeys to England for the first time to create a unique film mosaic with an outstanding ensemble cast. GOSFORD PARK features a who's who of British acting talent and a razor-sharp script from Fellowes -- who was recently named one of Variety's "10 Screenwriters To Watch."
Have you ever wondered what happens AFTER winning the Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship? For the next year, exclusively in SCREENTALK, we will follow the 2001 Nicholl winners' ups and downs in TURNING NICHOLL INTO GOLD. Buckle up-you are in for a hell of a ride!
Do you ever wonder what will go through the minds of screenwriting contest readers/judges? What rules do they have? What guidelines do they use? Wish no more! In Part 2 of our READER ROUNDTABLE, we continue our discussion with nine readers and/or administrators from five international contests.
What happens when the average, shy writer, has to become an extroverted salesperson and give a pitch? Sometimes it ain't pretty! We polled producers in the U.S. and Europe to see if they might share some of the worst pitches they'd ever received. Learn how not to pitch in PITCHERS AND THEIR PITCHES.
A complete Table of Contents can be found below.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday season, and a safe and successful 2002!
Happy holidays from the SCREENTALK team.
Eric Lilleor
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, SCREENTALK Magazine
The International Voice of Screenwriting
--------------------
E-mail: mailto:editor-in-chief@screentalk.org
URL: www.screentalk.org (http://www.screentalk.org)
"Whether you want to get tips from the pros or simply read top-notch scripts, SCREENTALK is the best site ever!"
-- Writers Digest, April 2000
Subscribe to the SCREENTALK e-News by sending a blank
message to newsletter-subscribe@mlm.screentalk.org
------------------------------------------------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SCREENTALK MAGAZINE
January/February 2002
--------------------
IN FOCUS
--------------------
LIFE IN GOSFORD PARK
WITH ROBERT ALTMAN & JULIAN FELLOWES
GOSFORD PARK is a unique landmark for maverick filmmaker Robert Altman, with a who's who of British acting talent that includes Maggie Smith, Richard E. Grant, Helen Mirren, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jeremy Northam, and Emily Watson (among others) and a razor-sharp script from fellow-Brit Julian Fellowes.
By Athos Kyrus
--------------------
COLUMNS
--------------------
NOTES FROM THE EDGE
HIGHWAY TO HOLLYWOOD -- SCREENWRITERS AND THE WORLD WIDE WEB
Don't just use the web for e-mail. Use it to find valuable information to gain entry into Hollywood. The author did, and here's how it worked.
By Robert Gregory-Browne
FROM THE TRENCHES
TRUTH, HALF-TRUTH, & TELEVISION TRUTH -- PART II
Don't hate me because I'm new & edgy. The truth is ... do they really want new & edgy, even if they think they do?
By Larry Brody
THE WRITE GAME
GOAL STRUCTURES
One way of creating a sturdy story structure is by understanding and applying the right Goal Structure.
By Sheila R. Allen
EVOKING THE STORY JOURNEY
BEGINNING AT THE END:
UNCOVERING THE COMPLEXITY WITHIN SIMPLICITY
Starting with an understanding of a story's fulfillment and final resolution, a storyteller can better understand what kind of complications might arise from a simple beginning.
By Bill Johnson
CONVERGENT MEDIA
DIGITAL ALCHEMY: THE NEW REALITY? -- PART II
Synthespians -- CGI's latest threat to actors. Producers can recreate an actor's likeness or voice in postproduction without having an actor at all.
By Beth B. Kennedy
SCREENWRITER'S CAFÉ
CREATING YOUR PERSONAL SCRIPT MARKETING PLAN
Marketing your screenplay requires a lot of tasks and time. But the most important part of the process is attitude.
By Colleen Patrick
--------------------
CRAFT
--------------------
PITCHING FROM ANOTHER PLANET
Pitching with confidence will win loyal fans and more work ... a summary of the pitching market at the Hollywood Screenwriter's Conference held in L.A. November 10-11, 2001.
By Bonnie Orr
REJECTION DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A DIRTY WORD
Think rejection gets easier when you get more experience? It doesn't!
By P.J. McIlvaine
LITERARY TOOLS THAT MAKE A SCRIPT MEMORABLE
Learn how Bookends, Symbolism and Foreshadowing, Open-Ended Dialogue and Succinct Narrative make a script more memorable.
By Sally J. Walker
TURNING NICHOLL INTO GOLD -- PART I
These Fellows made it BIG TIME. Here's your chance to follow their year-long journey after winning the prestigious 2001 Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship. Exclusively in SCREENTALK.
By Paul Watson
READER ROUNDTABLE -- PART II
Entering a scriptwriting contest? You might want to know what readers and administrators representing five international contests say about the process.
By R.E. Paris
ANATOMY OF A SCREENPLAY READING
Weary of marketing your screenplay? Postage bills resemble the national debt? Your Internet listings produce a guy in Iowa with a hi-8? Why not try a staged reading? See how one writer and his producer did it.
By Barry Pearson
CURVE BALLS, FAST BALLS, AND MOSTLY SCREW BALLS
PITCHERS AND THEIR PITCHES
Hey Writers, you're not invisible to them ... but here's what they see from the other side. The recipient of the pitch has a different view.
By Mary J. Schirmer
--------------------
GLOBAL
--------------------
CANADIAN SCREENWRITER JOHN MEADOWS
WRITING STRONG ROLES FOR WOMEN
Meadows talks about screenwriting and his latest film WISE GIRLS starring Mira Sorvino, Mariah Carey and Melora Walters. In spite of tabloid gossip about trouble on the set, WISE GIRLS has turned out well and is due to be released in the U.S. in the spring of 2002 by Lion's Gate Films.
By Katharine Montagu
MONTAGE OF COLLISION
RE-MAKING THE MYTH OF SERGEI EISENSTEIN
Renny Bartlett's new film EISENSTEIN explores the many contradictions in the great filmmaker's life and work. For Bartlett, the challenge was in how to shape Eisenstein's epic personal, political and artistic struggles into a coherent screenplay -- and most of all, how to sort through the myths that he created about himself.
By Patricia Gruben
SUSO CECCHI d'AMICO
THE GRAND OLD DAME OF EUROPEAN FILM
Suso Cecchi d'Amico is one of the most prolific writers in European film history. She has written over 100 screenplays since 1947 including THE BICYCLE THIEF, most of Visconti's films, as well as films for Antonioni, Fellini and Scorsese.
By Mikael Colville-Andersen
--------------------
INTERVIEWS
--------------------
DAVID ARATA
SPY GAME'S WRITER WHO NEVER SHUT UP
David Arata is friendly, enthusiastic and with his latest film SPY GAME, starring Brad Pitt and Hollywood heavyweight Robert Redford, he is a name that Hollywood is going to know for years to come.
By Rita Cook
WRITER/DIRECTOR TERRY GILLIAM
"I WANT MOVIES TO SURPRISE, STIMULATE AND SHOCK AUDIENCES"
Terry Gilliam proves his ability to make people change through his films, turning their worlds upside down.
By Andrew Horton
DAVID H. STEINBERG
GETTING THE BALL ROLLING
Write what you know, the adage goes. Steinberg brings his record of youthful ingenuity to Sony Screen Gems' SLACKERS, starring Devon Sawa, Jason Schwartzman, James King and Jason Segal.
By Kimberly Shane O'Hara
TOM LYNCH
MAKING THEM LAUGH, THINK & CRY
With more shows currently on-air and in production than any other writer-producer in Hollywood -- and all of them made for the hard-to-reach teen and tweenage audience -- Tom Lynch has almost single-handedly made kids' television the place to be in Hollywood.
By Constance M. Burge
--------------------
REVIEWS
--------------------
PRIVATE SCREENINGS -- *NEW!*
DVD reviews from the writer's POV -- BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (Special Edition), REAR WINDOW (Collector's Edition), SOME LIKE IT HOT (Special Edition), and THE CRIMSON RIVERS.
By Wout Thielemans
SCRIPT TO SCREEN
REVIEWS FROM THE WRITING PERSPECTIVE
We take a look at the most eagerly awaited films ... anticipated not only by kids of all ages but by the public in general -- HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE and MONSTERS, INC.
By Michelle Livingston
THE WEEKEND READ -- *NEW!*
Book reviews -- WRITING WITH HITCHCOCK: THE COLLABORATION OF ALFRED HITCHCOCK AND JOHN MICHAEL HAYES, SCREENWRITING ON THE INTERNET: RESEARCHING, WRITING AND SELLING YOUR SCRIPT ON THE WEB, ANATOMY OF A SCREENPLAY.
By Wout Thielemans
--------------------
DEPARTMENTS
--------------------
EDITORIAL
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
In each issue the writer of the best letter can choose between a FREE copy of Movie Magic Screenwriter 2000 or StoryView!
THE COWBOY WAY -- *NEW!*
Submit questions to a real Hollywood agent! Literary agent Mickey "The Cowboy" Freiberg has sold projects to all the major studios, production companies and publishing houses. E-mail your questions to askfreiberg@screentalk.org
By Mickey Freiberg
WOMEN ROCK!
TWO BRADS OR THREE? 21 WAYS TO BETTER YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING
SCREENPLAY CONTESTS
Entering a screenwriting contest? Here are some MUSTS to know.
By Elizabeth English
NEWSTALK -- *NEW!*
Want some industry scoop? We got it.
By Athos Kyrus
SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF
ASK, SEEK, KNOCK -- THE ART OF THE INTERVIEW
Good interview techniques are important to writers as well. Here are some tips to remember.
By Lynn Ewbank
Thanks to everyone who participated in our e-mail survey some weeks ago. I'm delighted we have such a supportive and satisfied readership. Your suggestions tell us how to further serve your needs and have been taken into consideration; in fact, some suggestions have even made it into the Jan./Feb. 2002 issue! Others will appear in the future.
In a comfortable cigar bar in Knightsbridge, London, Athos Kyrus met with maverick filmmaker Robert Altman and Brit character-actor-turned-screenwriter Julian Fellowes to talk about life in GOSFORD PARK. With his new film, Altman journeys to England for the first time to create a unique film mosaic with an outstanding ensemble cast. GOSFORD PARK features a who's who of British acting talent and a razor-sharp script from Fellowes -- who was recently named one of Variety's "10 Screenwriters To Watch."
Have you ever wondered what happens AFTER winning the Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship? For the next year, exclusively in SCREENTALK, we will follow the 2001 Nicholl winners' ups and downs in TURNING NICHOLL INTO GOLD. Buckle up-you are in for a hell of a ride!
Do you ever wonder what will go through the minds of screenwriting contest readers/judges? What rules do they have? What guidelines do they use? Wish no more! In Part 2 of our READER ROUNDTABLE, we continue our discussion with nine readers and/or administrators from five international contests.
What happens when the average, shy writer, has to become an extroverted salesperson and give a pitch? Sometimes it ain't pretty! We polled producers in the U.S. and Europe to see if they might share some of the worst pitches they'd ever received. Learn how not to pitch in PITCHERS AND THEIR PITCHES.
A complete Table of Contents can be found below.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday season, and a safe and successful 2002!
Happy holidays from the SCREENTALK team.
Eric Lilleor
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, SCREENTALK Magazine
The International Voice of Screenwriting
--------------------
E-mail: mailto:editor-in-chief@screentalk.org
URL: www.screentalk.org (http://www.screentalk.org)
"Whether you want to get tips from the pros or simply read top-notch scripts, SCREENTALK is the best site ever!"
-- Writers Digest, April 2000
Subscribe to the SCREENTALK e-News by sending a blank
message to newsletter-subscribe@mlm.screentalk.org
------------------------------------------------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SCREENTALK MAGAZINE
January/February 2002
--------------------
IN FOCUS
--------------------
LIFE IN GOSFORD PARK
WITH ROBERT ALTMAN & JULIAN FELLOWES
GOSFORD PARK is a unique landmark for maverick filmmaker Robert Altman, with a who's who of British acting talent that includes Maggie Smith, Richard E. Grant, Helen Mirren, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jeremy Northam, and Emily Watson (among others) and a razor-sharp script from fellow-Brit Julian Fellowes.
By Athos Kyrus
--------------------
COLUMNS
--------------------
NOTES FROM THE EDGE
HIGHWAY TO HOLLYWOOD -- SCREENWRITERS AND THE WORLD WIDE WEB
Don't just use the web for e-mail. Use it to find valuable information to gain entry into Hollywood. The author did, and here's how it worked.
By Robert Gregory-Browne
FROM THE TRENCHES
TRUTH, HALF-TRUTH, & TELEVISION TRUTH -- PART II
Don't hate me because I'm new & edgy. The truth is ... do they really want new & edgy, even if they think they do?
By Larry Brody
THE WRITE GAME
GOAL STRUCTURES
One way of creating a sturdy story structure is by understanding and applying the right Goal Structure.
By Sheila R. Allen
EVOKING THE STORY JOURNEY
BEGINNING AT THE END:
UNCOVERING THE COMPLEXITY WITHIN SIMPLICITY
Starting with an understanding of a story's fulfillment and final resolution, a storyteller can better understand what kind of complications might arise from a simple beginning.
By Bill Johnson
CONVERGENT MEDIA
DIGITAL ALCHEMY: THE NEW REALITY? -- PART II
Synthespians -- CGI's latest threat to actors. Producers can recreate an actor's likeness or voice in postproduction without having an actor at all.
By Beth B. Kennedy
SCREENWRITER'S CAFÉ
CREATING YOUR PERSONAL SCRIPT MARKETING PLAN
Marketing your screenplay requires a lot of tasks and time. But the most important part of the process is attitude.
By Colleen Patrick
--------------------
CRAFT
--------------------
PITCHING FROM ANOTHER PLANET
Pitching with confidence will win loyal fans and more work ... a summary of the pitching market at the Hollywood Screenwriter's Conference held in L.A. November 10-11, 2001.
By Bonnie Orr
REJECTION DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A DIRTY WORD
Think rejection gets easier when you get more experience? It doesn't!
By P.J. McIlvaine
LITERARY TOOLS THAT MAKE A SCRIPT MEMORABLE
Learn how Bookends, Symbolism and Foreshadowing, Open-Ended Dialogue and Succinct Narrative make a script more memorable.
By Sally J. Walker
TURNING NICHOLL INTO GOLD -- PART I
These Fellows made it BIG TIME. Here's your chance to follow their year-long journey after winning the prestigious 2001 Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship. Exclusively in SCREENTALK.
By Paul Watson
READER ROUNDTABLE -- PART II
Entering a scriptwriting contest? You might want to know what readers and administrators representing five international contests say about the process.
By R.E. Paris
ANATOMY OF A SCREENPLAY READING
Weary of marketing your screenplay? Postage bills resemble the national debt? Your Internet listings produce a guy in Iowa with a hi-8? Why not try a staged reading? See how one writer and his producer did it.
By Barry Pearson
CURVE BALLS, FAST BALLS, AND MOSTLY SCREW BALLS
PITCHERS AND THEIR PITCHES
Hey Writers, you're not invisible to them ... but here's what they see from the other side. The recipient of the pitch has a different view.
By Mary J. Schirmer
--------------------
GLOBAL
--------------------
CANADIAN SCREENWRITER JOHN MEADOWS
WRITING STRONG ROLES FOR WOMEN
Meadows talks about screenwriting and his latest film WISE GIRLS starring Mira Sorvino, Mariah Carey and Melora Walters. In spite of tabloid gossip about trouble on the set, WISE GIRLS has turned out well and is due to be released in the U.S. in the spring of 2002 by Lion's Gate Films.
By Katharine Montagu
MONTAGE OF COLLISION
RE-MAKING THE MYTH OF SERGEI EISENSTEIN
Renny Bartlett's new film EISENSTEIN explores the many contradictions in the great filmmaker's life and work. For Bartlett, the challenge was in how to shape Eisenstein's epic personal, political and artistic struggles into a coherent screenplay -- and most of all, how to sort through the myths that he created about himself.
By Patricia Gruben
SUSO CECCHI d'AMICO
THE GRAND OLD DAME OF EUROPEAN FILM
Suso Cecchi d'Amico is one of the most prolific writers in European film history. She has written over 100 screenplays since 1947 including THE BICYCLE THIEF, most of Visconti's films, as well as films for Antonioni, Fellini and Scorsese.
By Mikael Colville-Andersen
--------------------
INTERVIEWS
--------------------
DAVID ARATA
SPY GAME'S WRITER WHO NEVER SHUT UP
David Arata is friendly, enthusiastic and with his latest film SPY GAME, starring Brad Pitt and Hollywood heavyweight Robert Redford, he is a name that Hollywood is going to know for years to come.
By Rita Cook
WRITER/DIRECTOR TERRY GILLIAM
"I WANT MOVIES TO SURPRISE, STIMULATE AND SHOCK AUDIENCES"
Terry Gilliam proves his ability to make people change through his films, turning their worlds upside down.
By Andrew Horton
DAVID H. STEINBERG
GETTING THE BALL ROLLING
Write what you know, the adage goes. Steinberg brings his record of youthful ingenuity to Sony Screen Gems' SLACKERS, starring Devon Sawa, Jason Schwartzman, James King and Jason Segal.
By Kimberly Shane O'Hara
TOM LYNCH
MAKING THEM LAUGH, THINK & CRY
With more shows currently on-air and in production than any other writer-producer in Hollywood -- and all of them made for the hard-to-reach teen and tweenage audience -- Tom Lynch has almost single-handedly made kids' television the place to be in Hollywood.
By Constance M. Burge
--------------------
REVIEWS
--------------------
PRIVATE SCREENINGS -- *NEW!*
DVD reviews from the writer's POV -- BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (Special Edition), REAR WINDOW (Collector's Edition), SOME LIKE IT HOT (Special Edition), and THE CRIMSON RIVERS.
By Wout Thielemans
SCRIPT TO SCREEN
REVIEWS FROM THE WRITING PERSPECTIVE
We take a look at the most eagerly awaited films ... anticipated not only by kids of all ages but by the public in general -- HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE and MONSTERS, INC.
By Michelle Livingston
THE WEEKEND READ -- *NEW!*
Book reviews -- WRITING WITH HITCHCOCK: THE COLLABORATION OF ALFRED HITCHCOCK AND JOHN MICHAEL HAYES, SCREENWRITING ON THE INTERNET: RESEARCHING, WRITING AND SELLING YOUR SCRIPT ON THE WEB, ANATOMY OF A SCREENPLAY.
By Wout Thielemans
--------------------
DEPARTMENTS
--------------------
EDITORIAL
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
In each issue the writer of the best letter can choose between a FREE copy of Movie Magic Screenwriter 2000 or StoryView!
THE COWBOY WAY -- *NEW!*
Submit questions to a real Hollywood agent! Literary agent Mickey "The Cowboy" Freiberg has sold projects to all the major studios, production companies and publishing houses. E-mail your questions to askfreiberg@screentalk.org
By Mickey Freiberg
WOMEN ROCK!
TWO BRADS OR THREE? 21 WAYS TO BETTER YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING
SCREENPLAY CONTESTS
Entering a screenwriting contest? Here are some MUSTS to know.
By Elizabeth English
NEWSTALK -- *NEW!*
Want some industry scoop? We got it.
By Athos Kyrus
SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF
ASK, SEEK, KNOCK -- THE ART OF THE INTERVIEW
Good interview techniques are important to writers as well. Here are some tips to remember.
By Lynn Ewbank