Just submitted a sketch about President Cleveland coming out of retirement to be a running mate for 45. In doing research for it I have at least tripled my knowledge of Grover Cleveland 😝
Balancing creativity with budget constraints is an art in itself. These script tweaks offer practical insights for filmmakers seeking ways to optimise resources without compromising their story.
For those people interested in getting their screenplays past readers and gatekeepers, I've just reposted a Stage 32 article that addresses the overwhelmingly common, number one reason why I "pass" on screenplays as often as I do.
Today in Labor History October 20, 1947: HUAC launched its anti-Communist witch hunt of Hollywood stars, resulting in a blacklist that barred many from working in the industry for years. The list included Humphrey Bogart, Katherine Hepburn, James Cagney, Charlie Chaplin, Lena Horne, Pete Seeger and Orson Welles. Fascist Gerald LK Smith assailed them as “alien minded Russian Jews.” Ronald Reagan and Walt Disney were also key accusers. The blacklist lasted until 1960, when Dalton Trumbo, a Communist Party member from 1943 to 1948, was credited as the screenwriter of the films Exodus and Spartacus (both 1960).
Q&A: 'STATION 19" showrunner and 'GREY'S ANATOMY' vet Zoanne Clack talks with me about her inspirational journey from real-life doc to Hollywood. The screenwriter has found a unique way to marry her two greatest passions - saving lives and storytelling.
This is such an inspirational artist-on-artist conversation. I may have cried a couple of times working on it.
I'm a producer and director, looking for a screenwriter to partner with for the Voices With Impact Production Grant.
They're funding 10 teams to produce short films about mental health. This year they're looking for proposals on the topic of Serious Mental Illness, or Cliques & Echo Chambers.
If you have a script that fits the bill, I'd love to read it and chat about getting your film made! Drop me a line at ashley@hightailentertainment.com
'60 Great Comedy Screenplays to Download and Study for Free'
I've curated a tour through six decades of comedy to help in your screenwriting education whether you're new to the craft, an emerging voice, or firmly established in the biz. From BLAZING SADDLES to THE HANGOVER, to SOME LIKE IT HOT to WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, they’re all here.
'Q&A: 'SPARTACUS' Creator Steven S. DeKnight on How Genre Shaped His Life'
The screenwriter/director, whose work includes "BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER" and "DAREDEVIL", reveals his secret origin, talks genre storytelling, and breaks down the perils of Hollywood's IP addiction.
'No Pie for You! (Or: Why Studios and Streamers Can Afford to Share Their Profits with Writers and Actors)'
5AM StoryTalk guest contributor David Slack, former member of the WGAW Board of Directors, breaks down the numbers for us. And the numbers are infuriating when you realize how small our piece of the pie is.
NEW Q&A: THE WOMAN KING Screenwriter Dana Stevens Reflects on Her Thirty-Year Career
From the film that made her want to work in cinema, to how her screenwriting craft has evolved over the years, to WOMAN KING's Oscar snub, we cover it all.
“The best stories involve us and then make us think afterward and reflect on what they say about us as humans and as a society.”
'A Matter of Survival: How the WGA Is Trying to Save Feature Screenwriters'
John August and Writers Guild leaders weigh in about the systemic exploitation of feature screenwriters (i.e. free work) and the contract proposals that would help them...and the whole film industry in the process.
'50 Great Screenplays by People of Color to Download and Study for Free'
Ava DuVernay, Guillermo del Toro, and Spike Lee - oh my. Continue your education in the art of screenwriting by reading these brilliant — and diverse — writers