The Business – The Thinking Writer

Sider-ways

Writer/Screenwriter Rex Pickett, whose unpublished novel became the basis for the screenplay Sideways (and then the novel got published) is out with the sequel novel, Vertical. Pickett is thrilled with Alexander Payne, but not thrilled with the book’s original publisher. To get hopelessly depressed about both the movie industry and the publishing industry, read about his travails in the Yamhill Valley News Register. (Yamhill Valley is Oregon wine country and apparently part of the new novel.)

Not Your Mother’s Script-O-Rama

20th Century Fox — flickr|alexanderaustin79

Fox just sued a wanna-be screenwriter, single mother, day-job woman who posted scripts on her blog for “educati0onal purposes”. They want close to $12 million bucks from her in damages. If you’d like to see the actual Complaint, download the pdf here.

Amazon Lets People Screw With Your Script

How’s this for a deal:
(1) Upload your script (or feature length film) to Amazon.com
(2) Give Amazon a free 18 month option
(3) Amazon lets anyone in the entire world rewrite your script (or re-edit your film) to try to sell their version
(4) You hope to be picked out of the millions of scripts (and films) to win some dough and a meeting with some real live Hollywood studio executives.

If this is your idea of a great deal, then Amazon Studios is the place for you.

The Rubik’s Cube That Saved The World

Do you happen to have a screenplay featuring a Rubik’s Cube that saves the world? This is your big chance. CAA is trying to find a story to go with its newly acquired Rubik’s Cube rights. Pitch away, pitch away….

The What Festival?!?

Here’s a sentence you don’t see everyday: “Screenwriter Brian Miller came to the project after winning the inaugural Astana International Action Film Festival screenplay competition in Kazakhstan, founded by Bekmambetov.” Via Hollywoodnews.com, the project is being produced by The Weinstein Company and includes allegedly authentic recently unearthed secret government footage, a cover-up conspiracy, astronauts and alien life forms. It’s got everything.

Best Screenplay Adapted From A…Fragrance?!

From the Department of Screenplays Based Upon Unlikely Things, try this: teenage fashion blogger/Internet meme Tavi Gevinson has written a screenplay about the life of Medusa inspired by a perfume fragrance. Maybe she’ll start a new genre?

A History of Rejection

Studios began rejecting screenplays as soon as studios existed. Old Hollywood has posted a form screenplay rejection slip from Essany Film Manufacturing from the early 1900s. Back then, apparently they just checked a category – “Not interesting”, “Not our style of story”, “Weak plot”, “Idea Has Been Done Before”, etc. – and sent the damn thing back. What we’d give for a good old straightforward rejection.

Thirty Grand And A Hand Shake

Screenwriting Award — Photo: David Ortmann @ flickr.com

AMPAS announced the five Nicholl Fellowship winners:
* Destin Daniel Cretton, San Diego, Calif., “Short Term 12”
* Marvin Krueger, North Hollywood, Calif., “And Handled with a Chain”
* Andrew Lanham, Austin, Texas, “The Jumper of Maine”
* Micah Ranum, Beverly Hills, Calif., “A Good Hunter”
* Cinthea Stahl, North Hollywood, Calif., “Identifying Marks”
They beat out 6300 scripts submitted to win the award. Was yours in the pile?