Posts Tagged ‘Movie Magic’

5 Greatest Screenwriters of All Time? by Guest Blogger Danny Munso - Creative Screenwriting Magazine

Sunday, November 23rd, 2008

This is certainly a difficult question to answer because of the sheer number of choices and the vagueness of the criteria. Everyone who you ask will give you different answers, and I thought long and hard before narrowing my list down to these five (actually six) individuals.

Any great screenwriter list must start with Woody Allen, who remains prolific to this very date. His work in the seventies remains seminal with films like Annie Hall and Manhattan deftly blending comedy and drama into one tight package. His work since then has been more hit-and-miss, but has always included strong movies like Deconstructing Harry, Match Point, this year’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and the crown jewel of his screenplays: 1985’s Hannah and Her Sisters. It may be hard to remember now, but Allen’s work was and still is revolutionary.

One of the founding fathers of Allen’s best work was the great Billy Wilder, who will go down as one of the great directors of all-time, but should not be ignored for his writing capabilities. He had a hand in penning almost all of his classic oeuvre: Sunset Blvd., Some Like It Hot, Double Indemnity, The Apartment – do I need to continue?

It may be cliché, but I would add Quentin Tarantino to the list as well, if only for his rat-a-tat-tat dialogue and use of non-linear structure in his writing. His script for the upcoming Inglorious Bastards is some of his best work, and maybe the misstep of Death Proof is truly behind him. The Coen Brothers – Joel and Ethan – have proven to be masters of finding comedy is the darkest of places and with last year’s No Country For Old Men, finally proved that they could also make a deadly serious film.

Finally, no list of great screenwriters is complete with William Goldman, probably the only individual who almost everyone can agree should be included here. His adaptation of All the President’s Men is legendary, but it’s the feel-good buddy story Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and the timeless charms of The Princess Bride that will be his legacy. He is simply the best.

They are too green to be included, but I wouldn’t be surprised if two individuals who are doing their best work right now find a way to be mentioned in this space a decade down the line: Peter Morgan and Christopher Nolan.

I also would like to make special mention of two television writing duos, who revolutionized the medium in their own times. Larry David & Jerry Seinfeld helped turn “nothing” into entertainment, and Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant who’s work on The Office inspired countless copycats – both on the big screen as well as the small.

[del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [Furl] [StumbleUpon] [Email] More »

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | 70 Comments »

Beginning of a great Partnership

Monday, July 28th, 2008

Hey all, below is a press release that we issued this morning. We’re very, very excited to work with The Write Bros!

SCRIPPED AND THE WRITE BROS ANNOUNCE JOINT MARKETING AND TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIP

Partnership will extend Best of Breed Features and Technologies from Leading Web-based and Packaged Screenwriting Software

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Scripped, a new provider of Web-based screenwriting software and services based in Los Angeles, and Write Brothers® Inc., a Glendale-based publisher of the award-winning screenwriting software, Movie Magic® Screenwriter, today announced a strategic technology and marketing partnership that will change the way that screenplays are written and submitted to Hollywood.

Scripped.com and Write Brothers® will partner to provide aspiring writers both an online and an offline solution for their screenwriting software needs. Additionally, the two companies will leverage existing partnerships to help screenwriters take their works from concept to completion. The new partnership will entail:

  • Joint marketing/promotion of Scripped Writer and Movie Magic® Screenwriter
  • The ability to submit scripts via Scripped Inc.’s submission platform to proper Hollywood end destinations
  • Both companies will combat piracy – Scripped Inc.’s users, generally aspiring young writers, will have the ability to quickly transition to Movie Magic® Screenwriter at a lower cost.
  • Providing content that will be useful for aspiring screenwriters (both professionals and non-professionals).

“This is the first collaboration between a Web-based script writing company and a traditional scriptwriting software company and we’re excited to have the Write Bros’ as our client-side software partner,” said Sunil Rajaraman, CEO, Scripped.com. “Partnering with Write Brothers will dramatically shorten our time to market with new modules that enhance the screenwriting process and help both companies better connect all of the elements of the screenwriting value chain.”

“Expanding opportunities for Write Brothers clients and Scripped.com clients is at the heart of the partnership. We see a lot of potential,” said Chris Huntley, V.P., Write Brothers® Inc. “We’re excited about teaming up with Scripped.com. We think there are terrific opportunities to join the desktop generation with the Internet generation. It is win-win all around.”

In addition to joint technology development, Scripped and Write Brothers® will develop co-marketing programs to expand the use of their technology from screenwriters to other markets outside of the traditional Hollywood screenwriting value chain. The new integrated technology solutions are expected to be released by next year.

About Scripped.com

Founded in 2007, Scripped’s goal is to make screenwriting accessible to writers of all levels and provide the tools and community writers need to bring their ideas from inception to completion. Scripped aims to encourage and support the needs of all scripted content writers.

Scripped Inc. promotes the art of screenwriting by providing Scripped Writer, the first completely free web-based screenwriting software for writers. Scripped Writer is an innovative text editor that functions like a standard word processor but automatically formats and catalogs each screenplay element according to industry standards. Since its launch in January 2008, Scripped Writer has amassed a user-base of over 8,000 writers from all 50 states and over 50 countries. To try Scripped Writer, visit http://www.scripped.com. For additional corporate info and biographical information on the management team, please email us directly at contact@scripped.com.

About The Write Brothers

Since 1982, Write Brothers® Inc. (formerly called Screenplay Systems) has been a world leader in film and television screenwriting and production software. Since 1993, more than 80 percent of the Academy Award® nominations and 95 percent of the Emmy® awards went to companies and individuals that used Movie Magic Screenwriter or other software originally created by Write Brothers®.

Writer Brothers® is the first and the only creative team ever to receive an Academy Technical Achievement Award for screenwriting software. Thousands of Hollywood films and TV shows have been written and produced with Write Brothers®’ software.

For more information, contact the Write Brothers® via email at marketing@screenplay.com or on the web at http://www.screenplay.com.

MovieMagic is a registered copyright of The Writer Brothers, Inc. All other company and product names are copyrights of their respective holders.

[del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [Furl] [StumbleUpon] [Email] More »

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments »

Edward Burns Joins Scripped Board of Advisors!

Wednesday, May 28th, 2008

Courtesy WireImage

I just watched Purple Violets on iTunes. I needed something to occupy the 4-hour bus ride between Boston and New York this weekend, and I figured I should catch up on some movies.

I also learned that Purple Violets was the first major motion picture to be released on iTunes. I figured I owed it to Edward Burns to have a look.

It’s a movie about the complex romance between two authors and their friends. I always find it a bit odd when writers write about writing. Being at MIT and enjoying math theory a bit too much, I think of it as a fractal. You know, one of those things like a letter A which, when you zoom in, you see is composed of other little A’s. And when you zoom in on them, even more tiny A’s.

But that’s not really what I was thinking about as I watched Eddie’s movie. I was actually thinking how lucky we are to have him involved with Scripped.

In the coming months you’ll hear more from Eddie and Aaron Lubin, his partner in production. With their input and guidance we will build Scripped into the superb online screenwriting community we know it can be. It is our summer goal to make this the most happenin’ place to write, protect, and even distribute your scripted content. You can also expect to hear from Eddie and Aaron directly through a few new features we’re building right now.

If you have any ideas, please don’t be shy. Tell us by commenting here or writing to us at contact@scripped.com. We love to hear from you. Even Sunil and Zak will spend their weekends checking the Scripped email inbox.

I know because I check it too.

Below is a copy of the press release that we issued today!

Los Angeles, CA – On Monday, May 19th, Producers Edward Burns and Aaron Lubin reached an agreement to join Scripped Inc.’s Board of Advisors. Scripped Inc. is a digital media startup that launched “Scripped Writer,” a web-based screenwriting software platform.

Burns and Lubin will help the web-based startup’s short and long term business strategy. Scripped launched the beta version of its web-based screenwriting software in January of 2008 and has since built a user-base of over 5,500 writers from all 50 states, as well as from 50 different countries. Scripped is currently being used by students from UCLA, USC, Santa Clara University and Grand Rapids Michigan Middle School amongst a host of other educational institutions.

“We are thrilled to add Ed and Aaron to the advisory board,” said Sunil Rajaraman, president and CEO of Scripped, Inc. “Their industry knowledge will help us guide our short and long-term thinking. We want to provide the best possible services to our user-base and Ed and Aaron are the right guys to help us reach that goal.”

“Ed and I are excited to be joining Scripped’s Board of Advisors,” said Aaron Lubin. “We think the site will provide cost-effective access to screenwriting software and resources for aspiring young writers to succeed. We are looking forward to collaborating with Sunil, Ryan and Zak to help make this site a success.”

About Scripped, Inc.
Scripped Inc. developed Scripped Writer, the first completely free web-based screenwriting software for writers. Scripped Writer is an innovative software that functions like a standard word processor but automatically formats and catalogs each screenplay element according to industry standards. Scripped was co-founded by Sunil Rajaraman, Zak Freer and Ryan Buckley; Rajaraman is a former senior strategy consultant, and UCLA Anderson MBA student, Freer is a producer/director and graduate of the Peter Stark Producer’s Program at USC and Buckley is a dual degree student Harvard and MIT. To learn more, visit http://www.scripped.com.

About the Producers
Edward Burns has written, directed, starred in and produced eight feature films, including the award winning Brothers McMullen, She’s the One, Sidewalks of New York, The Groomsmen, and most recently Purple Violets. Burns’ gained worldwide critical acclaim for his performance as Private Richard Reiben in Saving Private Ryan. In addition, Burns has starred in several feature films, including James Foley’s Confidence opposite Dustin Hoffman and Rachel Weisz, 15 Minutes opposite Robert De Niro, and most recently the 20th Century Fox hit romantic comedy 27 Dresses opposite Katherine Heigl. To learn more, visit http://www.edwardburns.net.

Aaron Lubin has produced several feature length films including Looking for Kitty, The Groomsmen, Ash Wednesday and Sidewalks of New York. Lubin produced Purple Violets with Burns, which was the first feature length film to debut on iTunes. The move to release Purple Violets on iTunes was considered a pioneering move in the film industry, and the movie has since received positive critical acclaim. Purple Violets won “best feature film” at the Savannah Film Festival. Additionally, Lubin worked on the NBC television show The Fighting Fitzgeralds starring Brian Dennehy, as well as several Saturn commercials, in producing capacities.

[del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [Furl] [StumbleUpon] [Email] More »

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Scripped, ryan, sunil | 1 Comment »