The Scripped Blog

Guys, the last of the Jason Calacanis videos are up, and they look terrific. Be sure to check them out here. Jason is a terrific speaker, and his words are very inspiring (especially given the state of the economy). Check out the last couple of vids - should we change as Jason suggests?

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.

Scripped Newsletter #6

August 5, 2008

IN THIS ISSUE:

Partnership with the Write Brothers

A Little Help from the UCLA Film School

Submit Your Material with WordHustler

Blog Questions - Ask Eddie and Aaron and Creative Screenwritng Magazine!

Scripped on Facebook

Contact us any time at: contact@scripped.com

Dear Writers:

Well, we promised you some big announcements, and here they are.

- Scripped has partnered with the makers of Movie Magic Screenwriter, an Academy Award-winning professional product that is the official software ofthe WGA-East. Get your coupon below!

- Two top professors from the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television have offered to read scripts from the Scripped community. Details below!

- Scripped is also working with WordHustler, a fantastic new service that gives you FREE access to over 3,000 markets for your material.

- Eddie Burns wants your questions! Creative Screenwriting Magazine wants some too. Send your queries directly to Sunil, our humble CEO, at sunil@scripped.com.

- Want to know more about us? Join us on Facebook. And become a friend of Sunil.

Read on to get the skinny on these exciting developments.

Movie Magic - A Match Made in Hollywood

What if you could write online AND offline? What if it was easy to transfer your material between Scripped and professional packaged software?

We thought this would benefit writers tremendously, and so did the Write Brothers, makers of Movie Magic Screenwriter.

To get started, they created a coupon just for Scripped users. Click here and then click “Add to Cart.” Enter SCRIPPED01 in the Coupon or Gift Card field and receive an immediate discount on Movie Magic Screenwriter. If you’re a student or educator, call 1-800-84-STORY for academic rates and mention the coupon code.

We’re now working out how to forge ahead together, and the possibilities are very exciting. The [http://www.scripped.com/submission] Horror Collection we hosted last month was just one example of how our submission platform could be useful to movie studios.

This is an exciting moment for the screenwriting industry. We are proud to be leading the way!

UCLA Professors will Read Your Script

Richard Walter, the head of the UCLA screenwriting program, and another top professor agreed for a limited time to read your scripts and give detailed notes or in-person coaching!

Despite our haggling, they won’t work for free, but they are anxious to see what you’re made of. If you’re ready to be read by the best eyes in the biz, send an email to Sunil at sunil@scripped.com. Put “Richard Walter” or “Script Coach” in the subject.

The UCLA faculty will soon participate in other ways as well. We want to provide you with the means to succeed, and they can help you make it in Hollywood.

WordHustler - A New Button on My Scripts.

You may have noticed a new little W on your My Scripts page. The more adventurous of you may have even clicked on it. Here’s the scoop:

Scripped and WordHustler teamed up to allow seamless transfer between your account on Scripped and your portfolio on WordHustler. When you click on “Submit to WordHustler” for the first time you’ll be prompted to confirm your request to link accounts. If you don’t yet have a WordHustler account, you will be asked to create one.

From that point on, you can easily move PDFs between Scripped and WordHustler with just the click of a button. Once you’re in WordHustler, you have access to thousands of opportunities to submit your work!

And as always, for additional security, don’t forget to Vault it before you submit.

Questions? - Our Bloggers Want You.

We have new posts up at Eddie and Aaron’s blog and the Creative Screenwriting Magazine blog. For their next posts, both want to answer questions from you, the writers on Scripped.com. Send your questions to Sunil at sunil@scripped.com today!

Finally, Facebook.

Yes, we too have a Facebook page, and we’d like to add to the 100 “fans” who already joined us. If you have a Facebook account, please click here and then click “Become a Fan.”

To be Sunil’s friend on Facebook, you can click here and then click “Add as Friend” but make sure you mention Scripped. You’ll then join the throngs of other business school and college and various other friends. You can also peruse the pictures of Sunil with famous people at weddings.

Sorry this was a long one, but we have a lot going on. We hope you’re enjoying this ride as much as we are!

Cheers,

Zak, Sunil, and Ryan
The Scripped Guys

Scripped
Note

July 30, 2008

IN THIS ISSUE:

Submit to The Horror Collection and Vault

Contact us any time at: contact@scripped.com

Dear Scripped Writers:

We noticed a hiccup in the Horror Collection submissions and need some of you to resubmit. We’re sorry for the inconvenience.

If you submitted on 7/18, 7/19, or 7/20, please go to http://www.scripped.com/submission and submit
your horror treatment again.

For everyone else, the Horror Collection ends today, 7/31!

Also, thanks to those of you who are already using our new Vault screenplay security service! We improved it based on your feedback and you can now secure your scripts with ease.

Start registering your material at http://www.scripped.com/vault.

For other updates or just to see what Sunil ate for lunch, check our blog at http://www.scripped.com/blog. We’ll try to keep it tasty.

More big news coming soon!

Zak, Ryan, and Sunil
The Scripped Guys