A subtle character drama is probably not what you'd expect
as the directorial debut from the scribe behind such Hollywood
blockbusters as Men in Black and Bill and Ted's
Excellent Adventure. But to hear Ed Solomon tell it, you
can't judge a moviemaker by his/her IMDB credits.

An Interview with Kristina Boden

Having worked consistently with Michael Almereyda (on Happy
Here and Now and Hamlet) and Paul Schrader (including
Auto Focus and Light Sleeper), editor Kristina
Boden maintains an open mind when any new project comes
up-even after a very full decade of experience.

Writing the words that will come out of a flesh-and-blood
actor's mouth is one thing. But writing dialogue for a wooden
cowboy, a renegade ant, a child-scaring monster and a kidnapped
clownfish is a completely different story-and writing process.
Finding Nemo's Andrew Stanton talks about
what it takes to succeed in the family entertainment game.

Fight for your film. Fight for a bigger budget, your favorite actor, the best locations, the best distributor and the best theaters to show in.

The biggest advice I give to people is this: we're all neurotic about what we're good at. Ridley Scott is neurotic about the images of his film; he'll never do a bad image. Other directors may be neurotic about the direction, and not the image. What we must do is surround ourselves with people who are not us, who don't have the gifts we have and become neurotic about what we're not good at. The easiest way to achieve that is to find someone who's really good at it.

Moviemaker Bart Gavigan is
a rare bird. A writer-of-repute for countless years, he is only now beginning
to see his own name in the credits. Luther, an epic tale about Martin
Luther, the 16th century German monk, is Gavigan's first feature screen
credit. It's also only the latest in a chain of pictures that have benefited
from Gavigan's august input, either as a much sought-after ghostwriter
or consultant.

Write what you love. Write the kind of movies that you want to see. People can generally tell if you're writing to sell something. If you're writing something that you really care about, that translates into something that will make a good movie.

You can't blame David Berenbaum for being happy. At only 32

Some writers only work when they "have time." It's very important to make time in one's schedule-even if it's only for 15 minutes a day.

Jerrol LeBaron founded InkTip (formerly The Writer's Script Network) in 1999 after he wrote what he now refers to as "a crappy screenplay." He soon discovered that getting anybody to see his script took an astounding amount of work. With a background in sales, he was quick to recognize an entrepreneurial opportunity and InkTip was born. In the last year alone, the company has seen nine of its screenplays produced and at least one of its writers ink a six-figure studio deal.

The transition from producer to entrepreneur is a logical one-particularly when you've heard one too many complaints that there "are no good scripts." For producer-turned-screenwriting-guru Mark Andrushko, that's exactly what prompted him to co-found the Scriptapalooza Screenwriting Competition with Genevieve Cibor in 1998. "[I] realized how thirsty my production company and literary contacts were for great writers and material," he states.

Have the guts and the confidence to reach deeper.

by Cindy J. Rinaldi

With over 30 credits in film and television, screenwriter Gerald Di Pego's filmography includes The Forgotten, Phenomenon, Instinct and Message in a Bottle. This down-to-earth master of storytelling spoke with MM about his sources of inspiration, themes in his work and his key to success as a writer.

If you can't tell your story to a stranger and entertain them, something's wrong.

In 1994, in only our fourth issue, MM spoke with a young man in
Seattle who spent his days as a legal assistant and his nights as a screenwriter.
A decade later, George Wing is living the life that he then
only dreamed of—with a hit film in theaters and a host of opportunities
ahead of him. Along the way, he’s learned a number of valuable lessons about
what it takes to navigate the Hollywood waters—all of which he’s happy
to share with MM readers.

Save your money. Especially if you want to make films that are personal, or in any way 'difficult' or uncommercial, you will go through years where your income is little or nothing. It's a big temptation for young filmmakers when they get their first check to go buy that Porsche. Don't. $100,000 may seem like a lot of money. But what if you have to live on it for three or four years?

Hollywood screenwriting isn't just about writing. It's about being able to listen to the desires of the director, the actors, the producers, the studio and myself--and being able to meet all of our needs simultaneously. In most situations, if you don't give up, a story can meet everyone's needs.

As an actor, Keith Gordon made a splash when he portrayed a young man homicidally in love with his car in John Carpenter’s Christine. Gordon’s finest moments, though, have been behind the camera. He’s made a niche for himself by adapting challenging novels and proving their stories could become compelling cinema.

For an aspiring screenwriter, finding your first big break is not just about being in the right place at the right time--it's about being willing to accept $150 for all your hard work. That's the total sum that moviemaker James Gunn received for penning the script to Tromeo & Juliet. But times have changed for Gunn. With two films in release, Scooby-Doo 2 and Dawn of the Dead, Gunn chats with us about escaping categorization and the need to bitch-slap Matthew Lillard.

Paul F. Ryan may not yet be a household
name. But this
September, he'll
be living
the dream of every independent moviemaker when his debut feature, Home Room,
begins its nationwide theatrical run through DEJ Productions, the distribution
arm of Blockbuster. Here, Ryan speaks with MM about the challenges
of working
with an extremely sensitive subject line and what it's like to wear the simultaneous
hats of writer, director,
producer and editor.

I work on a laptop, so when I'm in writing mode, I can be anywhere at all and still put in a good day's work.

If a character is in a hurry, what kind of hurry is she in? God, of course, is in the details, but the devil's there too. I think a lot of directors get very impatient with actors and you see movies where you know the choices were generic.

What’s a first-timer supposed to do when all he’s got to show for himself is a great idea and a burning desire to make movies? If you’re Roy Finch, writer-director of Wake, you assemble a stellar cast of actors, grab a digital camera, fly off to the coast of Maine and make your dream happen!

Most people would settle for any one of Craig Lucas’ illustrious careers, but the multi-talented Lucas is always looking for a new challenge. After incarnations as a Broadway performer, playwright and screenwriter, Lucas is making his directorial debut with The Dying Gaul. Here, Lucas talks with MM about making the transition from writer to director.

Never hire your brother to be your teamster. Because no matter how much he loves you, you'll still be taking a taxi home every night. I'm joking, of course. One of the greatest joys of getting a little success is being able to work with my brothers.

Writer-producer Bobby Moresco is no stranger to multiple points of view. For more than a decade, he has collaborated with Paul Haggis on a handful of projects, including this year’s Oscar nominee for Best Original Screenplay, Crash. Moresco spoke with MM about his early days in the business, he and Haggis’ collaborative process and whether or not he’s got that Oscar speech ready.

Adapting the first quarter of John Irving’s A Widow for One Year into this summer’s A Door in the Floor—starring Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger—is certainly a project that has paid off for second-time director Williams (The Adventures of Sebastian Cole). Not only has he received accolades far and wide for his tale of a dysfunctional couple living in the wake of a family tragedy—he’s also now adapting and directing Hemingway’s To Have and Have Not, starring Benico del Toro, for Focus Features. Williams recently spoke with us about his straightforward, old-fashioned approach, and how John Irving has gone from mentor to friend.

I worked at becoming the best writer I could be-the best writer in terms of character, dialogue and dramatic intent-and I keep working at it. I never stop, and by doing that it makes me valuable in the long term, not in the short term. I've written lots of spec scripts that don't sell, but it makes me valuable over the long term because ultimately what Hollywood craves is the Nobel Prize winner who they can make write romantic comedies.

How does a writer with a penchant for indie cinema and obscure foreign literature become Hollywood’s go-to guy for big-budget suspense, action and intrigue? Practice? Connections? “Luck,” says veteran screenwriter Daniel Pyne.

You have a choice of being "in the business" or of making movies. If you'd rather do business, don't hesitate. You'll get richer, but you won't have as much fun!

Over the course of 40 years, master moviemaker Wim Wenders has directed 45 projects (writing and producing many of them). At the age of 60, he shows no sign of slowing down. As he prepares for the release of Don’t Come Knocking, MM spoke with Wenders about collaborating with Sam Shepard, both on-screen and off.

People make it to the top of this business because they refuse to compromise or settle for less than the best finished product.

The biggest thing is persistence and really sticking to it. It seems to take anybody I know 10 years to really get started.

At first blush you may think that screenwriter Russell Gewirtz is the luckiest man alive… and you might be right! Originally written as a spec script, Inside Man is now one of the year’s biggest hits, thanks to taut direction by Spike Lee and an all-star cast that includes Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster and Clive Owen. MM caught up with the screenwriting world’s most promising newcomer to discuss what makes a classic crime-drama and why it pays to live a little first.

Beginning with 1996's Citizen Ruth, Taylor and Payne have penned some of the most critically acclaimed scripts of the last 10 years, including Sideways, (a film that has already swept every critical and industry award list and is a surefire Oscar contender), Election and About Schmidt.