The first documented sign of interest in bringing the stage musical Grease to the cinema screen is traced to a Variety report of January 30, 1974. Producer Steve Krantz and animator Ralph Bakshi (known for the X-rated animated film Fritz the Cat, 1972[1]) attempted to acquire the film rights to adapt Grease into an animated …
The Introduction Grease’s blockbuster status completed the long learning curve of making box office giants out of musicals that began after studio executives scrambled to repeat the success of The Sound of Music in 1965. It was a period marked primarily with expensive productions that were then rolled out as spectacles in road-showing with higher-than-normal …
Grease Is the Word’: Exploring a Cultural Phenomenon Read More »
I recently did an MA in creative writing and must say that it was a significant waste of time. 90% of the feedback was from other students who knew as little or less about writing as I did. I also taught screenwriting at various colleges over the years and found that the colleagues who had …
Over the last twenty years, the two titles that have most often been mentioned in producers’ offices and studio meetings have been: Robert McKee’s STORY and Linda Seger’s HOW TO MAKE A GOOD SCRIPT GREAT. If you are going to use one of the books, you might as well use one that the people you …
Twenty years ago, I started off working in the story department at MGM, which led to my becoming a literary agent in Beverly Hills, eventually starting off my own management company and also producing. Somewhere along the line I also launched a website called writemovies.com to help writers break into the industry. Over the years …
Screenwriter Horrors – Major Mistakes & How To Avoid Them Read More »
Questions production companies & studios, publishers and agencies will ask of your script, novel, play, article or short-story: (Taken from the confidential studio instruction manual given to executives and readers). THE COMMENT The “comment” is that portion of the coverage in which the reader gives a critical appraisal of the material. Comments usually run from …
This is an article I wrote for the prestigious Journal of Screenwriting that was peer-reviewed, in other words, subjected to intense scrutiny by some of the leading people in the field to ensure that the content is AAA. Creative decision-making within the contemporary Hollywood studio System by Dr. Alex Ross This article seeks to contribute …
Why William Goldman Was Wrong: The Studios Always Make Money As a starting point, this article examines the New Hollywood period between 1966 and 1985, when audiences were increasingly being drawn to television, and studios were struggling to tap into the period’s complex zeitgeist. Hollywood films such as The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967), Bonnie and …
Apart from the detailed margin notes, I will provide you with the script itself, the following is some of the sample feedback to expect on your project. Notes by: Dr. Alex Ross Concept: I happen to be a real fan of government cover-up stories, so this concept which peals the onion back to the …
How Do Studios & Production Companies Assess Your Script? Read More »
Not a problem, as long as you are prepared to invest the sweat equity to learn the craft of screenwriting. There are no shortcuts. There is a reason for the high turnover of people in Hollywood. Thousands arrive each week and want to be the lead actor in a sitcom without having studied acting, and …
What Happens if You Have Neither The Time Nor Money To Go to Film School? Read More »