Scr(i)nk: news

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Monday, November 18, 2013

AMPAS Governors Awards

5th Annual Governors Awards Honor Angelina Jolie, Steve Martin & More

On November 16, the fifth annual Governors Awards is set to take place in Hollywood. Paula Wagner produced this year’s event, which celebrates the awards given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Board of Governors. SSN takes a look at the honorees, along with an infographic with facts on the gala. (SSN)

Spotlight: Producer Meghan O’Hara on Shooting Concert Doc ‘12/12/12’

Last December’s 12/12/12 fundraising concert raised over $50 million to aid the victims of Hurricane Sandy and the film opens theatrically in Los Angeles and New York today. SSN spoke to Meghan O’Hara about teaming with Harvey Weinstein, her favorite moments in the doc, and what the post schedule is like on a film that used 28 separate cameras. (SSN)

SSN Insight: ‘The Best Man Holiday’ & the ROI of African-American Comedies

SSN analyzes the return on investment (ROI) and demographics of comedies featuring a predominantly African-American cast as the sequel to 1999’s hit The Best Man hits theaters. Included: infographics on the African-American movie theater audience’s annual $6.3B spend and the Top 10 highest-grossing African American comedies of the last 10 years. (SSN)

Choosing the Safest Villain for Your Film: Nazis

As villains in film have changed over the years along with global and cultural shifts, it's a challenge to find an appropriate villain that's evil enough to rally audiences behind the hero. SSN looks at the history of Nazi villains in film from Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator in 1940, to today with The Book Thief and The Monuments Men. (SSN)

Exec Shuffle For 11/15/13: Lifeboat Capital, Skydance Productions, Cineflix Media, Naegle Ink

SSN’s weekly summary of the latest major corporate moves in entertainment and media. (SSN)

Rep Moves For 11/15/13: UTA, Greene & Associates, Resolution, Medavoy Management

SSN’s weekly summary of the entertainment industry’s major rep changes. (SSN)

Paramount Studio Analysis Redux

SSN Studio Analysis Part One: The Marvels & Dreams of Paramount’s Past

While its executive hierarchy has hardly changed over the past few years, the fortunes of Paramount Studios at the box office have been a roller coaster. As with each of the previous studio analyses, we begin Part One of our Paramount analysis with an examination of the four years leading up to this one. (SSN)

SSN Studio Analysis Part Two: Paramount's Present Trek

In Part Two of our Paramount analysis, SSN looks at the studio’s present: six major releases so far in 2013 and not a flop among them, plus four major releases to go in the final two-plus months of the year. None of the films have a prohibitive budget—and all have reasonably good box office and awards-season prospects. (PAR)

SSN Studio Analysis Part Three: Behind the Paramount Gates & Inside Corporate

In Part Three of our Paramount analysis series we come to the nitty-gritty: taking a peek behind the mountain gates to look at the business side of how Paramount makes its movies and its executive structure - from greenlighting movies and sending ideas up the ladder to co-productions and marketing. (SSN)

SSN Studio Analysis Part Four: A Paranormal Future Awaits Paramount

The final part of our week-long analysis of Paramount Pictures takes a look into the crystal ball. SSN reports on Paramount’s upcoming 2014 film slate and why its active franchise properties can still go head to head with just about any studio for the sheer number it owns. (SSN)

‘Thor’ Wins Weekend Box Office

Vanity Fair Profile: Nicole Kidman On Grace of Monaco, Marriage To Cruise, Life Today

Vanity Fair’s cover story on Nicole Kidman is here in its entirety. (VF)

‘Thor’ Wins but ‘Best Man Holiday’ Is Surprise of the Season

Weekend box-office numbers have Thor: The Dark World at No.1 with $38.4M, bringing its global gross to $480M, out-earning the original Thor in just three weeks. Universal’s Best Man Holiday out-performed projections with $30.5M for second place, followed by Last Vegas, Free Birds, and Bad Grandpa. (SSN)

‘Independent filmmakers can now be their own movie studios’: How Social Media Is Changing The Indie Film Game

Producer-author Britt Michaelian’s piece for HuffPo takes a look at the ways that indie filmmakers are using social media to vie for big studios returns. (HUFF)

‘I Will Do As My Mother Asked’: Angelina Jolie’s Governors Award Acceptance Speech

Vulture has the video clip of Angelina Jolie’s emotional speech this weekend as she honored her late mother’s influence and wisdom while accepting the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. (VUL)

Screenwriting Legend Syd Field Dies At 77

Syd Field, author of eight books, including the industry classic Screenplay: The Foundations of Film Writing, died yesterday, his family confirmed. Judd Apatow and Tina Fey were among the writers who remembered him in the family-issued obituary. (BF)

‘Homeland’s Alex Gansa Talks ‘Homeland’ Backlash, Final Four Episodes of Season

THR’s Live Feed Q&A with the hit series showrunner on its third season. (LF)

Genius Brands, A Squared Entertainment Merge For Multi-Platform Content Experience For Kids

Variety has the details on the two companies merging to create children’s entertainment on a multi-platform level – TV, Web, and mobile – for global audiences. (VAR)

Viral Buzz: ‘Breaking Bad’ Alternate Ending: It Was All A Dream, Walter White Wakes Up As ‘Malcolm In The Middle’s Hal

The Week has the alternate ending, to be included in the Breaking Bad series box set, with Bryan Cranston waking up to sitcom wife Jane Kaczmarek. (TW)

Ron Meyer, Oliver Stone, Bill Paxton, & More On Where They Were When JFK Was Killed

Deadline’s collection of fresh remembrances by Hollywood notables as the 50^th anniversary of the late president’s assassination approaches. (DH)

Screenwriters: Why The First Images In Your Screenplay Are Vital

Script on great movie openings, what to keep in mind as you write your own, and why “if your opening is weak, what happens on page 8, 9 and 10 won’t help you.” (SCRIPT)

The Character Poster One-Sheet Trend

‘Go Where The Money Is’: Box Office Surprises Not Dependent On Teen Dollars

The New York Post on the ‘surprise’ box-office success of films with minorities or women – The Heat, We’re The Millers, Gravity, The Best Man Holiday, 12 Years A Slave – that surpass being mere niche hits. (NYP)

‘Who Are These People?’: The Character Poster One-Sheet Trend & What’s Not Working

Film.com takes on the current marketing vogue of films grabbing for mass appeals via character posters for films - featuring just one character/actor in the one-sheet – and how they can either be standouts or just plain confusing, telling you nothing about the film being marketed. (FILM)

Anna Gunn & Jacki Weaver Join Fox’s Limited Series ‘Gracepoint’

Vulture has the latest casting and development news for Fox’s upcoming Broadchurch remake, to be called Gracepoint. Original star David Tennant is back and the showrunners are In Treatment veterans Dan Futterman and Anya Epstein. (VUL)

Was Brittany Murphy Poisoned To Death?

HuffPo on Murphy’s father, Angelo Bertolotti, and biographer Julia Davis’ independent testing of hair, blood, and tissue samples after being frustrated by reported lack of further testing by the LAPD and the Los Angeles Coroner’s Office. Davis is saying those returned test results show 10 heavy metals “in abnormally high quantities…commonly found in rat poison, pesticides, insecticides.” (HUFF)

67 Years Later, ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ Sequel Eyes 2014 Shoot

Variety has the story on the planned sequel to the original holiday classic, called It’s A Wonderful Life: The Rest of the Story, focusing on George Bailey’s grandson. (VAR)

Terry Gilliam To Follow ‘Zero Theorem’ With ‘The Man Who Killed Don Quixote’

The Film Stage reports on Terry Gilliam’s plans to make his passion project after years of preparation, including the documentary Lost In La Mancha that chronicled his attempt to make the film as it collapsed six days into shooting. The documentary, Lost In La Mancha, is included in its entirety in the report. (TFS)

Jon Hamm: ‘The Guardian’ Interview

The Guardian’s feature-length interview with Hamm about season 2 of A Young Doctor’s Notebook, his Mad Men journey and connection with character Don Draper, as well as his career: “I just wanted to work on things I liked and to avoid douchebags. Thankfully that's how it worked out." (GUAR)

Viral Buzz: Sesame Street Parodies ‘The Hunger Games’ With ‘The Hungry Games: Catching Fur’

Cinema Blend has the five-minute Sesame Street parody, from camera angles to wigs, of the blockbuster with Cookie Monster starring as Cookiness Overeat. (CB)

GQ’s ‘The Last Ride of James Gandofini’

As part of its Men of the Year lineup, James Gandolfini’s best friend reminisces about their friendship and bringing him home after his death in Italy. (GQ)

Successful Plotting: How To Outline Chapter Books & Novels

Ellen Jackson, children’s book author of fiction and non-fiction titles, offers ways to outline your YA or middle-grade book: from the working title and surprises for your character, to the last loose ends. (EJ)

Thursday, November 14, 2013

30 Screenplays Written By Book Authors

Do-It-Yourself Crowdfunding: How 'Selfstarter' Cut Out The Middleman

Entrepreneur on crowdfunding without Kickstarter and how two business founders built their own crowdfunding site, Selfstarter, and raised $2.3M in a one month campaign. The site is available for free download and customization. (ENTREP)

30 Screenplays Written By Book Authors

Total Film ranks some of the best by authors who wrote screenplays, including: Alex Garland’s 28 Days Later, James Agee’s Night of the Hunter, Dorothy Parker’s A Star Is Born, Gore Vidal’s Ben Hur, Ray Bradbury’s Moby Dick, and Larry McMurtry’s Brokeback Mountain. (TF)

THR’s Directors Roundtable

THR’s roundtable Q&A with six directors: Steve McQueen, Paul Greengrass, David O. Russell, Ben Stiller, Alfonso Cuaron and Lee Daniels. (THR)

Viral Buzz: Jean-Claude Van Damme’s ‘Epic Split’ Volvo Ad

Mashable has the Volvo trucks ad starring the 53-year old action icon standing on two Volvo truck side mirrors as they part on the open highway, leading to the ‘epic split’ of the title. The ad has logged nearly 2 million views in less than 24 hours. (MASH)

HBO Sets Tim Robbins, Jack Black for Pilot ‘The Brink’

Deadline on the latest casting and plot details for the Jay Roach-directed pilot, with a script from Weeds exec producer Roberto Benabib and his brother Kim. (DH)

TV Buzz: L.A. Noir in Frank Darabont’s ‘Mob City’

TV Line has the trailer for TNT’s December event series Mob City, about the power struggle between police and mobsters in post-WW II Los Angeles. Frank Darabont adapted the source material and directs as well as exec producing. The series stars Ed Burns, Milo Ventimiglia, Neal McDonough, Jeremy Luke, and more. (TVL)

After Nearly 8 Years With Comedy Central & ‘The Daily Show,’ John Oliver Lands At HBO

Oliver, who scored with viewers and execs when he subbed for Jon Stewart this summer on The Daily Show, will be hosting a Sunday night topical comedy series for HBO starting in 2014. (VUL)

Screenwriters: Hollywood Studios’ ‘Similar But Different’ Ethos & How It Can Work For You

Go Into The Story breaks down the two major components behind the studios’ ‘similar but different’ approach to material – marketing and fear of a flop – and how to handle it via pre-existing content, specs and pitches. (GITS)

The Challenge For FX Spinoff FXX As ‘Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell’ Cancellation Shows Example of Huge Viewer Loss

Forbes on the loss of nearly 1/3 of a million viewers for Totally Biased after it shifted from FX to FXX – and why that alone speaks to the network needing to find its signature show soon. (FORBES)

‘Time’ On Library Book Toxicology Tests… & The Results Are Pretty Gnarly: Cocaine, Herpes Traces Found

Time magazine’s story about two Belgian professors who recently screened the 10 most borrowed books at the Antwerp library for toxins and bacteria; all ten titles tested positive for cocaine and the Fifty Shades of Grey copy tested positive for…well…(TIME)

Delayed TV Viewing Or DVR: Friend or Foe?

Delayed TV Viewing or DVR: Friend or Foe?

Nielsen has updated their digital measurement system and networks are paying very close attention, not only to live viewing the night a show first airs, but to Live +3 and Live +7 measurements. SSN takes a look at the broadcast network shows benefiting from DVR and online viewing at this point in the fall TV season, from The Blacklist to How I Met Your Mother and Sleepy Hollow. (SSN)

Spotlight: Bill Lawrence & Jeff Astrof Hit the ‘Ground Floor’ Running at TBS

Tonight, TBS rolls out Ground Floor, the new sitcom from Bill Lawrence (Cougartown, Scrubs, Spin City) and Greg Malins (Friends). Lawrence and Malins wrote the pilot to the workplace rom-com and brought in Jeff Astrof to run the show after it was picked up to series. SSN spoke with Lawrence and Astrof about the many shows they’ve worked on over the years, what it’s like working with TBS, and why they think Ground Floor has hit potential.(SSN)

SSN Studio Analysis Part Four: A Paranormal Future Awaits Paramount

Film Development For 11/14/13: Jeremy Renner To Star In ‘Bourne Legacy’ Sequel Directed By Justin Lin

SSN’s weekly report on the latest new attachments and projects in film development. (SSN)

30 Great Undiscovered Movies

Scott Cooper’s ‘Out of the Furnace’ Earning Raves For Intensity, Another Powerhouse Christian Bale Performance

HitFix on the reception of Relativity Media’s Out of the Furnace after its AFI Fest screening this past Saturday, along with reactions to the film and Christian Bale’s acting turn. (HF)

Fifth Column Features Launches Industry’s First Pay-As- You- Wish Model

Filmmaker’s report on John Yost and Alexander Berberich ‘s ‘boutique independent film studio and online distribution company’ as they talk about how their pay model is similar to crowdfunding, what the financial split is, where they mine their material from, and why it’s ultimately about connecting with audiences. (FM)

30 Undiscovered Movies You Need To See & 20 Commercially Unavailable Finds Only Online

New York Magazine has two treasure troves of unseen films from the ‘50s through the aughts, including Night Moves, The Purple Rose of Cairo, and Waltz With Bashir. The commercially unavailable picks range from Looking For Mr. Goodbar and The Day The Clown Cried to Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years. (NYM)

The Coolest Film Festivals: Comedy & Short Film

MovieMaker has the Top Five Comedy & Short Film Fests in the world, voted on by reader experience and opinions. The comedy and short film picks featured today includes their run dates and locations. (MM)

Viral Buzz: Sacha Baron Cohen Sends Elderly Honoree Sailing Offstage In Wheelchair During Awards Show Gag

Cinema Blend has the clip – don’t worry, it was a stuntwoman– of his appearance at the BAFTA Brittania Awards to accept the Charlie Chaplin Award For Excellence in Comedy honor, but not before tripping into the wheelchair of a former Chaplin child co-star. (CB)

‘Girls’ Co-Star Adam Driver Rumored To Possibly Play Nightwing In Batman vs. Superman

Total Film on the rumors of Adam Driver being eyed for the Nightwing role in the Man of Steel sequel, as well as a link to Kevin Smith’s recent video interview with Zack Snyder and Amy Adams, including a tease as to whether Lex Luthor returns to the story. (TF)

‘Vanity Fair’s Proust Questionnaire: Robert Evans

Robert Evans is the subject of the monthly questionnaire by Vanity Fair. (VF)

Effective Immediately In Los Angeles & New York, Amazon To Offer Package Delivery 7 Day A Week

Amazon has partnered with the U.S. Postal Service to provide Sunday deliveries of customer packages at no additional cost, with hiring increases happening right away. 7-day-a-week service is expected to roll out in 2014 to the Washington, DC area, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Phoenix and other metro hubs, with the exception of Hawaii & Alaska. (WAPO)

AFM Trailer Buzz: ‘FDR: American Badass’

Deadline with the kind of trailer AFM is notorious for when it comes to schlock, except this one may take the cake, as Franklin Delano Roosevelt is re-imagined as also taking on Nazis and werewolves. Barry Bostwick stars. (DH)

Screenwriters: A Top Story Analyst’s Key Three ‘Un-Rules’

L.A. Screenwriter has teacher-author-story analyst Billy Mernit’s top three ‘un-rules’ for screenwriters to keep in mind, as well as this truism: “an audience wants to be entertained and moved, and their demands trump yours.” (LAS)

Amazon Studios TV Series: Will They Click?

SSN Studio Analysis Part One: The Marvels & Dreams of Paramount’s Past

Amazon Studios TV Series: Will ‘Alpha House’ and ‘Betas’ Click with Viewers?

Last Thursday, the Television Academy welcomed Amazon Studios director Roy Price, along with the casts and creative teams behind Amazon’s first series, Alpha House and Betas, which premiere on Amazon Instant Video, November 15 and 22, respectively. SSN was on hand to cover the event. (SSN)

Celebrating Richard Burton: His Best Quotes

Richard Burton was nominated six times for Best Actor at the Oscars, once for Best Supporting Actor, and never took home an award. In honor of what would’ve been Burton’s 88^th birthday on November 10, here are some of his best, non-Shakespearean quotes. (SSN)

On The Set For 11/11/13: Krysten Ritter Starts 'Asthma' For Screenwriter-Director Jake Hoffman

SSN’s weekly report on the latest films to start and wrap production. (SSN)