Sam: “A real, honest-to-goodness, made-in-America romantic comedy.”
Nicholas Brooks discusses modern romantic comedies, the most difficult step in the writing process, and what makes a good story.
By Brock Swinson. Nicholas Brooks’ Sam is a love story that exists within a juxtaposition. Sam Wellman, played by Brock Harris, is a New York alpha male who is suddenly transformed into a woman (Natalie Knepp), and learns something of what it means to be female. Over the years, Brooks learned editing and consulting from his […]
“We’re not saving the world. We’re telling stories.” Cary Joji Fukunaga on Beasts of No Nation
Cary Joji Fukunaga on dangerous sets, research, and why starting a work is the most difficult step in the writing process.
By Brock Swinson. Beasts of No Nation is the first fictional feature to be released by the streaming, multi-platform giant, Netflix. An emotionally demanding film, Beasts is the next step in Cary Joji Fukunaga’s collection of dramatic stories, including Sin Nombre, Jane Eyre and the highly-awarded HBO series, True Detective, where he received a Primetime […]
“The pleasure for me is in the monomania.” Lucinda Coxon on The Danish Girl
Screenwriter Lucinda Coxon discusses her latest film, what makes a good story, and why in ten years time it will be old-fashioned to talk about a transgender film.
By Brock Swinson. Danish painter Einar Wegener pioneered the fight for gender-reassignment surgery at the break of the century. Played by Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything, My Week with Marilyn), Wegener, who became Lili Elbe, was one of the first to undergo the controversial and risky surgery and did so with the support of […]
Intolerable Pressure: Morwenna Banks on Miss You Already
Morwenna Banks discusses writing rituals, her latest film, and the importance of holding on to your vision.
By Brock Swinson. With a catalogue of work including BBC’s The Thick of It, Ruddy Hell! It’s Harry and Paul, Saxondale with Steve Coogan, and even a short stint on SNL, a heartbreaking story like Miss You Already is miles away from the comedic realm where Morwenna Banks got her start. After the success of […]
James Vanderbilt’s 60 Minutes of Truth
James Vanderbilt discusses building a career, the unknowable center, and shifting genres.
By Brock Swinson. Based on the memoir, Truth and Duty: The Press, the President, and the Privilege of Power by Mary Mapes, James Vanderbilt’s Truth is a behind-the-curtain retelling of the happenings that occurred at 60 Minutes II in 2004. Essentially, Mapes ran a team of reporters to uncover a story regarding George W. Bush’s […]
