Ben Cahan on Talentville and Rising to the Top
Ben Cahan, creator of Final Draft, discusses his online script critiquing platform, Talentville.
By Brock Swinson. After the success of screenwriting software Final Draft, creator Ben Cahan shifted gear to create his newest industry innovation, Talentville. Ideally, the program is much like an enhanced version of a University screenwriting course that allows for writers to share, read, network, learn, and potentially find footing in an overcrowded industry while […]
Ideas that Haunt You: Chris Rossi on Meadowland
Chris Rossi discusses writing rituals, what makes a good story, and the significance of the elephant.
By Brock Swinson. It’s rare for a debut director and debut screenwriter to unite in a more powerful way that the collaboration that sparked Meadowland. Starring Olivia Wilde and Luke Wilson, the film follows a couple on a traumatic journey of loathing, mainly set one year after their young boy goes missing. Completely unhinged, Phil […]
The Diabolical – Alistair Legrand & Luke Harvis
By Brock Swinson. In their first film, co-writers Alistair Legrand and Luke Harvis invite audiences to experience The Diabolical. The sci-fi thriller puts a new spin on films like Poltergeist – or perhaps aspects of the Paranormal Activity – with science-driven ideas rather than untainted acts of the supernatural. Madison, played by Ali Larter (Final Destination, Varsity […]
Reversion: Jose Nestor Marquez on Technology and Screenwriting
Jose Nestor Marquez on letting go of scenes, the rarity of surprising movies and his not-normal writing routines.
By Brock Swinson. Jose Nestor Marquez’s Reversion lives within an edgy, complex future but has the surprising, stylized sizzle of a seventies thriller. Through cinematography and the written word, Marquez has developed an interesting approach of wrapping a film around a single question. For this film, each scene was crafted to help the viewers question their […]
Sam Shaw’s Manhattan
Sam Shaw on historical verisimilitude, the collegiate nature of a writers' room, and writing as work, not art.
By Brock Swinson. Making the transition from a prose writer and journalist, Sam Shaw has shifted into becoming an expert in suburban deception, metaphorical slang, and the relevant period piece. As somewhat of a combination of Dr. Strangelove and Mad Men, Sam Shaw’s Manhattan is masterfully written, both in structure and character. The WGN show […]
