The Script Podcast

Gone Girl

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- Need a Blake Snyder Beat Sheet Explanation?
- Fan mail, complaints, questions, wedding proposals can be sent to ScriptFeed@gmail.com

Script Doctors
David Negrin, Talaiya Safdar, Christopher Theokas

Producers, The Script
David Negrin, Jordan Rosengarten
NYC Screenwriters Collective
www.ScreenwritersCollective.org

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Guardians Of The Galaxy

"We... are... Groot." Guardians of the Galaxy is Marvel Studios' first attempt at a tentpole Action/Comedy and if you look at the box office results, it appears to be a risk that has really paid off. Our script doctors David Negrin, Chris Durham, and Keith Miller analyze whether Marvel's foray into the extended Marvel Galactic Universe also paid off on the story level. Did the film succeed due to Chris Pratt's comedy chops, well honed on Parks & Recreation? Was it due to director James Gunn's "Avengers like" balance of his ensemble cast where everyone shines but none too bright? (then adding relentless cameos including one of our favorite ducks of all time) Or is it something deeper, something systemic, something 'shiny'-- is it Whedonism? We try to decipher the secret sauce Marvel has been feeding us that's turning the whole world into comic book fans.

LISTEN to THE SCRIPT BSE: "Guardians Of The Galaxy" here on iTunes.

(If you enjoy The Script podcast PLEASE POST A STAR REVIEW on iTunes)

- Watch The Script BSE: Guardians of the Galaxy as a VIDEO PODCAST on Google Hangouts!
- Need a Blake Snyder Beat Sheet Explanation?
- Fan mail, complaints, questions, wedding proposals can be sent to ScriptFeed@gmail.com

Script Doctors
David Negrin, Chris Durham, Keith Miller

Producers, The Script
David Negrin, Chris Durham
NYC Screenwriters Collective
www.ScreenwritersCollective.org

Ep 9: American Hustle - Script to Screen & 2013's Biggest Flops

BULLSHIT-- It's not bullshit, I read it in an article. The following podcast is the true story of two different loosely based true stories told by two storytellers in two different ways but both inspired by one real life event.  Probably.  David and Jeremy analyze the evolution of the film "American Hustle" by David O. Russel from the acclaimed Blacklisted script "American Bullshit" by screenwriter Eric Warren Singer. How does Singer employ and innovate the conventions of the Heist/Con Artist film genre?  What were the positive effects of David O. Russel re-working all the major relationships from the original script?  What were the effects of leaving out so much of the original dialog? And what does every heist film need at the end of the story? THEN-- our dynamic duo of lady script doctors analyze the biggest flops of 2013. Denise and Talaiya run down the checklist of screenwriter mistakes you'll want to avoid to keep your script ending up like "The Big Wedding", "Trance", and "Paranoia," our biggest misses of the year.

LISTEN to THE SCRIPT: Episode 9 here on iTUNES.

- Read the original script here : "American Bullshit" by Eric Warren Singer.
- Fan mail, comments, questions, wedding proposals and proclamations can be sent to ScriptFeed@gmail.com
- Technical Note: Apologies for some audio issues on this recording, we'll do better next time.

Script Doctors
David Negrin, Jeremy Engdahl-Johnson, Talaiya Safdar, Denise Papas

Producers, The Script
Tawny Foskett, Chris Durham, David Negrin
NYC Screenwriters Collective

Ep 7: HALLOWEEN SPECIAL - Carrie, Top 10 Zombie Kills, The Monsters of Big Trouble In Little China

TRICK OR TREAT!  Live from the Baron's Haunted Castle on Halloween, The Baron and his butler review the new CARRIE, our Zombie mistresses list off the TOP 10 ZOMBIE KILLS of all time, and our regular host, who's been locked in the dungeon, analyzes the 'MONSTERS OF BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA' from his putrid, rodent infested cell.  Does the new Carrie earn her justification for unbridled revenge?  How effective is the new treatment of Carrie's mother? What are the grossest, most vicious, most spectacular Zombie Kills across movies and TV from all eras?  How come so many Monsters pop up over and over in John Carpenter's Kung Fu Cult Classic "Big Trouble in Little China"? Remember, this Halloween, "When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against a wall, and looks you crooked in the eye and asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and remember what ol' Jack Burton  says at a time like that: "Yessir, the check is in the mail."


LISTEN to THE SCRIPT: Episode 7 here on iTUNES.

- Read the script for "Big Trouble In Little China" on our website at NYC Screenwriters Collective.
- Fan mail, comments, questions, wedding proposals and proclamations can be sent to ScriptFeed@gmail.com

Script Doctors
Patrick Penta, Alex Kipp, Talaiya Safdar, Denise Papas, David Negrin

Producers, The Script
Tawny Foskett, Chris Durham, David Negrin
NYC Screenwriters Collective

EP 6: Gravity, Fall Film & TV Preview, The Baron's Mailbag

DON'T LET GO!  In Episode 6, our script doctors analyze Alfonso Cuarón's script for "Gravity", we get a Fall Film & TV Preview from the NYCSC Staff, and The Baron goes through his 'mail bag' and responds to letters from 'fans'. How does Cuarón manage to surprise us in the Space Disaster genre we've seen so many times before? For his first film in 7 years, can Alfonso resist his history of cinematographic acrobatics and focus on good story? What are the best independent films and new television series opening in the next month or so (courtesy of the NYCSC Staff)? Also, the Baron gives some career advice to aspiring students-- hide your kids, hide your wife.

LISTEN to THE SCRIPT: Episode 6 here on iTUNES.

- Read the script for "Gravity" on our website at NYC Screenwriters Collective.
- Fan mail, comments, questions, wedding proposals and proclamations can be sent to ScriptFeed@gmail.com

Script Doctors
David Negrin, Christopher Theokas, Patrick Penta, Paul Epstein, Tawny Foskett, Victoria Augustine

Producers, The Script
Tawny Foskett, Chris Durham, David Negrin
NYC Screenwriters Collective

BSE : Kick Ass 2

THERE'S NO ROOM FOR PUNKS IN SUITS! Just real heroes who can really kick ass... again, while trying very hard to keep the franchise edgy and fresh.  The original Kick Ass director, Matthew Vaughn, handed this installment off to Katie Curic's nephew? but our cast is bolstered by Jim Carrey, John Leguizamo, and can we really ever get enough of Chloë Moretz swearing and beating the hell out of dudes?! New heroes, new villains, new expectations to overcome in this ultra fan boy franchise sequel.

If the appeal of the original Kick Ass was it's irresponsible father leading hyper violent, super obscene, underage heroes to vigilante justice but your sequel lacks the father and your heroes no longer appear underage, then how do you keep the violence and obscenity edgy enough to satisfy? (...inventions like the "sick-stick") What do you call an independent B story that does not crisscross the A story but executes the same theme? (A structural nightmare... and in the end, you call it a second A story in the middle of a film that's not supposed to be multi-plot.) How did the film differ from the Graphic Novel? What's the most obscene word a teenage girl can say? And how do we really feel about McLovin' in S&M attire?

LISTEN to The Script - BSE: "Kick Ass 2" here on iTUNES

HELP! iTunes Reviews - we need star reviews, so if you enjoy The Script BSE or main podcast, please post a star review on iTunes and tell us what you like about it.  We're gonna read all reviews good and bad live on our next podcast.

- Read David, Chris D, & Chris T's Combined Beat Sheet for Kick Ass 2

- Watch our IN COSTUME Google Hangout for Kick Ass 2!

- Need a Blake Snyder Beat Sheet Explanation?

- Fan mail, hate mail, comments, and questions can be sent to ScriptFeed@gmail.com

SCRIPT DOCTORS

David Negrin, Chris Durham, Chris Theokas

PRODUCERS, The Script

Tawny Foskett, Chris Durham, David Negrin

NYC Screenwriters Collective

BSE : Pacific Rim

GODZILLA ain't got nothin' on me! -- Guillermo Del Toro won't come to set unless there's a monster on his call sheet and his modern homage to Japanese Kaiju (monster) films delivers everything we want in a rock 'em sock 'em summer blockbuster, wrapped in a retro 80s aesthetic, and grounded by a story with heart between bad-ass one liners.  Why do genre conventions reused make us cliché squirm, but reinvented elicit cheers from the audience? What happens if your protagonist's inner conflict is smaller than your mentor character's? Can you end up with third act protagonist confusion? How does a strong B-story keep your audience surprised when genre pics can be so predictable? And does Del Toro go full Sharknado with his ending or not?

LISTEN to The Script - BSE: "Sharknado" here on iTUNES.

HELP! iTunes Reviews - we need star reviews, so if you enjoy The Script BSE or main podcast, please post a star review on iTunes and tell us what you like about it.  We're gonna read all reviews good and bad live on our next podcast.

- Read David & Chris' Combined Beat Sheet for Pacific Rim
- Watch our Google Hangout for Pacific Rim!
- Need a Blake Snyder Beat Sheet Explanation?
- Fan mail, hate mail, comments, and questions can be sent to ScriptFeed@gmail.com

SCRIPT DOCTORS
David Negrin, Chris Durham

PRODUCERS, The Script
Tawny Foskett, Chris Durham, David Negrin
NYC Screenwriters Collective

BSE : Sharknado

SHARK ATTACK-- You asked for it!  You wanted more Shark meets Disaster based script analysis! You're in luck, because the NYCSC has Sharknado fever. This week on The Script - Beat Sheet Edition our 3 script doctors analyze SHARKNADO bite for bite! (uh... beat).  And we love this script!

A horny bartender with a past and a shotgun, an ex-surfer superdad with a hero complex, a gang of bad fish jokes and B movies actors, one Mexican hurricane, three tornadoes, and a thousand hungry, deadly, very resourceful sharks!  What are the Rules of Shark in this universe? How does a "conceit" enable the suspension of disbelief? How does Sharknado blend the Monster, Disaster, Action, and Road Drama genres so successfully? And witness the best Blake Snyder 3rd Act "Storming the Castle" we've seen all summer-- coming from a TV movie!

LISTEN to The Script - BSE: "Sharknado" here on iTUNES.

- Read David, Chris, & Jeremy's Combined Beat Sheet Breakdown for Sharknado!
- Watch our Google Hangout for Sharknado!
- Need a Beat Sheet Explanation?
- Fan mail, hate mail, comments, and questions can be sent to ScriptFeed@gmail.com.

Script Doctors
David Negrin, Chris Durham, Jeremy Engdahl-Johnson

Producers, The Script
Tawny Foskett, Chris Durham, David Negrin
NYC Screenwriters Collective

BSE : White House Down vs. Olympus Has Fallen

This week on The Script - Beat Sheet Edition, script doctors David Negrin and Chris Durham compare "White House Down" and "Olympus Has Fallen" beat for beat - Directed by Roland Emmerich and Antoine Fuqua, Screenplays by James Vanderbilt and Creighton Rothenberger & Katrin Benedikt. Two films, same premise, which executes it better? Is Agent StepUP's A-Story confused? Does Agent Leonidas cross into unheroic torture territory? Why White House Down is more "The Rock" and Olympus Has Fallen is more "Die Hard", and does destroying the Capitol Buildling or the Washington Monument pull more patriotic heartstrings? Read David & Chris' Combined Beat Sheet Breakdown for both films on our website.You can send fan mail, hate mail, comments, questions, proclamations to ScriptFeed@gmail.com. [Spoilers]

BSE : Man Of Steel v2

This week on The Script - Beat Sheet Edition, script doctors David Negrin and Chris Durham analyze "MAN OF STEEL" beat for beat - Directed by Zack Snyder, Screenplay by David S. Goyer.  Where does Clark's A-story really kick off, we debate old Zod vs. new Zod, old Heat Vision vs. new Heat Vision, and discover the best "Whiff of Death" moment Man Of Steel should have had. Read David & Chris' Combined Beat Sheet Breakdown for Man Of Steel on the website. Please send any comments, questions, feedback to ScriptFeed@gmail.com. Note: v1 of podcast had no sound. [Spoilers]

BSE : Star Trek Into Darkness

The Script - Beat Sheet Edition is a companion to the The Script main podcast.  In the BSE our Script Doctors won't analyze a script, but instead see a major film in the theater and analyze its story in terms of the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet structure (Beat Sheet explanation & Samples are available on our web site). This week on The Script - Beat Sheet Edition our script doctors David Negrin, Chris Durham, and Alec Pollak analyze Star Trek Into Darkness.  We debate different Star Trek religions, old Khan vs. new Khan and where the true All Is Lost moment lies.  [Spoilers] Please send any comments, questions, feedback to ScriptFeed@gmail.com

EP 2: The Walking Dead, High Contest Season, and A Late Quartet

Our script doctors go over how to write an original pilot by analyzing The Walking Dead pilot by Frank Darabont (available on our website); High Contest Season schedule of the major contests;  Ladies and gentleman we are proud to introduce, The Baron, and his review of A Late Quartet. Read the script at NYC Screenwriters Collective. Fan mail, comments, questions, or proclamations can be sent to ScriptFeed@gmail.com