I recorded this video to illustrate the different ways screenwriters can indicate dialogue is being interrupted. It’s a situation that happens quite often in most screenplays. The choice of how you show it can impact the read.
There aren’t hard-and-fast rules, but there are definitely conventions, and in this video I cover most of them.
So, Aladdin opened this weekend. It’s the #1 movie in the world, and audiences seem to love it. I share writing credit, which surprises many people because I barely talk about it. Here’s the deal.
In September 2015, I was meeting with producers about a different project when they mentioned they were talking with Disney about doing a live-action version of Aladdin, following upon the success of Cinderella. On the spot, I pitched my take. The next week, I went in to pitch at Disney complete with art boards that cribbed heavily from Game of Thrones. It was a charmed process through multiple drafts.
And then it wasn’t.
From 2017 on, my relationship with the movie was me giving notes on cuts. It was frustrating to have my name on something I had no control over, so I didn’t talk about it much, and didn’t do any press.
Here’s the happy news: The movie that came out this week? I honestly like it a lot. It’s goofy and big-hearted in ways I’d feared would be lost. I’m glad that so many people around the world are digging it.
Every screenwriter mourns the movie that existed only in their mind, but in this case I’m really happy with the finished film as well. That doesn’t always happen. So I’m glad my wish came true.
Over the past month, the WGA has rolled out several new tools to help members better represent themselves without agents, including the Staffing Submission System, the WGA Weekly Feature Memo, and the Find A Writer directory.
For screenwriters working on assignment – and TV writers working on pilots – an existing WGAW tool can be especially helpful in confronting the twin problems of free work and late pay.
The Start Button is a simple way to record when you begin working on a draft and when you hand it in. It helps the Guild protect writers from abusive requests for unpaid rewrites and delayed checks.
I made a little video to walk writers through how the Start Button works, and why members should make it standard practice when beginning an assignment.
Like all WGA tools, the Start Button is designed to help members take more control over their work and career. In this period when most members don’t have agents, writers need to advocate for themselves and others. The Guild is there to back you up.
(Music by Matthew Chilelli, of course.)
It can be hard to understand exactly how agency packaging fees and producing impacts writers’ salaries. This short explainer video does a great job visualizing the issues, and looking at why the WGA is in negotiations to address agency conflict of interest.