If you’ve only just now heard of Matthew Robbins because of his upcoming Guillermo Del Toro directed film, Crimson Peak, than you may not have been paying attention to the screenwriting credits on some major Hollywood movies. A lifelong screenwriter, Robbins made his way with the “in” crowd of the 60’s, working with Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, among many others, and finally got his breakthrough assignment on Spielberg’s The Sugarland Express. From there, Robbins worked on so many others, from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Batteries Not Included, to the Del Toro film Mimic, and the 2010 film Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.

While in this podcast, we talk a lot about Crimson Peak – with a really interesting tidbit about the house they use for the central focus of the film – we talk even more about the writing process. And coming from a veteran screenwriter like Matthew, to say his advice is invaluable is a massive understatement. From telling stories of working on films with today’s icons, to looking at screenwriting as a true craft, Matthews interview should leave you inspired and even more ready to finish your next project. If you’re not feeling the flow and need a break, though, we suggest checking out Matthew’s Crimson Peak. Maybe it’ll scare you back into your writing chair.

Make your script stand out with dynamic, compelling, three-dimensional characters that will move, haunt, inspire, and crack up the reader.

Character is King.  Executives, agents, managers, and showrunners insist on compelling, complex and dynamic characters that leap off the page.  Yet writers often get bogged down with story and plot, losing sight of the fact that it's characters we care deeply about that cause us to tune in to our favorite TV shows week after week.  But how do you create a three-dimensional character that audiences will fall in love with, invest in and root for?

How do you create a three-dimensional character that audiences will fall in love with, invest in and root for? During this teleconference with Script Anatomy Founder and working TV writer Tawnya Bhattacharya, we’ll answer this question and discuss some of TV’s most unforgettable series leads.  You'll walk away with a game plan and clear tools to use while building what just might be TV's next iconic hero or anti-hero. 

The Anatomy of Great Characters

with Script Anatomy Founder and working TV writer Tawnya Bhattacharya

What do Tony Soprano, Selina Meyer, Walter White, Sterling Archer, Carrie Mathison, Omar Little and Kimmy Schmidt have in common? Great characters are unforgettable. We may love them or hate them. But they worm their way into our brains and stay with us — haunting us, inspiring us, cracking us up — long after they’ve disappeared from our screens. 

Learn to create memorable characters with drive, characters that provoke emotion, characters that stay with us in this teleconference. Tawnya will show you how to craft compelling and multi-dimensional characters by crafting their backstory, stage of life, flaw, core wound, dilemma andgoal as well as how to design dynamic catalyst relationships and polarities, how to a unique world helps you create an interesting character, and how to design meaningful and emotional journeys and character arcs.

As points of reference, writers should familiarize themselves with the pilot episodes of Bloodline, Jane The Virgin, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Breaking Bad which, despite the fact it’s now off air, is an excellent example of what the bar is set.

About Script Anatomy:

Founded by TV writer Tawnya Bhattacharya, Script Anatomy is LA's most industry-focused TV writing school whose classes are taught entirely by working writers.  The company helps television writers reach their writing goals and elevate their craft through classes, workshops and private consultations.  Script Anatomy has helped hundreds of writers succeed.  Alumni have been staffed, sold pilots, secured coveted spots in every network and studio writing program, signed with representation at major agencies and management companies, have sold pilots, landed writing assignments, and won prestigious contests as a result.  Join them at ScriptAnatomy.com. 

Tawnya Bhattacharya is a writer, writing instructor, and founder of Script Anatomy.  Her teaching career began at Writers Boot Camp from 2005 – 2008. Having seen writers struggle through the process there, it became apparent what was missing, so she created Script Anatomy — a unique curriculum to give writers practical development, writing and rewriting tools based on her own process. She launched Script Anatomy in 2011, just as she was embarking on her own writing career. Bhattacharya brings both a ten-year teaching background and professional writing experience to Script Anatomy’s curriculum. She is currently a Writer/Co-Producer on NBC’s “The Night Shift”and formerly wrote on TNT’s“Perception,” Lifetime’s “The Client List,” and USA’s “Fairly Legal,” with her writing partner, Ali Laventhol.  Repped by ICM Partners, they are former NBC Writers on the Verge fellows, winning one of 8 spots out of 1200 applicants and also made semi-finalists for the Disney | ABC Writing Program before getting a job that took them out of the running. Tawnya was also a FOX Writer’s Intensive fellow (FOX optioned her semi-autobiographical pilot). 

With this four-part interview series, Max Timm – the Director of Community Outreach – interviews four experts on the logline writing and pitching process. In this interview we have Rob Deege, VP of Creative and Business Affairs at Indomitable Entertainment.

Rob Deege has over 20 years experience in the business, ranging from producing and directing to executive leadership, focused on creative development, producing, business development, financing and distribution.  He is currently at Indomitable Entertainment as the VP of Creative and Business Affairs, and has previously worked as a producer/director on films, television, documentaries, commercials, PSAs and corporate fare for Discovery,  The World Wildlife Fund, Mind & Media, Cerebellum, etc. Rob is working with Max Timm and the ISA development program, accepting material and pitches on behalf of a select group of top ISA screenwriters. His take on the pitching process will illuminate the importance of practice and discipline, and offer priceless advice on how to approach your logline presentation.

In this short series of interviews, Max interview experts on the craft – people who have taken and given thousands of pitches. We expect that you’ll get a lot out of these interviews, so enjoy the conversation, thanks for being a member and fan of the ISA and our Curious About Screenwriting podcasts. Keep writing.

With this four-part interview series, Max Timm – the Director of Community Outreach – interviews four experts on the logline writing and pitching process. In this interview we have Michael Hauge, veteran and expert story consultant.

Michael Hauge has coached screenwriters, producers, stars and directors on projects for every major studio and network, most recently I AM LEGEND, HANCOCK and THE KARATE KID for Will Smith and Overbrook Entertainment; MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE for Columbia Pictures; BAKUGAN for Universal Pictures, and LOVE, ROSIE for SONY Pictures and Constantin Film. In this podcast interview, Michael discusses the importance of the primary elements that make up any story, and how to include them in your pitch and/or logline.  We highly recommend Michael and his services, and you can find more about him at www.storymastery.com

In this short series of interviews, Max interview experts on the craft – people who have taken and given thousands of pitches. We expect that you’ll get a lot out of these interviews, so enjoy the conversation, thanks for being a member and fan of the ISA and our Curious About Screenwriting podcasts. Keep writing.

With this four-part interview series, Max Timm – the Director of Community Outreach – interviews four experts on the logline writing and pitching process. In this interview we have Jacob Krueger, pitching expert and founder of the Jacob Krueger Studio.

Jacob Krueger has worked with thousands of writers, from Academy and Tony Award Winners, to beginning writers picking up the pen for the first time.  The founder of Jacob Krueger Studio in New York City, Jacob is an award winning screenwriter, playwright, producer and director. Jacob’s first produced movie, The Matthew Shepard Story (2002) won him the Writers Guild of America Paul Selvin Award and a Gemini Nomination for Best Screenplay. In an informative podcast interview, Jacob shows his expertise on pitching and gives a spirited and inspirational approach to your pitch process. Jacob and the ISA have established a lasting relationship, and we’re proud to be in association with his top quality studio. Find more about him at www.writeyourscreenplay.com

In this short series of interviews, Max interview experts on the craft – people who have taken and given thousands of pitches. We expect that you’ll get a lot out of these interviews, so enjoy the conversation, thanks for being a member and fan of the ISA and our Curious About Screenwriting podcasts. Keep writing.

With this four-part interview series, Max Timm – the Dir of Community Outreach – interviews four experts on the logline writing and pitching process. In this interview we have Amy Baer.

Amy Baer has developed some of the most successful and critically acclaimed movies as the first CBS Films president and former senior production executive at Sony. She has supervised development and production of films that have grossed more than $1.8 billion worldwide box office including such beloved fare as Something’s Gotta Give, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Adaptation, The Mask of Zorro, S.W.A.T., The Pursuit of Happyness and Moneyball. Amy gives us an executive’s view and opinion on what a writer should focus on when preparing their pitch and loglines. An invaluable inside look at what an executive expects from a writer.

In this short series of interviews, Max interview experts on the craft – people who have taken and given thousands of pitches. We expect that you’ll get a lot out of these interviews, so enjoy the conversation, thanks for being a member and fan of the ISA and our Curious About Screenwriting podcasts. Keep writing.

Discovering Your Own Personal Shadows to Create Great Characters! Meditative Writing master, Jessica Hinds, returns to the Curious About Screenwriting podcast to discuss how discovering your own history of (and current) moral paradigms/hierarchies and shadows can help you discover your characters.

A thorough dive into character creation, this podcast focuses on how to discover and interact with of these personal elements, and how the change in them can provide structure to a film and story.

Before we even get into the structure of Amy Shumer’s Trainwreck, I want to start by talking about the inception of the movie, and how it came to the screen.

Oftentimes if you’re an emerging screenwriter, it’s easy to imagine that the professionals must totally know what they’re doing, write one draft and it magically comes to fruition.

But the truth of the matter is that Amy Shumer’s process on this screenplay was very similar to the process that a lot of you go through.

Writing a great screenplay does not happen overnight. This screenplay took Amy years and many drafts to write. And interestingly it started off as a completely different movie.

Judd Apatow tells a story about working for about nine months with Amy on a completely different version of the film. And then one day the two of them realized that this wasn’t the story they really wanted to tell.

And Judd Apatow told Amy Schumer, despite all the work they’d put into the draft, that he was really more interested in those personal stories that she was telling when he first heard her jokes. When she was talking about her father and his real experience with M.S. and what that real relationship looked like.

And so, eight or nine months into the process, Amy Schumer completely reconceived the movie, refocused what it was really about, and made it personal.

Jacob Krueger of the Jacob Krueger Studio and WriteYourScreenplay.com dives back into another live session where he calms us all down with regard to the pitching process. Jacob does a great job simplifying the process, and making it easier to handle emotionally. Pitching can be a nerve-wrecking process, but the more you practice, the easier it becomes. Listen in as he critiques other writers' projects. Enjoy, listen, learn - Jacob is one of the best.

WriteYourScreenplay.com founder and the creator of the Jacob Krueger Studio in New York (and online) talks with host, Laurie Lamson, during one of the ISA's recent free teleconferences about getting and breaking through that dreaded cycle of writer's block.

Some believe writer's block is an outside force that affects each writer, when really it's something deep down inside of us that we all can control - it is not something that just happens to us. It is something we can harness and take advantage of.

Listen and enjoy, and just keep writing.

Wendy Calhoun is a Co-Executive Producer/Writer for Fox’s new hit series Empire. Her prime time drama writing and producing credits include FX’s Justified, ABC’s Revenge, and Nashville. She is also the Narrative Consultant for Electronic Arts’ BATTLEFIELD HARDLINE video game. Calhoun has written, produced, and/or directed over 40 hours of non-fiction programs for PBS, Animal Planet, VH1, TLC, The Travel Channel, The Discovery Channel, and FBC including Co-Producing the second season of Hell’s Kitchen. Calhoun received a 2010 Peabody Award and WGA Best New Series Nomination for Justified, which was named as one of the WGA’s Best 100 Written Series of all time. She received her second WGA Best New Series Nomination in 2012 for Nashville. Most recently, EMPIRE was awarded 2015's Program of the Year by the Television Critics Association.

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION

·      Moving from one show to another

·      Benefits of writing for cable

·      Politics in the room

Vanessa Taylor served as co-executive producer for HBO's GAME OF THRONES in seasons two and three and is the writer of AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, DIVERGENT, starring Shailene Woodley and directed by Neil Burger and GREAT HOPE SPRINGS, starring Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones.

Vanessa’s other credits include: writer on GIDEON'S CROSSING, writer/co-producer on ALIAS and the creator/co-executive producer/writer of JACK & BOBBY.

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION

·      Working in the writers’ room

·      Adapting a book into a feature

·      A writer’s job

Honored by Entertainment Weekly in 2011 as one of the Top 20 People Behind the Scenes, Nikki Toscano is currently a Consulting Producer on NBC’s SHADE OF BLUE. Her first break came when she won a number of contests, Slamdance and Scriptapalooza among them. Using the heat off the contests, she managed to sell an pilot idea to CBS/Paramount based on her life (she adopted a twelve-year-old boy from a children’s home when she was 26), which segued into a staff writer gig on CLOSE TO HOME. From there, she staffed on LAS VEGAS until the Writer’s Strike cut that gig short. Coming off the strike and a maternity leave, she couldn’t get staffed to save her life. But it was a blessing in disguise as she was able to cultivate her real love: development.

Nikki sold a pilot to FOX 21 that Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) attached to and then sold two other pilots that same year to CBS and ABC. On the heels of that development cycle, she was offered another blind script at ABC, but rolled it to staff on the critically acclaimed DETROIT 187. Unfortunately, Detroit never found its audience and got cancelled. She then staffed on REVENGE. Nikki is also developing a pilot for ABC this year. After REVENGE, she staffed on STATE OF AFFAIRS.

Nikki’s foray into the creative process began when she would write poems to her parents in order to get out of being grounded. This catapulted her desire to explore writing in other mediums. Before she was a screenwriter, she was a journalist writing for magazines like Nylon and Black Book. Realizing that her heart wasn’t in it, she went back to school and attended USC, getting her Masters in screenwriting and fiction.

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION

·      Inspiration for story ideas

·      How to have a successful pitch

·      Creating longevity as a writer

A graduate of Georgetown University and the University of Virginia School of Law, Ted Humphrey spent two years as a litigator in a Washington D.C. law firm before migrating to the entertainment industry, where he has worked extensively as a writer and producer in both film and television.

Among his film scripts are sci-fi thriller “DUST” for Warner Brothers and director Jan De Bont; “THE ROOK,” a crime thriller for Alcon Entertainment; “TOP OF THE WORLD,” a drama for Hyde Park Entertainment and Mandeville Pictures; horror

thriller “VIRAL” for MGM; “AZTEC,” an action adventure epic for Montecito Pictures and Dreamworks, and “215,” for HBO Original Films. His script “THE CODE” was made into a 2008 feature film starring Morgan Freeman and Antonio Banderas.

He began his television career with the critically acclaimed CBS drama “NOW AND AGAIN,” and continued as a writer and producer on shows such as the ABC drama “THE NINE” and CBS dramas “SHARK” and “THE UNIT.” He has also written numerous television pilots, including the ABC drama “PARADISE” and the

FX drama “CROOKED RIVER,” and recently developed a British version of “CROOKED RIVER” for the BBC in conjunction with Scott Free Entertainment.

Ted is currently a Executive Producer and writer of the CBS drama “THE GOOD WIFE,” starring Juliana Margulies, and is developing a new pilot with Paramount/CBS.

He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION

•          Staffing

•          Lessons along the way

•          Pilot writing

Craig Sweeny graduated from Colgate University in 1996. Craig got his start when he wrote freelance scripts for MDs and PLAYMAKERS. He then went on to write for THE 4400 and MEDIUM. He worked on both shows at the same time. This led to his massive rise through the ranks. He had an overall deal with CBS/Paramount. Next, he worked on ELEMENTARY. Currently, he is the EP and Showrunner for LIMITLESS on CBS.

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION

•          Overall deals with studio/network

•          Process of breaking story

•          Learning how to run the room

Blair Singer was a Producer on “The Mysteries of Laura” at NBC. Other television work includes “Rizzoli & Isles”, “Beauty and the Beast” and “Fairly Legal”,“Weeds”, “Monk” and the “Book of Daniel.” As a playwright, Blair’s play “Matthew Modine Saves the Alpacas” was at The Geffen Theater. In November 2008, his play “The Most Damaging Wound” had a sold out run at Manhattan Theatre Source and was praised as an artful comic drama. He was also a writer for the web series “lonelygirl15.” Blair is a graduate of Juilliard School of Drama and is a member of the MCC Playwrights Coalition.

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION

•          Challenge of writing for TV

•          Being in the writers’ room

•          Mentors

Rick sold a pilot, Paradise Pictures, to USA. He is the Executive Producer on it. Rick is the Co-Executive Producer on Suits on USA. Before this, Rick was staffed on The Good Guys, Past Life and Men of a Certain Age.  Rick was a finalist in Writers on the Verge and he was an assistant and script coordinator in shows including “Firefly,” “Lyon’s Den,” “Summerland,” “Charmed” and “Life.”  Rick started his career as a news editor and a feature reporter.  He graduated from Virginia Tech.

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION

·      Learning from Writers On The Verge

·      Generating ideas for stories

·      Advice to writers

A relative newcomer, director Wes Ball is a perfect example of a filmmaker who stuck to his guns – the love of telling a great story. He knew at an early age that he had an intention to make movies, but like most of us, wasn’t certain as to how he should follow that intention and make it a career. The advice we continue to hear in our Curious About Screenwriting series of interviews is that there isn’t one way to “make it”. There is no direct route. There is no simple stepladder. Wes pushed and pushed but not because he wanted to make money doing what he loved, but because he simply loved filmmaking and storytelling.

After creating an eye-popping 7-minute short called “Ruin” (which you can find online if you simply Google “Ruin” and Wes Ball – it’s worth watching for sure), the short film went viral and caught the eyes of multiple Hollywood execs. How he went from a relative no-name to suddenly having two movies at Fox is a stunner of a story, and proves that if you simply devote your time to doing what you love, you never know what can happen. His first movie – his directorial debut – was The Maze Runner. The Maze Runner went on to a huge box office return, and he was swiftly picked up to direct its sequel, The Scorch Trials. I personally loved The Maze Runner and am really looking forward to checking out the sequel. It hits theatres on September 18. Let’s get folks back into the theatres and enjoy the final days of summer by watching Wes’ latest. We look forward to tracking his future success and of course are thankful that he spent time with us on Curious About.

George Mastras has been a writer and producer for the Emmy-award winning drama "Breaking Bad" on AMC. He wrote standout episodes "Crazy Handful of Nothin,'" which won the 2009 PEN USA Award for Best Teleplay, and “Grilled,” which was nominated for the 2010 Edgar Allen Poe Award.

He has also written for such diverse series as the Sci Fi Channel's supernatural detective series “The Dresden Files," and John Wells/Warner Bros. produced crime drama “The Evidence." George was awarded the ABC/Disney Writing Fellowship in 2005, was nominated for WGA Awards in both 2008 and 2009 for Best Drama in connection with his work on "Breaking Bad," and was selected for the WGA Showrunner Training Program in 2010.

George is also a novelist. His debut novel "Fidali's Way" was published by Scribner on January 6, 2009 and has since been released in translation internationally. Inspired by George's travels in the remote Tribal Areas of Pakistan and war-torn Kashmir before and after 9/11, Fidali's Way has been critically acclaimed as a "brilliantly told” and "stirring first novel" with an "odyssey-like story [that] grips" (Publisher's Weekly, and Toronto Sun).

Before writing, George worked as a criminal investigator for the public defender’s office, a counselor at a juvenile correctional facility, and a trial lawyer in New York and Los Angeles. After ten years of practicing law, he quit his job, sold his belongings, and spent several years backpacking around the globe, before he returned to the United States to pursue writing professionally. Born in Boston, George is a graduate of Yale, UCLA Law School, and Outward Bound.

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION

•          Experimental shows

•          Realizing his voice in the room

•          Running shows

Emmy-award winner Jeff Melvoin has worked on a dozen one-hour television series. His most recent job was as Executive Producer of the Lifetime series Army Wives.   Prior writer-producer credits include Alias, Picket Fences, Northern Exposure, Hill Street Blues, and Remington Steele.  Awards include an Emmy, two Golden Globes, a Television Critics Association award, a Peoples’ Choice award, and a Mystery Writers of America award.

A graduate of Harvard University, Jeff worked as a Time magazine correspondent before entering the television industry.  A past board member of the Writers Guild of America, in 2004 Jeff co-authored a WGA booklet, Writing for Episodic TV.  In 2005, he proposed the creation of the WGA Show Runner Training Program and has moderated the program since its inception in 2006.  He has taught screenwriting at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and UCLA Extension and was a Visiting Lecturer in Dramatic Arts at Harvard in 2008.  He and his wife, Martha Hartnett Melvoin, live in Los Angeles and have two sons, Nick and Charlie.

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION

•          Launching a writing career

•          Writing and the learning curve

•          Writing outlines