The Broken Projector Movie Podcast

This week on the show we follow-up on a question about selling yourself and your writing [4:30 - 12:30], then answer your screenwriting questions about how to know which manager is right for you [12:30 - 17:00], where to find solid script resources [17:00 - 20:00], if you can write about true crime without permission [20:00 - 22:45], and how to go about inventing a pitch for a board game that doesn't have a story behind it [22:45 - 35:00].

Send questions to podcast@filmschoolrejects.com or @brokenprojector on Twitter. 

This week on the show, we answer your questions about selling your work and yourself [0:00 - 9:30], which production company we're dying to write for [9:30 - 15:45], and how to keep your script on target for a PG-13 rating [15:45 - 24:00].

Send your questions to @brokenprojector on twitter or email podcast@filmschoolrejects.com.

This week we talk about falling off a horse [0:00 - 3:30], then answer your screenwriting questions about the value of simplicity [3:30 - 11:35], the biggest mistakes of our respective careers [11:35 - 14:00], formatting a character who also goes by a nickname and other slightly wonky irritations [14:00 - 20:00], how much you can get wrong in a first draft [20:00 - 26:45], what lessons screenwriters can pull from great novels [26:45 - 31:45], and whether/why more actors are becoming screenwriters than any other time in Hollywood history [31:45 - 42:00] 

This week on the show, guest host Eric Heisserer (Lights Out, Hours) offers a revolutionary way of thinking about horror screenwriting, talks about adapting a one-punchline short film into a feature and answers a few listener questions about when to introduce the big baddie.

Movies that make a ton of money are rewarded with sequels — and it’s hard to find fault with that formula — but it’s not working anymore. Pamela McClintock at The Hollywood Reporter and Derek Thompson at The Atlantic both have evidence that suggests studios will need to discover a new formula, and fast. Namely, a host of summer sequels that have flopped spectacularly this year.

This week we answer your screenwriting questions about the pitfalls of outlining too much, the market for delightful pg-rated rom-coms, how long it takes to become a great writer and more.

This week we answer your screenwriting questions about whether plot or characters are driving a script, what happens when a ton of writers work on a project and how to approach a slapstick scene that rests largely on the actor's shoulders.

On the doorstep of wedding season (and coming off the hangover of Geoff's bachelor party) we examine the few successful bachelor party movies in order to figure out why bachelor party movies typically don't work. Special guest appearance by things we don't remember doing the following morning.

This week we answer your screenwriting questions about tackling story concepts that are outside your personal experience, common mistakes to avoid when trying to get representation, and we learn what a First Class Twinkie really is.

This week, special guest Justin Marks (Jungle Book, Top Gun 2, Counterpart) helps us answer your screenwriting questions about IP, getting started in animation, if one bad film can hurt your career and more.

Send us your questions @brokenprojector on Twitter and podcast@filmschoolrejects.com.

This week special guest Travis Beacham (Pacific Rim, The Curiosity) helps us answer your screenwriting questions about determining if your idea is a TV show or a movie, being unafraid of collaboration, the feeling of that first great script, and much more.

Send us questions @brokenprojector on Twitter or podcast@filmschoolrejects.com.

Beyonce isn’t a pop staranymore. Not content to put out fun, funky anthems that sweetlychirp about empowerment, she’s taken a baseball bat to her imagealongside the artistic talents of Mark Romanek, Jack White andWarsan Shire. 

Consider Lemonade the dark andgritty reboot of the most dominte pop singer of our time. Whileyou’re at it, stop worrying about Becky with the good hair.

Angelica Jade Bastien has broken down and annotated the symbolic elements of the film andjoins us to discuss the bad ass, witchy ways of an emotional rollcoaster (and to tell Piers Morgan to kiss her ass).

Plus, Geoff and I agonize over Neill Blomkamp’spresence at the helm of a new Alien movie and wonder how manysecond chances a failing director should get without snuffing outinteresting voices.

This week we answer your screenwriting questions about the best script ever written, how to know if your industry contact is worth anything, what to do when you've got a great script but want perfection, and we probably survive a kick-ass boat chase.

Send us your questions @brokenprojector on twitter or podcast@filmschoolrejects.com

This week's questions involve pesky page economy, looking outside of writing for writing advice, how to avoid being longwinded and the absolute best screenwriting book to buy (if you can only get one).

Send your questions to @brokenprojector on Twitter and podcast@filmschoolrejects.com.

Is Jon Snow really dead? How much stalling will the show need to do to let George R.R. Martin catch up? How good can a blind assassin be? Can you unring a Shame Bell? What armies are even out there still fighting? What main character should be killed to get the shock mojo back?

This week's episode seeks to answer as many Game of Thrones questions as we possibly can, speculating and crossing our fingers with special guest hosts Joanna Robinson and Neil Miller (of the Storm of Spoilers podcast!).

Is doubling down on blockbuster construction the way to run a modern studio? Whether or not Warners is really going through with that, Geoff and I get into the weeds about what motivates a filmmaking industry constantly on the hunt for $1 billion and a shipment of plastic toys from China. We'll also discuss the implications of shifting all your money into big bets in an age of demanding fans and super-monotony.

Plus, is it a curse or blessing when sequels for cult movies we love get cancelled? 

This week we answer your screenwriting questions about crafting dialogue for a family fighting over dinner, where to find a qualified reader, and how insane writing a full season of a TV drama can be.

Send us your questions @brokenprojector on Twitter or podcast@filmschoolrejects.com

The rubble of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and the horizon of 20+ superhero movies hitting screens in the next few years is a disaster of bland action waiting to happen. Can the superhero movie be saved? The first step is admitting the problem.

Elsewhere on the show we'll break down our 6 most anticipated summer movies and explain why hope springs eternal. 

This week we answer your screenwriting questions about using a novel to promote your script, good summer internships and domes on the moon.

Send us your questions @brokenprojector on Twitter and podcast@filmschoolrejects.com

Batman branding villains, Superman bleeding, a young Donald Trump building a monster to take both of them down. Yes, we're talking about Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in this larger-than-normal episode. We also debate whether Superman is the right superhero for our current social psyche and whether Zack Snyder understands the character, and how the film makes Man of Steel better, all with our friend Brian Truitt from USA Today.

You should follow Brian Truitt (@briantruitt), the show (@brokenprojector), Geoff (@drgmlatulippe) and Scott (@scottmbeggs) on Twitter for more on a daily basis.