Creative Principles

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 working within an ocean of peer feedback.

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Based on the memoir, 'Truth and Duty: The Press, the President, and the Privilege of Power' by Mary Mapes, James Vanderbilt’s 'Truth' is a behind-the-curtain retelling of the happenings that occurred at 60 Minutes II in 2004. Essentially, Mapes ran a team of reporters to uncover a story regarding George W. Bush’s time in the National Guard.

At the film’s heart are the consequences of the relationship between Dan Rather (Robert Redford) and Mary Mapes (Cate Blanchett). Despite your opinion on the news story, Vanderbilt insists that his 'Truth' is a film rather than a documentary.

In this interview, Vanderbilt discusses building a career, the unknowable center and how to shift genres.

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'The Founder' tells the story of Ray Kroc, a businessman once described as a “Chamber of Commerce Gordon Gekko” by Matt Zoller Seitz.

Played by Michael Keaton, Kroc sluggishly but deliberately breaks bad in an attempt to acquire the McDonalds fast-food chain, and take for himself a chunk of the American dream.

Written by Robert Siegel, 'The Founder' has a similar underdog theme to his 2008 film, 'The Wrestler.' Beautifully-crafted, 'The Founder' follows Kroc as he sheds his Willy Loman skin to become a Charles Foster Kane. In doing so, he only needs to crush anyone who gets in his way.

We spoke with Siegel about making your protagonist be your antagonist, using research to get into your characters’ heads, and writing for outsiders.

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Joshua Marston’s first film, 'Maria Full of Grace,' won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. His second, 'The Forgiveness of Blood,' won Best Screenplay at the Berlin International Film Festival. But his third, 'Complete Unknown,' is perhaps his most ambitious yet.

Written with Julian Sheppard, the film stars starring Rachel Weisz and Michael Shannon, and explores the life of Alice Manning, a woman with multiple identities and a remarkable past.

We spoke with Marston about the idea for this unique character study, the underlying theme behind the film, and why screenwriters need to get out more.

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Danish painter Einar Wegener pioneered the fight for gender-reassignment surgery at the break of the century. Played by Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything, My Week with Marilyn), Wegener, who became Lili Elbe, was one of the first to undergo the controversial and risky surgery and did so with the support of her wife, Gerda.

Directed by Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech, Les Miserables), 'The Danish Girl' is beautifully written by Lucinda Coxon as it invites the actors to exist between any expected clichés of a transgender film. Rather than dwell on sexual scenes or medical queries, the film is a romance, inviting audiences to follow along as two people love one another.

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Writer Ed Solomon got started writing jokes in college, which eventually led him to working on ‘Laverne & Shirley’ and then the ‘Garry Shandling’s Show.’ As he moved into film, movies like ‘Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey,’ ‘Men in Black,’ and ‘Now You See Me’ have conquered the box office.

In this interview, Solomon discusses changing with the audience, sticking with a project longer than anyone else, the myth of inspiration, and his latest project, ‘Mosaic.’ The app and mini series for HBO was directed by Steven Soderbergh (Ocean's 11) and stars Sharon Stone, Garrett Hedlund, and Paul Reubens.

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Alexander Nevsky was just a “skinny kid is Moscow” before he started bodybuilding and won Mr. Universe three times. Occasionally known as the Russian Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nevsky is now an actor, writer, and producer.

In this interview, he describes the origin of his discipline, why he doesn’t want to ever play the cliche Russian bad guy, and the backstory behind his new action film, ‘Showdown In Manila.’

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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 lives as a drama, based on the lives of the world’s smartest scientists as they calculated the possibilities of the first atomic bomb, on blackboards in the desert. Set in Los Alamos, New Mexico, the show is mainly fictional but based in great detail on real events and individuals in 1940s America.

'Manhattan' has since come to an end, but Sam Shaw is currently working on 'Castle Rock' for Hulu. The new series comes from the mind of Stephen King.

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In 'Chapter & Verse,' reformed gang leader S. Lance Ingram (played by Daniel Beaty) returns to Harlem after a ten-year prison sentence. Despite getting a computer degree while in prison, Ingram is unable to find a qualified job and ends up delivering meals for a local food bank.

Ingram befriends Ms. Maddy (played by Loretta Devine and inspired by Tupac's mother, Afeni Shakur), and through her meets boy whom he chooses to try and mentor. Through these new relationships, Ingram finds hope and starts to relearn the joys of life, despite his many hurdles from society.

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In the Sundance hit 'The Discovery,' Robert Redford stars as Dr. Thomas Harbor, the man who discovers definitive, scientific proof that an afterlife exists. As thousands contemplate suicide to move to the next life, Thomas’ son Will (Jason Sege) falls for Isla (Rooney Mara).

Following on from the success of their previous film 'The One I Love,' writer-director teamed up once again with co-writer Justin Lader to create this fascinating sci-fi romance.

McDowell spoke about making exposition interesting, the importance of regret, writing for your actors, and news of an upcoming adaptation of Don DeLillo’s novel 'Zero K.'

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