The ISA Podcast

EXCERPT FROM THE PODCAST:

"...For all its many structural problems, Atomic Blonde does succeed in its extraordinary fight sequences for the same reason that Iron Man succeeds: because the writer knows that guns are no fun.

If Iron Man is going to work, you’ve got to get him out of the all-powerful suit. And if Atomic Blonde is going to work, you’ve got to get the guns out of the hands of both the good guys and the bad guys. Because the guns are just too darn easy to use-- too darn easy to kill with-- if they’re used properly.

Exciting action sequences don’t come from having the all-powerful weapon-- but from having the challenging weapon; having the knife, having the high heel, having the hand to hand combat, having the object that isn't meant to be fought with.

So if you want to write a great action sequence you’ve got to make the most of every location and every object inside that location.

Look at the location of your scene and ask yourself; what are all the objects that are available to you? What are all the objects that have never before been used in a fight sequence? And how can you use those objects in the wrong way? How can you surprise the expectations of the characters?

How can you force the character to show who they are, to show their own ingenuity, to show their own badass-ness?

You almost need to think of each of these challenging locations like a video game set--where each location comes with its own unique challenges, own unique pitfalls, many, many exciting ways to die-- and where everything is either an aid or an obstacle to the character getting what they want. Where every object gets used in the wrong way in order to create the most exciting action sequences possible..."

Something clearly was lost in translation adapting “The Glass Castle”

Sometimes sprawling novels covering decades of time are too gargantuan to be contained in a two-hour film. Such is the case with “The Glass Castle.” While the film adaptation of Jeanette Walls’ 2005 memoir about her tempestuous childhood means well, and contains strong work from Woody Harrelson and Brie Larson, it fails to adequately portray the complexities of her dysfunctional family. What was expansive and detailed on the page gets lost in translation with too many unanswered questions about characters’ pasts. Additionally, three actresses playing Jeanette at various stages makes it difficult to connect with her, and too many flashbacks sink the momentum of the story. It’s a noble try, but confounding in all that’s missing.

20th anniversary of “L.A. Confidential” proves the neo-noir stands with the best.

“L.A. Confidential” garnered great reviews when it opened in 1997 and 20 years later, its place among the top tier of film noir is unquestioned. Filmmaker Curtis Hanson and Brian Helgeland adapted James Ellroy’s sprawling 496 pages and turned it into a shrewd 138-minute film. Their Oscar-winning screenplay truncates the 1950’s story, but never shortchanges character or suspense. Aided by a superb cast, including Kevin Spacey, Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe, a topnotch Jerry Goldsmith score, and A+ production values, the film daringly tackled issues of race, corruption and police brutality. It’s as relevant today as it was in the pre-Civil Rights 1950’s or the post- O.J. 1990’s.

SYS Ep 180 - Tom Hines

Tom Hines talks about his years working with director Garry Marshall.

SYS Ep 179 - Bob Shultz

Bob Schultz talks about two of his latest projects and how he got the scripts produced.

SYS Ep 178 - Lee Jessup

Lee Jessup talks about her new book, Breaking In, and offers advice to writers who are trying to break into the business.

“Episodes” is premium cable comedy that bites the Hollywood hand that feeds it.

Hollywood is all too easy to satirize with its egos, greed, and test audience malarkey, but the sitcom “Episodes” turns it into an art form. Creators David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik know the crazy world of show biz all too well and never miss an opportunity to rip the studio system a new one. They also know how to write hilarious characters, witty and wicked banter, and sublime running gags. Plus, they gave Matt LeBlanc his best role yet – that of Matt LeBlanc, albeit a ribald riff on the veteran “Friends” actor. About to start its fifth and final season, this co-production from Showtime and BBC 2 is one of television’s meanest and funniest shows ever.

The ISA's Max Timm hosts a series of interviews with board members from NYWIFTV, discussing all elements of the entertainment industry from producing to screenwriting, to marketing and content creation for the digital space. The ISA is thankful to New York Women In Film and Television for granting us time with their board members in order to provide insight and education for all creatives within the ISA membership.

We look forward to more collaboration with NYWIFTV in the future, and if you would like to learn more, click the link below:

www.nywiftv.org

Read More About Casper Wong:

S. Casper Wong is a New York based filmmaker, technology lawyer, social entrepreneur, activist and Founder/CEO of OO Media. Her documentary feature debut, The LuLu Sessions, has won 10 international awards and nominations in every major category, including Audience Award, Best Feature Documentary and Best Director. Its US broadcast premiered on PBS’s World Channel as part of the America ReFramed Documentary Series. She received a Humanitarian Award from the SASS Foundation for Medical Research along with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in recognition for her film’s social impact on the complexities of breast cancer. She is the Founder and Creator of the Peace Pod Project, a multi-media, multi-platform dedicated space for facilitating peace and reconciliation between 2 people.  She has directed and produced co-productions in China since 2005 and most recently, serving as the studio executive for Roger Corman's first co-productions.

Casper’s work has been screened on the international film festival circuit.  In the US, her work has been broadcast on PBS, the Independent Film Channel, Syfy Channel and as part of Tribeca Film Institute’s curated Reframe Collection. She is a two time winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Screenwriting Grants; a New York State Council on the Arts Grantee; a Creative Capital Artist Summer Institute Fellow; Sloan Fellow at the Hampton’s International Film Festival Screenwriter’s Lab; a nominee for the Directors Guild of America’s Best Student Film; the winner of the Special Jury Award of the Golden Horse at the Taipei Film Festival; as well as a frequent panelist and moderator for film conferences ranging from science in film, diversity in film, to co-productions with China.

Prior to receiving her MFA in Film Directing from NYU, Tisch School of the Arts, Casper was Senior Attorney for IBM General Counsel in Silicon Valley, specializing in international intellectual property and antitrust law. Casper also holds a J.D. from New York Law School, and is the first woman to receive a B.S. in Bio-medical Engineering from Columbia University. She had been counsel for the IBM's corporate diversity initiative, is the Founder and Chair of Asian American Women Media Makers, and is currently on the Board of Directors at New York Women in Film and Television.

The ISA's Max Timm hosts a series of interviews with board members from NYWIFTV, discussing all elements of the entertainment industry from producing to screenwriting, to marketing and content creation for the digital space. The ISA is thankful to New York Women In Film and Television for granting us time with their board members in order to provide insight and education for all creatives within the ISA membership.

We look forward to more collaboration with NYWIFTV in the future, and if you would like to learn more, click the link below:

www.nywiftv.org

Read More About Rosalind Murphy:

Rosalind Murphy is a Producer and Media Consultant for film, television, theater and art organizations. She specializes in Audience Development, Branded Entertainment and Partnership Development. Rosalind is on the board of New York Women in Film and TV and Vice President of Programming Committee.

Rosalind co-produced SimonSays Entertainment Theater Workshop “Good Bread Alley’, film feature “Dope Fiend”, short fIlm “In Black and White" and marketing consultant on TV Pilot “Black Rose”. Rosalind received the Microsoft Diversity Inclusion Award for developing the innovative “Women Executive Passion Forum" for Fortune 500 Executives.