I'm from the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" school of screenwriting. I just like to preserve what works and ignore… — Andrew Dominik Copy Share Image
There are three things that are important for a film. Number one is story, number two is story, number three is story.… — Mark Strickson Copy Share Image
I definitely divide my life into decades. Almost every ten years, something in my work life has changed. My twenties were my… — Nora Ephron Copy Share Image
Even though I was trained in play writing and screenwriting, when I sat down to write a comic book for the first… — Brian K. Vaughan Copy Share Image
I guess I considered myself just sort of a sketch comedian, you know? Actual screenwriting hadn't really occurred to me as a… — Thomas Lennon Copy Share Image
“You may initially find yourself at a point of re-convincing that there could be a positive twist, and that's okay. Suspense naturally… — Chinonye J. Chidolue Copy Share Image
Initially I only decided to try and write a novel because I wasn't getting enough screenwriting work. It wasn't a long-held ambition,… — Stef Penney Copy Share Image
I think that screenwriting probably isn't seen as writing in the same way that novel-writing is seen as writing. But I certainly… — Alex Garland Copy Share Image
I first came to cinema as a passionate filmgoer, when I was a child. Then, when I was a very young man,… — Dario Argento Copy Share Image
What makes screenplays difficult are the things that require the most discipline and care and are just not seen by most people.… — Robert Towne Copy Share Image
When you're writing a script you have the option to embellish on life or switch the order of events or make it… — Lena Dunham Copy Share Image
I learned that you really don't have any control as a writer. Waah, waah, waah. Big deal. Unless you're the director on… — Bret Easton Ellis Copy Share Image
As an actor going into screenwriting, I was able to understand what type of dialogue feels natural. A lot of the time,… — John Francis Daley Copy Share Image
You know, my problem with most screenwriting is it is a blueprint. It's like they're afraid to write the damn thing. And… — Quentin Tarantino Copy Share Image
I was about 14 when I started with a theater group; it was like a stage group on the weekends alongside school.… — Imogen Poots Copy Share Image
I've come to view screenwriting assignments as playwriting grants, because they provide a considerable financial cushion. However, they can also be extremely… — Donald Margulies Copy Share Image
Filmmaking is a very complex form - ya know, acting, lighting, screenwriting, storytelling, music, editing - all these things have to come… — Jay Duplass Copy Share Image
I wanted to do screenwriting. That's what I went to school for, but my major was overfilled, and when I got 'The… — Jessica Williams Copy Share Image
The history of screenwriting - of what we do - is more than 100 years old. It's thousands of years old, going… — John Logan Copy Share Image
If you put someone in a room with no script to direct, they're just going to sit there. Writing scripts is the… — John Patrick Shanley Copy Share Image
In terms of screenwriting adaptations it's trying to cut out stuff that's extraneous, without doing damage to the original piece, because you… — Rod Serling Copy Share Image
I came into screenwriting from an odd direction, because the first screenplay that I read was and is better as writing than… — William Monahan Copy Share Image
I don't miss directing at all, and I don't miss screenwriting either because somebody's always telling you to do something different. — Alan Alda Copy Share Image
What I always studied in screenwriting from my mentor John Glavin was that the most interesting characters are characters with shades of… — Mike Birbiglia Copy Share Image
Having spent a lot of time trying to figure out screenwriting, I do feel moved and I want to try to write… — Brit Marling Copy Share Image
For me, screenwriting is all about setting characters in motion and as a writer just chasing them. They should tell you what… — Justin Zackham Copy Share Image
Screenwriting you don't necessarily have to do the job of the costume designer and the prop master and the set designer. It's… — Jonathan Tropper Copy Share Image
I would love to see more women directors because they represent half of the population and gave birth to the whole world.… — Jane Campion Copy Share Image
Screenwriting is always about what people say or do, whereas good writing is about a thought process or an abstract image or… — David Nicholls Copy Share Image
I was always writing stories, even as a kid. I always wanted to be in the plays and do that sort of… — Katie Wech Copy Share Image
Screenwriting is definitely the majority of my time, but I do still act when stuff comes up. I do a few jobs… — Danny Strong Copy Share Image
The challenge of screenwriting is to say much in little and then take half of that little out and still preserve an… — Raymond Chandler Copy Share Image
Once you see the entertainment world from both sides, you really get a greater understanding of how it all operates. As an… — John Francis Daley Copy Share Image
I was a screenwriting major at Georgetown, and I was in class with some really strong writers like Jonathan Nolan, who co-wrote… — Mike Birbiglia Copy Share Image
All readers come to fiction as willing accomplices to your lies. Such is the basic goodwill contract made the moment we pick… — Steve Almond Copy Share Image
All these teachers and [screenwriting] books mean you see movies that have been worked over by more committees wielding more rules, that… — Paul Schrader Copy Share Image
And how deeply do I let business considerations affect [screenwriting] choices that might otherwise be more or less esthetic? . . .… — Edward Zwick Copy Share Image
![“I would love to see more women directors because they represent half of the population and gave birth to the whole world. Without them the rest [of the world] are not getting to know the whole story.” quote by Jane Campion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/62e/jane-campion-10331_birth_i-would-love-to-see-more-women-directors_2633262.jpg)
![“All these teachers and [screenwriting] books mean you see movies that have been worked over by more committees wielding more rules, that all originality and authorship is lost. That's why you're seeing superstars like Brad Pitt in THE FIGHT CLUB and Tom Cruise in MAGNOLIA. They're desperately…” quote by Paul Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e40/paul-schrader-14587_authorship_all-these-teachers-and-screenwriting-boo_176880.png)
![“And how deeply do I let business considerations affect [screenwriting] choices that might otherwise be more or less esthetic? . . . Do I choose the upbeat rather than the downer ending because I know it will score better at the preview? Can the idea be sold in a single sentence? Can it compete…” quote by Edward Zwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/972/edward-zwick-24586_aliens_and-how-deeply-do-i-let-business-conside_302984.jpg)
