People & News
The Buzz
The War of The War of the Worlds

Anatomy of a Spec Sale
Gary Whitta plays the Hollywood game with Reaper

Production Co. Spotlight

Lost Scenes
A few scenes found in the koi pond illuminate what never made it to the screen in Chinatown.

People
Phil Keogan

Breaking In
Kara Holden

The Code
What writers mean to each other.


Special Section: Screenwriting Expo 3
Almost four thousand writers attended Screenwriting Expo 3 and a lucky few saw their screenwriting careers leap forward.

A Pitch Sold
A Texas wildcatter sells a pitch for a reality show about Texas wildcatters looking for oil.

When A-Listers Collide
William Goldmans dialogue with Aaron Sorkin.

You Had To Be There
Words of advice from Paul Attanasio, Robert McKee, Ivan Reitman, and Shane Salerno.

In Her Own Words
How Lorelei Armstrong won the Expo 3 Screenplay Competition and its $10,000 Grand Prize.

Columns
The Busine$$ of Screenwriting
To Write or Not to Write
Sometimes, even for our intrepid columnist, the reservoir runs dry. by Ron Suppa

Writer Beware!
Learning the Hard Way
How to tell a bad agent from a good one? Check for warning signs, like fees, broken promises, and threats. by Steve Ryfle

Agents Hot Sheet
The Death of the Spec Market?
Studios gobbling up studios. Buyers not buying. Writers feeling the hurt. What the heck is going on out there? by Jim Cirile

Belly of the Beast
Action Figure Sold Separately
At Expo 3 writers learned crucial strategies for use on the page and in the pitch of battle. by MIchael lent

Our Craft
Teach Yourself: The End
A study of scenes and sequence structure. by jeff newman

The Contest Beat
Start Fresh
How about resolving to finally enter a screenwriting contest this year, instead of just thinking about it? by patricia b. smith

Spec and Pitch Sales
by james p. mercurio

The Final Scene
Bad Education by Pedro Almodóvar

Special Section: The Best Screenwriting of 2004
Its been an amazing year for the written word on screen. From a race for love in the corridors of one mans disintegrating memories, to a scientist who made sex his lifes work (engaging and enraging the world in the process), this years films had something for Hollywood animal and indie artiste alike. Add in wine country, Ray Charles, superheroes, the latest Wes Anderson quirkfest, and a $7,000 sci-fi flick and youre on your way to the Best Screenwriting of 2004.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind By Jeff Goldsmith
We go inside the eternal mind of Charlie Kaufman to discover the lost prologue and epilogue that never made it in the film, and how the script changed through drafts to become one of the best films of the year.

Maria Full of Grace By Yon Motskin

Kinsey By Den Shewman
The Oscar-winning writer of Gods and Monsters is back with another biographical drama, and Oscar buzz has already begun. Bill Condon talks about the life and work of famous sex researcher Dr. Alfred Kinsey, why Kinseys story is just as relevant (if not more so) today, and the grim job of trying to find the story.

Bad Education By Yon Motskin
Spanish writer-director Pedro Almodóvar has journeyed a long way from his beginnings, when he was more concerned with tight pants than tight scripts. His new film is a layered, time-twisting, cabaret film noir whose stories within stories spin tales of love and deceit.

Sideways By Steve Ryfle
Funny and heartbreaking, Sideways resonates more thoroughly than any of Alexander Paynes previous movies because its characters traverse more emotional terrain than Payne and co-writer Jim Taylor have ever explored.

Collateral By Yon Motskin

Ray By Nancy Hendrickson
Jamie Foxx may get the Oscar for playing singer Ray Charles, but James L. Whites unique script is the unsung hero of this top-notch biopic.

Spider-Man 2 By Ari Eisner
A Very Long Engagement By Jeff Goldsmith
Hotel Rwanda By Yon Motskin
We Dont Live Here Anymore By Jeff Goldsmith
Beyond the Sea By Jeff Goldsmith
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou By Jeff Goldsmith
The Sea Inside By Jeff Goldsmith
The Aviator By David Konow
The Woodsman By Yon Motskin

Honorable Mention:
Primer
Napoleon Dynamite
Undertow
The Incredibles
Infernal Affairs
Before Sunset
Hero
House of Flying Daggers
The Motorcycle Diaries
The Merchant of Venice