Michael De Luca

The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriter Billy Ray

Billy Ray, Michael De Luca

BILLY RAY has written or co-written the screenplays for Color of Night, Volcano and Hart's War and also created the sci-fi series Earth 2. In 2003, Ray wrote and directed Shattered Glass, which was based on the true story of fraudulent journalist Stephen Glass. Most recently, he found himself back in the writer/director role for Breach, a story based on real-life FBI agent-turned-Soviet spy Robert Hanssen. In this intriguing interview, listen as Ray touches on his inspiration from movie soundtracks, taking acting classes, genius by osmosis and writing for the Jetsons.

The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriter Stuart Beattie

Stuart Beattie, Michael De Luca

After 15 years in the business, Stuart Beattie has learned a thing or two about how to make characters sing (or sting) on the page. Listen in as he describes how to stay hungry when you can't get anyone to read your scripts and how he came up with Pirates of the Caribbean and Collateral.

The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriter David Seltzer

Dave Moldavon

David Seltzer, Michael De Luca

David Seltzer knows Hollywood. He knows the business, the tricks of the trade and all the hidden truths. He's got the stories from working with Jacques Cousteau, penning the horror classic The Omen and adapting Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. He can tell you why writing is like love-making and why there is no such thing as fiction. His advice about directing? Wear comfortable shoes. In this interview, you'll learn that and more, including what recent screenplay is the most elegant he has ever heard spoken on-screen and why you don't win arguments with movie stars.

The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriter David Goyer

Mark Palansky

David S. Goyer, Michael De Luca

David Goyer knows how to bring comic book heroes to kicking, screaming, vengeful life, as he did in The Crow: City of Angels, the Blade series, and Batman Begins. In this wry and surprising dialogue, he reveals his tricks of the trade, how to hook an actor's ego, and why fear can pay the bills.

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy

Andrew Kasch, Daniel Farrands

Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund

For decades, Freddy Krueger has slashed his way through the dreams of countless youngsters, scaring up over half a billion dollars at the box office across eight terrifying, spectacular films.

The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriters Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel

Dave Moldavon

Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel

Few screenwriters can concentrate for more than a few hours, let alone sustain a career in Hollywood for over 30 years. But the blockbuster comedy writing team of Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel has been making television and film audiences laugh for decades. In the early '70s, Ganz was writing for The Odd Couple while Mandel was receiving his first paychecks for work on M*A*S*H and Busting Loose. In total, Ganz and Mandel have written an astonishing 18 produced feature screenplays, including City Slickers, A League of Their Own, Mr. Saturday Night, Forget Paris, Where the Heart Is, Robots, and Fever Pitch, while also maintaining a "secret career" of un-credited rewrites on studio comedies.

The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriter Sheldon Turner

Mark Palansky

Michael De Luca, Sheldon Turner

Sheldon Turner is the prototype for the smart, brash, ambitious young screenwriter. He recently broke through with his script for the remake of The Longest Yard, and has a dozen other scripts in development. He's got insane discipline, writes longhand and boycotts email.

Moneyball: Playing the Game

Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Cast and crew discuss the film's authentic recreation of baseball scenes and the landscape of the 2002 baseball season, sets and filming locales, costuming, and more.

The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriter John Hamburg

Dave Moldavon

John Hamburg, Michael De Luca

Hamburg wrote and directed the crime comedy Safe Men, which played at Sundance and spawned a devoted cult following. A sure-thing comedy closer, the New York City native built hilarious set pieces and character work into Meet the Parents, Zoolander, and Meet the Fockers that not only helped lift them to huge box office but also pushed a few new catchphrases into the American lexicon. A veteran of the uncredited production rewrite, Hamburg also wrote and directed the romantic comedy Along Came Polly in 2004. In this amusing interview, Hamburg discusses how he developed his talent for writing actor-hooking dialogue in the humorous monologues he performed in college, why he'd do a thousand test screenings if he could, and what it's like to hand a new scene to Robert De Niro and stand there waiting to see if he likes it.

The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriter Paul Haggis

Mark Palansky

Paul Haggis, Michael De Luca

Oscar-winning writer, director and producer Paul Haggis (Crash) reflects on his remarkable journey from television to feature film in this lively conversation conducted in the same spirit as "Inside the Actors Studio." The program is part of a series of in-depth talks between industry professionals and more than two dozen successful screenwriters, who candidly discuss their careers and their varied approaches to the writing craft.

The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriter Nia Vardalos

Dave Moldavon

Michael De Luca, Nia Vardalos

NIA VARDALOS was nominated for the Academy Award® and the Writers Guild Award in 2003 for her breakthrough screenplay My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which was based on her one-woman play. The film became the highest-grossing independent feature and turned her in to an overnight success, spawning a follow-up sitcom and a cemented spot among Hollywood s elite writers. Listen as she talks candidly about her favorite laugh, tapping into her inner guy, and why her take on the hardest part of screenwriting just might make you blush.

Spirit of Vengeance: The Making of 'Ghost Rider'

Laurent Bouzereau

Sam Elliott, Matt Long

This is a three-part documentary (i.e. Spirit of Vengeance, Spirit of Adventure and Spirit of Execution) which mixes behind the scenes materials and interviews. The program opens with info about bringing Ghost Rider to the big screen, the script and story, cast and Nicolas Cage's interest in the project, the flick's tone and its motorcycles. From there it digs into sets, characters, costumes and makeup, music, shooting in Australia, cinematography, and stunts. In addition, it looks at visual effects, editing, score, and other aspects of post-production. Part Three of the program mostly drops the interviews to completely follow the "fly on the wall" approach.

The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriter Simon Kinberg

Dave Moldavon

Simon Kinberg, Michael De Luca

Simon Kinberg recently burst onto the scene with his script for XXX: State of the Union, and has since worked on comic-to-film adaptations for Elektra and Fantastic Four and penned the third film in the X-Men series, X-Men: The Last Stand. Kinberg's breakthrough hit, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, began as a script that he wrote in college and became one of the top grossing movies of 2005.

The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriter Jonathan Hensleigh

Dave Moldavon

Jonathan Hensleigh, Michael De Luca

After ditching his law career, Jonathan Hensleigh (Die Hard: with a Vengeance, Armageddon) went on to become a widely respected and successful action-adventure screenwriter. In this candid interview, he reveals his approach to his craft. With unwavering honesty, he talks about developing action series, discloses his real feelings on screenwriting classes and discusses how being an attorney has influenced his writing process.

The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriter Paul Attanasio

Paul Attanasio, Michael De Luca

Paul Attanasio's nuanced screenplays for Quiz Show and Donnie Brasco earned him Oscar nominations, and he recently wrote The Good German for Steven Soderbergh. In this intense dialogue, Attanasio describes how he transformed himself from "snotty" Washington Post film critic to master of adaptations for Oscar-winning directors Robert Redford, Barry Levinson, and Soderbergh.

The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriter Jeff Nathanson

Dave Moldavon

Michael De Luca, Jeff Nathanson

Jeff Nathanson is easily among the A-list of Hollywood screenwriters, His script for Catch Me If You Can earned him much critical praise, as well as the devotion of Steven Spielberg, who also brought him to work on his next movie, The Terminal. Nathanson has also collaborated with Jan de Bont on Twister and Speed 2: Cruise Control and with Brett Ratner on the Rush Hour films. In this interview, learn more about why he dreads pitching, never speaks during a notes meeting, and finds he can do almost all his research with the Internet and old Playboys.