ScriptHop

A night celebrating Hollywood’s rising screenwriters. We honored The Gauntlet, the spirit of filmmaking, and unveiled our first 9 Gauntlet Endorsed scripts. Congrats to our first slate of writers who victoriously passed all 3 Gauntlet levels. It’s an honor to share your work with the industry!

Theme is often the forgotten child when it comes to screenwriting craft. As screenwriters, we can get tangled up in the structural plot points, the crescendo of the climax, and the fullness of our characters. We forget that theme (a.k.a. “what the story is really about”) is one of the most important drivers of a good story. A quick tip if you're struggling to find the theme(s): watch the pivots your characters make at forked roads in your plot. This often spells out your theme like a Ouija board. Your theme can be as simple as a single word, like “love,” or as grand as a universal message, like "With great power comes great responsibility." Worried about being preachy? Theme or no theme, your story is only as preachy as your writing is.

Writing a screenplay is such a leap of faith. Every time you start one you have no idea if it’s going to be a work of genius, a mediocrity, or the dumbest thing ever created. But we plunge into it because we care.

Meet Gauntlet Reader Brandon Loureiro 🎥 Creative Executive Brandon Loureiro is a film and television executive who currently reads for Constantin Film and Con Ganas. He's read for Jonah Hill's Strong Baby Productions, Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate, DreamWorks Animation, and Fox.

When movies were shot on physical film, the film was measured in feet. This is why any recorded thing is now called ‘footage.'

Here's a bright idea: maybe we should just keep art in human hands and invest in human creativity. Our track record's pretty great thus far. RIP Sora, you won't be missed.

“You write one screenplay, and it’s probably terrible. Then you write a second screenplay, and it’s probably terrible. Then you write a third screenplay, and it’s not bad. Then, you take everything you’ve learned and go back and rewrite the first screenplay, and then keep going, and you’ll build a body of work that may start to sell.” - David Hayter (X-Men, Watchmen, Warrior Nun)

Long live the movies.

Winter’s officially over. Spring has arrived. Time to deep-clean your script. Step 1: Step away from it for a bit. Not forever. Step 2: Accept that writing is rewriting. Step 3: Start small (spelling) or big (plot holes, flat characters). Step 4: Rinse and repeat. You’ve got this. ✍️

There is one incontrovertible rule about a first draft and it is this: Get the damn thing done! #screenwriting

Meet Gauntlet Reader Su Fang Tham 🎥 Development Executive Her focus in evaluating material is first and foremost through the lens of an audience, having also read for Participant, Miramax Films, and Herrick Entertainment. She is also a freelance writer covering awards press with a focus on below-the-line filmmakers.

🚩 Doesn’t read scripts. ✅ Studies the classics.

Screenwriters, you needn't take our word for it. The Gauntlet has become screenwriters’ go-to place for detailed analysis of their scripts.

🍀 Sending your scripts and film/TV projects the best of luck today!

“Filmmaking is a collaborative art form. Find people you enjoy working with, because it makes it much easier… Find collaborators that can bring out the best in you and be honest with you, but that you also like working with.” -Ryan Coogler

Congratulations Paul Thomas Anderson!

Congratulations Ryan Coogler!

It’s Oscar Sunday! While everyone debates Best Picture, we wanted to take a moment to thank the backbone of the industry — screenwriters. Tonight, we’re celebrating not only the nominees but the writers drafting their first scripts, the writers who are knee-deep in revisions, every writer sending their script out to the industry hoping it’ll be the script that jumpstarts their career, the working writers, and everyone in between. Without you, nights like tonight simply wouldn’t exist.

It’s the Friday before the Oscars, and it just so happens to be the 13th. Do you have any screenwriting superstitions?

Meet Gauntlet Reader Tim Sullivan 🎥 Founder of Cosmic Arena Productions Tim is the founder of Cosmic Arena Productions, launched in 2023 following extensive experience producing over 30 feature films. Throughout his career, he has worked with filmmakers such as Stephen Frears, Peter Berg, Balthasar Kormakur, and Martin Scorsese on "Silence" and "The Irishman.”