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Marla Sokoloff, widely recognized for her acting roles in 1990s television classics like Full House and Party of Five, has also carved a significant path as a writer and filmmaker. Recently, she wrote and starred in The Merry Gentlemen, a Netflix holiday film that premiered in November 2024. The story blends comedy and heartfelt moments, offering a fresh take on traditional Christmas movies. Marla's inspiration for the script was her love for family-centered holiday traditions, paired with a desire to infuse these themes with modern, humorous twists. Beyond acting and writing for The Merry Gentlemen, Marla has developed other projects, including Rosé All Day and Betrayed by Love. Her transition into writing and directing has been a natural evolution of her creative career, reflecting her ability to bring both a nostalgic and contemporary perspective to her work. Full Bio »
We’re back in the Writers’ Room for the Breakdown with Marla Sokoloff. We breakdown produced screenplays focusing on a different aspect of writing every webcast. Join us as Marla breaks down their script of THE MERRY GENTLEMEN.
The Breakdown
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Oscar-nominated POOR THINGS has been taking the award season hype by storm. Written by Tony McNamara and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, it is a bizarre wonder of a film starring Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo and Ramy Youssef. This film has captivated audiences and gotten the critics talking. Join us on Wednesday March 6 as our Stage 32 Executive Liaison Nick Phillips breaks down the script of POOR THINGS. We'll learn how this wacky weird movie has entered into pop culture and why the script works so brilliantly.
We're back in the Writers' Room for the Breakdown Webcast: Writing Character Introductions. This Breakdown topic comes from several writers who want to discuss the best ways to introduce characters within their feature and television scripts. So, we'll breaking down the scripts and clips from some of the most notable films and series to see how characters are introduced on the page - and on screen. We will also discuss tips on how you can introduce characters in a way that makes a great first impression - no matter if they are your protagonist, antagonists, or simply the goofy sidekick.
Flashbacks are not meant to be a storytelling crutch, but rather a tool used to reveal additional backstory or subvert the audiences expectation of a character or situation. We will examine Casablanca, The Usual Suspects & Casino Royale.
We’re back in the Writers’ Room for the Breakdown with Laurie Ashbourne. We breakdown produced screenplays focusing on a different aspect of writing every webcast. Join us as Laurie breaks down the script of MULAN.
We're back in the Writers Room this afternoon for The Breakdown Webcast Thunder Levin. Thunder Levin is a feature film and television writer/director. He is probably best known as the creator of the pop culture phenomenon “Sharknado” series of TV movies for Syfy Channel. He has written and directed four feature films: “Mutant Vampire Zombies From The ‘Hood!”, an independent horror/comedy starring C. Thomas Howell; “American Warships” a military action film starring Mario Van Peebles & Carl Weathers for the Syfy Channel; “AE Apocalypse Earth”, a science fiction film starring Adrian Paul & Richard Grieco; and “GeoDisaster” a disaster film released in 2017. He has written over a dozen produced feature films & TV movies, and collaborated on a videogame adaptation of the classic 90's TV series “Xena: Warrior Princess” for Universal’s “Series” mobile app. He is developing several TV series, feature film projects, and a comic book series. He’s a lifelong sailor and car enthusiast who’s recently taken up motorcycle riding and is at work on his first novel. Yes, that’s his real name.
As we enter the final month of 2021, it seems appropriate that we breakdown the final of the three acts. The Third Act can make or break your story. During this webcast we will use clips and scripts from your favorites to uncover what makes a 3rd Act work.