Shanee Edwards

Shanee Edwards graduated from UCLA Film School with an MFA in Screenwriting and is currently the film critic for SheKnows.com. She recently won the Next MacGyver television writing competition to create a TV show about a female engineer. Her pilot, Ada and the Machine, is currently in development with America Ferrera's Take Fountain Productions. You can follow her on Twitter: @ShaneeEdwards

Posts by Shanee Edwards 176 results

Veep star Matt Walsh on writing and becoming an unlikely romantic lead in Under the Eiffel Tower

The new romantic comedy Under the Eiffel Tower is an indie romance that explores the rom com tropes you’re familiar with, but is part of a new wave of rom coms that look a lot different than the typical genre offerings. And honestly it’s a breath of fresh air. I chatted with lead actors Judith Godrèche and Matt Walsh about their experi...

February 15, 2019

From Cosby Show intern to Studio Movie Writer, the What Men Want Writer Tells Her Path to Success

It’s likely you remember the film What Women Want starring Mel Gibson back in 2000, about a man who can hear women’s private thoughts. That premise has been delightfully flipped for the new R-rated comedy What Men Want, written by Tina Gordan Chism (Drumline, Peeples and the upcoming movie Little) and Peter Huyck & Alex Gregory.

February 5, 2019

The Wife’s 14-Year Road from Hollywood to Europe and Back Again

Even if you haven’t seen the film The Wife starring Glenn Close, you probably know that Close is cleaning up this awards season having won both the Golden Globe and SAG Award for Best Actress. She’s also nominated for her seventh Oscar for playing Joan Castleman, a wife who must face her life choices when her husband Joe (Jonathan Pryce) is set to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. Soon, however, the question of who’s really the literary talent in the marriage begins to plague the long-married couple. Secrets, repressed emotions and anger all begin to bubble to the surface.

February 1, 2019

7 Ways to Get an Agent or Manager

Writers give it all on the page, but how can you get that work into the marketplace? You need representation. Here are seven ways to get an agent.

January 25, 2019

2019 is the Perfect Time to Try Writing in a New Film Genre

Entering into a new year is a great time to rededicate yourself to your screenwriting practice. If you just read that sentence and felt excited, great! But if you just read that sentence and felt an overwhelming sense of dread, maybe it’s time to try something new. How about a new genre?

January 16, 2019

The 3rd Annual National Screenwriters Day is Jan. 5!

“Film’s thought of as a director’s medium because the director creates the end product that appears on the screen. It’s that stupid auteur theory again, that the director is the author of the film. But what does the director shoot—the telephone book? Writers became much more important when sound came in, but they’ve had to put up a valiant fight to get the credit they deserve.” – Billy Wilder

January 5, 2019

‘On the Basis of Sex’ writer gets notes from his aunt, Ruth Bader Ginsburg

On the Basis of Sex is a biopic about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg written by first-time screenwriter Daniel Stiepleman. It’s pretty rare that the subject of a biopic will give notes to the screenwriter, but this case was special. Stiepleman is actually Ginsburg’s nephew. His mother is Ginsburg’s husband Marty’s sister, so I asked him what it like having a groundbreaking Justice in the family.

December 25, 2018

Aquaman writers use King Arthur legend as inspiration

I sat down with comic book writer Geoff Johns, who developed the story of Aquaman, along with screenwriters David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall to talk about bringing this story to life. The movie is visually lush, entertaining and full of surprises. It is a thrill-ride of an underwater fantasy lead by Jason Momoa as Arthur, who’s half land-dwelling human and half sea-loving Atlantean.

December 18, 2018

8 Reasons you need to read screenplays

We all love watching movies. A good film takes you on a journey of adventure and self-discovery. Watching and re-watching classic films like Taxi Driver, Casablanca, or Titanic is what inspired us to become screenwriters in the first place. If you write in a particular genre, it’s important to watch all the current and past films in your genre. It’s also good to read books about screenwriting or take classes. But the one thing many screenwriters tend to overlook is the importance of reading screenplays.

December 11, 2018

Why Mary Queen of Scots has historians freaking out

The new historical epic Mary Queen of Scots is written by Beau Willimon (creator of the American version of House of Cards) and is based on the 2004 biography Mary Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart by John Guy. Well, it’s mostly based on the biography by Guy. Willimon took a liberty with one simple scene and British historians are calling it “problematic.” I call it genius.

December 5, 2018

Shakespeare in Love turns 20: A look back at the 5 best scenes

It’s pretty difficult to believe that it’s been 20 years since Shakespeare in Love graced the cinema and reignited people’s passion for Shakespeare, the man often considered the greatest writer of all time. The film went on to win 7 Oscars, including Best Original Screenplay for Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, Best Actress for Gwyneth Paltrow, Best Supporting Actress for Judi Dench and Best Supporting Actor for Geoffrey Rush. John Madden was nominated for Best Director.

November 27, 2018

Remembering Screenwriting Legend William Goldman and His Quotes on Writing

The two-time Oscar-winning screenwriter, William Goldman, passed last Friday in New York after losing his fight with colon cancer and pneumonia. He was 87. Even if you don’t know Goldman’s name (though if you’re a screenwriter, it’s likely you do), you certainly know his films like Misery, inspired by the book by Stephen King, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid that starred Paul Newman and Robert Redford, and the Marathon Man, from Goldman’s own novel. Many people consider The Princess Bride, also based on his own book, a perfect, if not their favorite, film.

November 20, 2018