Tom Cruise fans seeking an onramp for a highway to the danger zone, you’re in luck: the Top Gun 2 video game has hit the iTunes store! The arcade-style shooting game – released as an app on August 19 by Paramount – continues the exploits of “Maverick” through dogfighting missions on your iPhone or iPod touch.

Based on the classic Tom Cruise movie, Top Gun 2 brings you the excitement of naval aviation in a combat zone wherever you can take your phone or mp3 player. Gamers who are looking for a shoot-em-up fix on the go will find satisfaction with these mobile missions. The game is ready to go in the App Store for any iPhone or iPod Touch running iOS 4.0 or later.

This is the kind of mobile game that dedicated gamers can’t put down. Just be careful to at least look up once in a while to let people around you know you’re still trying to pay attention

The release of the second edition in the Top Gun video game franchise comes on the heels of the original game hitting the PlayStation Network a few weeks further back. The first flying missions are waiting for our home gamers looking for excitement on solo missions, against a friend, or even against folks online! Fire up the F-14 for action around the world.

If you’re new to the Top Gun game series, you may also want to check out the original game for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Get introduced to the world of “Maverick,” “Goose,” and “Viper” through this first version of the game.

Are you a dedicated gamer? A movie fan? Both!? Let us know all about it in the comments section below.

You can also keep up with other movie and Tom Cruise fans at any hour on our official TomCruise.com Facebook page and Twitter feed. You know we love hearing from all of you!

Hi Everyone! As movie fans, rapid changes in technology have dramatically changed the way we watch films. Whether in theaters or on your television, how you get to watch your favorite stars like Tom Cruise has gotten easier and more awesome.

With that in mind, the team here at TomCruise.com wondered what you think about some of these new devices. With the announcement yesterday from Apple about their Apple TV box, there’s a new challenger to the home entertainment throne. But don’t count out Google. With the Google TV device in partnership with Logitech, there’s something to be said for their entry into film and television watching!

Let us know what you think in the poll below:

Both the Apple and Google TV devices seem to deliver an incredible experience to movie fans looking for access to the world of cinema from their televisions at home. Whichever your prefer, it looks like the real winner is the film fanatic!

For those not familiar with either of these exciting technologies, you can check out the video below to get acquainted:

Are you going to pick up one of these devices for watching movies at home? Any reason why? Let us know in the comments section!

Among the wild thrills strewn throughout the non-stop action in Knight and Day, the wildest could easily be the signature motorcycle chase through the sizzling streets of Seville, Spain. While a huge part of the scene was the prowess of star Tom Cruise piloting the supped-up Ducati road bike, credit needs to go to the visual effects artists who help ratchet up the action to a fever pitch.

The centerpiece of the chase sequence includes a crowd of charging bulls running through the street and nearly knocking both Tom and his courageous co-star, Cameron Diaz, off the motorcycle. Here’s where the visual effects come to play. While the star really did ride the red Ducati through a crowd of bulls, that herd was thickened up through the use of computer graphics.

In an article from FX Guide, it’s revealed how the charging beasts were magically inserted into the shot. The first piece for any visual effects is obviously the principal photography. The scenes are shot with the appropriate space and green screens to seamlessly insert the computer generated action later. In the case of Knight and Day, the action was heightened with the amount of stunt work Tom Can Cameron were able to do prior to visual effects. Doing the stunts live, or “in the camera,” helps the visual effects crew make the action seem even more intense. When there’s already real action in the scene, adding to it through visual effects just cranks it up a notch.

During the shooting schedule for Knight and Day, visual effects directors from two different production houses set up cameras in bull rings to capture the motion of the animals. Unlike actors, these wild creatures wanted nothing to do with motion capture suits! By triangulating cameras on each bull, the artists were able painstakingly record the manner in which each animal moved. They then used this info to produce vignettes of movement that would be animated throughout the chase scene shots.

Heading into the visual design studio, effects artists take these vignettes to start building the motion for the animals. The studio, Rhythm & Hues, then built the bulls from the ground up! Starting literally with the bones of the charging bovine beasts, the artists digitally painted the muscles, fur and, even, mud on the fur. Now that’s detail you can feel!

Combining the previous motion capture with the crafted creatures, the effects artists then overlaid the bulls into the scene in the space allowed in the original shot. The magic comes together in the final print, with color, shadows, shading and a million other details triple-checked and corrected. It’s all part of the effort that went into making Knight and Day the most fun action movie of the summer.

You can catch glimpses of some of these scenes in the international trailer, below:

What did you think of the visual effects in Knight and Day? Which of the scenes were your favorite? Could you even tell the effects were there!? Let us know in the comments section, or by staying in touch through the Twitter and Facebook pages.

Like many of Tom Cruise’s collaborators from the movie Knight and Day, Paul Dano has stayed remarkably busy with projects all summer. The latest film tackled by Dano, seen in the beautiful trailer above, is The Extra Man. Dano stars in the new romantic drama alongside famed actor Kevin Kline. The movie hit theaters on July 30th, and is now available through on demand services, satellite television providers, gaming networks and online services like Amazon and Vudu.

The story of The Extra Man centers around Louis Ives (Dano) setting about carving out a new life in New York City after an embarrassing exit from work at a prestigious boarding school. Dano’s character finds unconventional living arrangements, renting a room in the rundown apartment of Henry Harrison (Kline), a deeply strange and profound playwright. Henry guides Louis through a series of adventures in the city – including encounters with hugely hairy and jealous neighbor (played by John C. Reilly) and in the wooing of a co-worker (played by Katie Holmes).

The Extra Man of the title is also a funny reference to the work Kline’s character finds as an social companion to wealthy widows on society events. Everything about this story is a quirky appeal to life in one of the world’s most interesting cities. Through these misadventures, both Louis and Henry overcome their initial divide to become lasting friends.

More after the jump.

Directors of The Extra Man, Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini previously found success in the critically-acclaimed biopic/documentary American Splendor, about the life of the late comic book writer Havery Pekar. The movie was written by Jonathan Ames, the novelist and screenwriter also responsible for the HBO series Bored to Death. In addition to the plaudits Dano’s earned from critics in movies like Little Miss Sunshine and There Will Be Blood, this is a pretty well-respected crowd.

Dano spoke with the Independent Film Channel in an interview about his work on The Extra Man, and how he enjoyed the more conventional mentorship of Kline aside from the behavior of his eccentric character.

“I liked getting to work with Kevin, and we remain buddies. He’s a hilarious dude and a great actor. He’s somebody I can easily go to and say, ‘Hey, man, what do you think about this?’”

For fans of Knight and Day looking to explore the quirk of Dano’s acting a little more deeply, this is the movie for you. Check out this talented actor alongside a team of equally impressive stars in this off-beat film.

Are you gonna see Paul in The Extra Man? Are you a fan of quirky movies in general? Let us know in the comments section below.

And for all the movie and Tom Cruise fans looking to stay in touch, visit the official pages at Facebook and Twitter to keep the conversation going with the team from TomCruise.com and other fans throughout the world.

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In the first part of our guide for screenwriters, the team here at TomCruise.com gathered screenwriting resources on and off the web for writers looking to create big screen magic. However, there exists an entirely separate world for screenwriters outside of the confines of feature films: writing for the world of television. Television has always been a writers’ medium. Most of the series people love to watch were created and produced by screenwriters. For example, Tom Cruise collaborator J.J. Abrams (in the photo above right), found fame prior to his work on the Mission Impossible films as the creator and writer for the hit shows LOST and Alias. Folks Like Abrams have the imagination and persistence to keep the stories coming!

Emerging screenwriters and television fans, you can break into the industry with your imaginative script or teleplay. Below are a listing of some of the resources available to the promising television writer, including contests to enter, books on writing teleplays, fellowships from television networks specifically for writers, and some colleges that have produced writing training for the small screen. Combine these resources with the original post on writing screenplays for feature length cinema, and you’ll be on your way to telling your story for television watchers throughout the world!

With all the great feedback we’ve gotten from our aspiring fans on both the cinema writing post and the filmmakers guide, we believe the next great television writer and producer has to be out there too. If anyone can make it happen, it’s the television and movie fans coming to the site.

Take a look below at the info the team at TomCruise.com has rounded up aimed specifically to getting television writers scripts ready to be produced and put on the air!

CONTESTS

As with filmmaking and writing for the big screen, entering a speculative (spec) script in a contest is a quick way to get feedback from script readers – and possibly win acclaim or money for your hard work! Often times these contests are judged by industry professionals who may take your winning writing from obscurity to fame as a produced network television show. The only way to find out is in the writing and placement of a script to some of these competitions.

We’ve gathered some of the more well-known competitions here, typically in conjunction with film festivals throughout the country. While some of these festivals revolve around feature-length cinema, they also have impressive competitions for teleplays which have led to production deals for many writers.

The New York Television Festival provides one of the most high-profile opportunities for undiscovered writers looking to break into television production. The festival hosts the FOX Comedy Script Contest, which not only awards the winning entry with a $25,000 cash prize, but also a development deal with the FOX Broadcasting Company! That’s a pretty sweet deal for any writer moving forward with just a spec script in hand. While money is great, the real winners are those able to get their foot in the door and have their stories produced.

Just as it’s a premiere competition for unsigned feature-length screenplays, the Slamdance Film Festival offers a opportunity for television writers to gain notice of industry professionals, along with the opportunity for $7,000 in prizes! The television writing portion of the contest is broken down into either one-hour dramatic scripts (about 60 pages) in a five or six-act structure, or a half-hour comedy script in three acts. Competitors have the opportunity to take $2,000 for winning the teleplay category, with another $5,000 for the grand prize (competing against the winners for the feature and horror/thriller categories).

Again, while famed for introducing talent into the world of feature filmmaking with the Young Filmmakers Program, the Austin Film Festival Screenplay Contest also caters the competition to include television writers submitting spec scripts based on current television programs. Like Slamdance, the television writing portion is divided into comedy and drama categories, with $1,000 prizes awarded to both. Like the above contests, the cash is only a small consideration in comparison to the network contacts made at the festival – which is populated with judges like Matthew Weiner, creator and head writer of the multiple Emmy-winning series, Mad Men.

BLOGS

Heading to the Internet for inspiration or instruction can be a great resource, but can quickly devolve into a frustrating search for worthwhile advice. Below are a couple blogs the team at TomCruise.com found that may provide some insight on the art and mechanics of writing for television from industry veterans. Through these free outlets, you can take in some of the lessons writers and producers have learned from years in the writers rooms at various shows and series.

One such blog that gives aspiring writers the insider’s look at television writing is seasoned writer/executive producer Jane Espenson’s blog, Jane in Progress. Most recently an executive producer and writer for the SiFy Channel series, Caprica, Espenson brings over 15 years of pro experience to her writing from work on series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the critically-lauded remake of Battlestar Galactica, along with popular teen dramas like The O.C. and Gilmore Girls. Espenson breaks down everything from politics in the writers room to the actual path an idea makes to becoming a produced script under the pressures of a production schedule on a real television series. Writer get the unvarnished truth about the business to prepare for these exciting challenges!

Television and screenwriter Alex Epstein also provides canny insight to the realities of crafting compelling television through his blog, Complications Ensue. A creator and head writer of the USA  Network series, Naked Josh, Epstein also brings years of writing credibility to his blog. Even more interesting, Epstein worked as a development executive in Los Angeles prior to setting out as a writer; bringing the perspective of the business side of the business to his advice.

BOOKS & ONLINE TEXT

As with screenwriting for features in cinema, there are a number of great resources on television writing to be found either in a local bookstore, library or online. These texts can offer a primer on the structure of teleplays for both dramatic and comedic scripts, breaking down plots and how storylines are woven throughout the life of a television season or – in some cases – through the very end of a series. Understanding these fundamentals helps emerging writers craft spec scripts polished enough to be taken seriously in meetings with potential agents, network executives and producers.

One such book to give aspiring television screenwriters a start is The TV Writers Workbook: A Creative Approach to Television Scripts by Ellen Sandler. Sandler, an Emmy-nominated writer from hit comedy shows like Everybody Loves Raymond, offers a hand-on guide to navigating the business of writing for television. The book moves from the basics of television scripting to writing a polished spec script, to pitching that script to agents and showrunners to finding a position as a staff writer.

In his book, Inside the TV Writer’s Room: Practical Advice for Succeeding in Television, Lawrence Meyers interviews some of the top writers on episodic television series like Law and Order: Special Victim’s Unit, CSI: New York and Heroes. Through this inside look with some of the industry’s top talent, aspiring writers can see the kind of decision making that goes into writing a produced script. Furthermore, writers can get insight into the philosophy of these writers to find out how they create stories that consistently resonate with viewers.

Possibly the easiest source for free information, the Writers Guild of America hands out valuable texts on the business and structure of writing for television. While not necessarily a manual for the artistic concerns of teleplay writing, the WGA Writing for Episodic TV Outline gives the beginning scribe information on the hierarchy of the writer’s room, along with the steps one needs to make to become a head writer/executive producer/showrunner on their very own television series! That’s the kind of information most starting off in the business are looking to get, and it’s available free of charge.

TELEVISION WRITING FELLOWSHIPS

Once a starting writer has made it to the point of writing a polished script, they may find further help in the way of a fellowship with a television network en route to a job as a staff writer on a network series. Essentially on-the-job training or a nicely appointed internship, these fellowships pair writers with writing veterans and pay a stipend, salary or cash award. During the fellowship, writers work on actual scripts and are able to pitch ideas for production.

One of the most highly-sought fellowships in the industry, the Disney/ABC Writing Program gives writers access to the key executives and producers at both networks. Developed with the Writers Guild of America, West, this Los Angeles-based fellowship pays $50,000 for that year with medical benefits! Basically, the selected writer comes on board with the company. In order to enter, applicants provide the network with spec scripts for review, routed through a nine-month application process ending with finalists interviewing a panel of network executives. No sweat, right!

Another highly-sought fellowship and training program comes from the Nickelodeon children’s television network through their Nickelodeon Writing Fellowship. Available to writers seeking to work on both animated and live-action series, this fellowship trains the next generation of scribblers the essentials of creating fantastic, responsible entertainment for children. Applications for the program are based on a half-hour comedy spec script for a network television program currently on the air.

SCHOOLS

As with writing for the big screen, writers come from a variety of educational backgrounds and from a range of different colleges or university. However, there is one school that has a very strong presence in the world of comedy writing through a connection to a student humor magazine. That school’s name rhymes with Shmarvard.

Regardless of the school, what most writers have in common is a serious love of stories, a well-rounded education in the humanities and, typically, a literary bend to their lives. That’s not saying you need all those things to write a killer teleplay, but it doesn’t hurt.

• Harvard – Conan O’Brien (Emmy – Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program: Saturday Night Live, Late Night With Conan O’Brien), Greg Daniels (Emmy – Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program, Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons, Creator, King of the Hill, Park & Recreation, Executive Producer, The Office), B. J. Novak (Writer/Executive Producer – The Office), Bill Oakley (Writer/Executive Producer – The Simpsons), Steve O’Donnell (Late Night with David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live)
• USC – Judd Apatow (Creator/Executive Producer – Freaks & Geeks, Undeclared), Josh Schwartz (Creator/Executive Producer – The O.C.)

And that’s a wrap for our television writing guide! All your aspiring writers, we’re looking to see great things from you in the months and years to come as you make headway with your stories.

Keep in touch with the team here at TomCruise.com through the comments section below, or through our channels on Facebook and Twitter. A special hello and thanks to all the followers from Twitter making it to the blog through the #aspiring2actwritedirect list. You are all awesome!

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Actors like Tom Cruise bring characters to life on the silver screen with intensity, dedication and creativity, but the magic always begins with the story. Screenwriters, the folks who develop stories into the screenplays and scripts that take our imaginations to new heights, are the source for all the great movies and films we as fans enjoy. It’s no wonder thousands of folks from around the world aspire to write their own screenplay or teleplay and get their story into theaters or on television. Tom himself participates in the writing process – having written the story for his latest movie, Mission Impossible 4, with producer J.J. Abrams (seen in the above photo on the right), and for one of his classics, Days of Thunder.

With so many people looking to have their voice heard in both the film and television industries, the competition to take a story from idea to script to production is a competitive one. Seriously competitive. However, it’s totally possible to live the dream as a successful screenwriter or television writer. All you need is some good ideas, an understanding of how a story is told, and the fortitude to work at your script. With hard work and persistence, you too can have your script make it to the big or small screen! If anyone can do it, we know it’s the ultimate movie fans reading here right now.

So, in the spirit of our guide for filmmakers, the team at TomCruise.com gathered resources for the aspiring screenwriter! Here you can find a wealth of information to get started on the road to making your screenplay a finished work of art ready for the silver screen. In this post you can find resources for screenwriters including books, magazines, contests, festivals, fellowships and schools.

While similar, writing for film and television were different enough that we’ve separated the resources for screen and television writers into two posts! We start today with screenwriting for cinema, and will move onto writing for television for our next post. For those aspiring for a career in either medium, you’re in luck! We have you covered on all fronts. Writers looking to break into TV, stay tuned for part 2!

The story. It’s the most important part of any movie or television series. It’s where all the other great performances and art springs from. It’s what captivates audiences and keeps people the world over hungry for more! We’re sure with these tools, you can make your story the one that people come back to see again and again.

Take a look below and explore the many resources we’ve made available for the budding screen scribes! With some help, we know your creations will be up on the marquee of theaters soon.

SCREENWRITING

The art and science of writing a screenplay for a feature film is something that comes easy to a select few, but normally requires a ton of dedication to master. Thankfully, there’s a ton of resources through books, fellowships and schooling that can guide the budding wordsmith from newbie to screenwriting expert! From the arc of conflict in a script to writing natural dialogue to how a script should be formatted, you can find virtually everything you need to know through the information below. All you need to supply is the irresistible story, and you’re on your way!

BOOKS & MAGAZINES

Most good writers, screenwriters included, will need to also be good readers. There are a wealth of resources for screenwriters in books and manuals to give an overview of how to become a good visual and cinematic storyteller. We’ve collected some of the most authoritative manuals  used consistently as by screenwriters ranging from the most seasoned to the greenest rookies.

Considered among the sacred texts of aspiring screenwriters,  Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting; A Step-By-Step Guide from Concept to Finished Script by Syd Field is certainly a must read for anyone looking to write a screenplay the film community will take seriously. Considered a “guru” of screenwriters, the book teaches script fundamentals such as the three-act structure, the language of visual storytelling, how to work in collaboration, and what to do after your script is complete to get it sold. Basically, it’s one of the best places to start to know the language of screenwriting and start your journey. Field teaches screenwriting at some of the schools we’ll discuss later, like USC and Harvard.

Another “guru” of screenwriting, Robert McKee’s Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting is also considered a necessary textbook for the aspiring screenwriter. Also a USC professor, McKee mentored 26 Academy Award winning and 126 Emmy winning writers through his world famous writers Story Seminar. His book distills the principles of the seminar down to a manual for aspiring writers to follow. He emphasizes the shaping of story, character development and the arc of conflict and resolution first popularized in ancient Greece by Aristotle! Now that’s authoratative

McKee appears in popular culture through a depiction of his seminar in the Spike Jonze film, Adaptation.

Billed as a “five-in-one” guide to writing a sellable script,  The Screenwriter’s Bible: A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script by David Trottier earned praise from readers looking for a no-nonsense practical guide to getting a script purchased for production. The five elements the book looks to cover includes a screenwriting guide, a script workbook, a formatting guide based on industry standards, a guide to writing speculative (spec) scripts for television, a marketing guide to get a script noticed in the modern filmmaking community and, finally, an index of resources and contacts. That sounds pretty exhaustive!

One of the major obstacles in the studio system to getting a script to the next level is getting through the first gatekeeper at an agency or production company: the dreaded script-reader. Thankfully experienced professional script reader Jennifer Lerch wrote 500 Ways to Beat the Hollywood Script Reader: Writing the Screenplay the Reader Will Recommend. This resource is to guide your script past the initial, and steep, barrier to entry before moving on to producers and agents for real consideration to be made.

Another book from a scriptwriting master, Save the Cat! The Last Book On Screenwriting That You’ll Ever Need! by the late Blake Snyder has inspired a small legion of screenwriters since it’s publication in 2005. Recommended by commenter Tom Bennett (@twbennett), this tome puts great emphasis on the structure of a screenplay through the use of a granular “beat sheet” or outline. It is currently the top-rated book on screenplays for Amazon.com. Prior to passing away in 2009, Snyder taught at UCLA, Chapman University, and Vanderbilt University.

Also on recommendation from Tom Bennett, the examination of character archetypes in 45 Master Characters: Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters by Victoria Schmidt is also a newer but widely popular resource for storytellers. While not specifically meant for screenwriters, 45 Master Characters provides a background to classic character tropes screenwriters may use as raw material to build believable scripts. By examining the ancient foundation of character development, Schmidt gives screenwriters aprimer on how to build depth into their screenplays.

An industry standard periodical, Script Magazine is a good resource for news about script writing, learning about film industry contacts and keeping up with trends in production. For any writer looking to make Hollywood their career, it naturally makes sense to keep informed of what the screenwriting community is up to!

Another hugely influential periodical for screenwriters both aspiring and working in the industry is the monthly, Creative Screenwriting. Called the “best screenwriting magazine” by the Los Angeles Times, Creative Screenwriting offers up  interviews with top screenwriters as well as a bevy of tips, advice and ways to contact folks in the industry. The magazine also hosts a Screenwriting Expo, with over 100 educational panels, and the AAA Screenwriting Contest with a $10,000 cash grand prize! Another popular feature is the magazine’s podcast, featuring talks with veteran writers such as Mike Mills, Mark Frost, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and David Elliot.

BLOGS

While books and periodicals are obvious starting points, staying up to date through daily advice from experienced screenwriters on their blogs is another resource to consider while developing your story. These blogs not only dispense helpful advice, tips and ways to avoid traps, but also have giant indexes of links to other online resources for the nascent screenwriter to explore.

The most authoritative voice regarding screenwriting in the blogosphere has to be John August’s blog. A veteran screenwriter with credits including Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Big Fish, August has compiled an extensive archive of advice about the art of the screenplay since launching the site in 2003. A graduate of the Peter Stark School at USC, August includes articles on the basics of screenwriting, how to navigate the studio system in Hollywood, and financial concerns of writers.

For a more off-beat look at writing, the Screenwriting from Iowa blog provides screenwriters with a slightly removed take from the Hollywood norm. Scott Smith blogs about how people outside of Los Angeles can have their stories told and sold for production in TinselTown. It’s inspiring for those of us around the world who aspire to Hollywood magic without having to live in Hollywood itself.

ONLINE RESOURCES

Some other key resources for filmmakers exist on the Internet, while not in blog or publication form. Chief among these comes from one of our authors of screenwriting guides.

The resources page at Robert McKee’s website provides an astonishing wealth of information for the aspiring screenwriter looking to research the craft and art of the screenplay on the Web. With links to dozens of sites covering the gamut of screenwriting questions and needs, the would-be writer can be well on their way to learning the fundamentals of producing a polished script.

CONTESTS

Once you’ve written a script, how do you get agencies and production studios to read it? One of the major routes for the striving screenwriters to propel their unsigned script to cinema stardom would have to be the competitions and contests at film festivals and online. Here’s a list of some of the more reputable and major competitions that can earn your completed script the notice it needs to get greenlit for production!

The Slamdance Film Festival runs in conjunction with it’s more famous cousin, the Sundance Film Festival, in Park City, Utah. While not as prestigious as Sundance, the Slamdance festival for years has piggy-backed on the success of the larger fest to earn independent screenwriters and filmmakers acclaim not normally found at a smaller festival. One of the major components of Slamdance is the screenwriting contest, which stays open not only for feature-length (90 minutes or more) scripts, but also for shorts, television scripts, and genre scripts like horror or comedy.

As we noted in the earlier post for filmmakers and directors, the Austin Film Festival is a major resource for upcoming cineastes. In addition to the directing prizes in the Young Filmmakers Program, the festival hosts a well-known screenplay contest. With huge resources put forward to launching the careers of young filmmakers, this festival is one of the premiere venues in the country for the passionate writer looking to strike out on a life in cinema!

For screenwriters on the East Coast, the Gotham Screen Film Festival Screenplay Contest also provides an open forum for those looking for a break into the filmmaking game. With a specialty in the cutting edge and genre cinema, the lovers of the darker subject matter are open to vie for a $2,500 prize. In addition, all finalist have the opportunity for an excerpt of their work to be performed by live actors at the festival!

As we also wrote in the filmmakers post for directors, the American Zoetrope Screenplay Contest judged by famed film director Francis Ford Copolla is among the most prestigious screenwriting contests in the country. Known for hosting filmmakers with an independent streak and literary bend, Zoetrope gave birth to independent classics such as The Conversation and Apocalypse Now. The contest includes a membership to the Zoetrope Digital Studio, which helps screenwriters through workshops and critiques of writing to make scripts stronger.

SCREENWRITING FELLOWSHIPS

For more advanced screenwriters, taking the step to gaining a fellowship can boost a a passion for writing from hobby to career. These awards typically include a substantial cash prize to finance further writing, contacts in the industry, and often the opportunity to move a speculative script into production.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the people behind the Academy Awards!) offers such a fellowship for screenwriters looking to take their career to the next level. The Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting are given up to five writers each year, including a $30,000 prize for writers who have earned less than $5,000 previously for screenwriting work.

SCHOOLS

Screenwriting is blessedly the one aspect of filmmaking that doesn’t necessarily require skills specific to the job. Successful screenwriters come from remarkably varied educational backgrounds. The most important aspect is the ability to see or tell a story in a manner both familiar and fresh. That’s the magic!

However, most screenwriters typically have an education and life experience to draw from in order to find these stories. And some schools with strong traditions of excellence in the cinematic arts have produced more successful writers with award-winning screenplays than others. Below is a short list of some of these schools with their most recognizable alumni attached. Those who have collaborated with Tom Cruise will be bolded on the list. All awards listed are for original screenplays, with nominations designated with (N):

• New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts – Woody Allen (Oscar – Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters, Nominated 14 times!) Charlie Kaufman (Oscar – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Michael Arndt (Oscar – Little Miss Sunshine), Bruce Joel Rubin (Oscar – Ghost), Joel Coen (Oscar – Fargo), Tamara Jenkins (Oscar (N) – The Savages)
• California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) – Brad Bird (Oscar (N) – Ratatouille, The Incredibles)
• University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Theater, Film and Television – Dustin Lance Black (Oscar – Milk), Alessandro Camon (Oscar (N) – The Messenger), Oren Moverman (Oscar (N) – The Messenger), Ben Stiller (Tropic Thunder), David Koepp (War of the Worlds)
• University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinematic Arts – Grant Heslov (Oscar (N) – Good Night, and Good Luck), Judd Apatow (The 40 Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up), Will Farrell (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy, Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby), Ron Howard (Far and Away)
• Harvard University –  Matt Damon (Oscar – Good Will Hunting), Terrence Malick (Oscar (N) – The Thin Red Line), Whit Stillman (Oscar (N) – Metropolitan)

There you have it screenwriting hopefuls! Using the resources above, you should be able to start your march to crafting a compelling and captivating screenplay. Not only that, but get it sold and produced for all the world to enjoy! We can’t wait to see you do it.

Remember to stay tuned for the second part of the screenwriters posts, with specific resources for the writers looking to break into the world of television. It promises to be a good one!

Tom Cruise and film aficionados can follow the conversation day and night on our Facebook and Twitter pages. We always look forward to hearing from you!

Seemingly ripped straight from the scenes of the Tom Cruise movie Minority Report, new technology from Oblong Industries promises to deliver what science fiction fans have dreamt of for years – a way to interact with computers through gestures alone! The new system – known as the G-Speak - works almost exactly like the giant projected displays Tom used in Minority Reportto track down would-be murderers based on the info provided by a clairvoyant dreamer played by Samantha Morton. It’s no surprise, as the technology blog GearLog reports one of Oblong’s founders was a technical advisor on the Steven Spielberg film!

Now that’s life imitating art! The real life version of the G-Speak - designed by former MIT scientists – even uses the special gloves Tom donned in the film to interact with all kinds of awesome visual information. This user interface is different from nearly all others on the market as it doesn’t require a user to touch anything at all. You would basically be ‘conducting’ the info on the screens all around you!

For fans of Tom’s with less tech knowledge, here’s a quick breakdown about interfaces. A user interface is basically any means a person employs to use a computer. Traditional user interfaces include your trusty keyboard and mouse. There have been some specialty interfaces throughout the years that caught on with specific users. Think graphics tablets and pens for designers.

Some older interfaces seemed like good ideas, but in practical use fell short and wound up in the garbage can of history. Nintendo basically cornered the market on these novelty interfaces, including the forerunner to gesture technology with the Power Glove, their slow-moving R.O.B. the Robot and the ‘3-D’ experience of the Virtual Boy. But don’t be too hard on Nintendo, all these stepping stones led to possibly the most successful new interface in years with the Wii

Some of the new touchscreen and touchpad interfaces for phones and laptops have expanded the world of interfaces beyond computers or video games. Some of the magic of the newest devices comes from these interfaces making information easier to access, consume and use.

However, the G-Speak technology moves past touching a screen altogether! It comes closest as the folks at GearLog put it, to “providing a true TCIMRE (Tom Cruise in Minority Report Experience).”

What do you think about more Minority Report technology making it into real life? Would you ditch your mouse and keyboard for it? Does a touchscreen phone still look awesome in comparison!? Let us know in the comments section below.

If you want to chat with the team at TomCruise.com about technology or anything else on your mind, feel free to catch up with us on the official Facebook and Twitter pages. It’s your source for the latest Tom Cruise news or a place to just hang out with other movie fans. We love hearing from you and look forward to keeping the conversation going

In Knight and Day, Tom Cruise enjoyed the good fortune of working with co-star Viola Davis – an actress of exceptional talent and intensity who has stood out in supporting roles over the last 10 years. Currently co-starring in the new romantic drama, Eat, Pray, Love alongside Julia Roberts, Davis adds another memorable performance to an already noteworthy resume.

In a new regular feature here at TomCruise.com, the Creative Collaborators Series, we’ll give fans insight into the profiles of Tom’s collaborators throughout his career, starting with Davis. Stay on the lookout about once a week for features of other brilliant actors, writers and directors Tom has created movie magic with.

Davis has made a career out of intense dramatic roles supporting some of Hollywood’s most prominent actors. Her work in Knight and Day as Director George – head of the agency Tom’s character is running from – carries the kind of dramatic gravity she’s best known for. Using the power of her serious glare and smoky voice, she convincingly owns her scenes throughout the James Mangold directed action comedy.

However, in Eat, Pray, Love, Davis takes a departure from her typically severe characters – trading more along the softer, feminine qualities as a new mother and close friend of the character played by Julia Roberts. Nonetheless, Davis is powerful in whatever role she plays, with the Eat, Pray, Love reviews calling out the stamp she puts on the character from the ease of changing a diaper to calmly giving a friend clear-eyed relationship and professional advice. Davis exudes strength through these seemingly regular actions, giving her character depth.

You can check out a small piece of her performance in the trailer for Eat, Pray, Love below:

It was the same strength of gesture and physical performance on the stage that earned Viola Davis a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play this year. Playing opposite Denzel Washington in the August Wilson play, Fences, Davis exuded depth in the role as Rose Maxson. Her subdued intensity is noted by reviewers as the crux of the performance: “Ms. Davis draws extraordinary power from that reticence; you never feel that Rose is any less deep than her husband.” It marks the second Tony for Viola, the first coming in 2001 for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play as Tonya in Wilson’s play King Hedley II.

Despite the strength of these stage and screen roles, Davis’ most famous performance could arguably be the one she showed the most vulnerability in. Her work in the 2008 film Doubt earned Viola an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Davis’ character, Mrs. Miller, struggles with pressure from co-star Meryl Streep to report an abusive priest. Uncertain and timid, she uses body language and halting speech to produce a moving portrait of a fearful mother.

All of these indelible performances by Davis stem from determined training early in her life – first at Rhode Island College and then four years at the celebrated Juilliard School. She refined her skills to the point of earning her first film role for director Steven Soderbergh in his 1996 film Out of Sight, with George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez. Davis’ collaboration with Soderbergh continued into the directors’ more cerebral films, such as Traffic in 2000 and Solaris (again with Clooney) in 2002. She also enjoyed success on the small screen, landing recurring dramatic roles on the television series The United States of Tara and Traveler in 2007 and 2009 respectively.

An amazing career thus far for a Tom Cruise co-star! We look forward to the new projects Viola has in the works, including the upcoming release of It’s King of a Funny Story in October. A busy year for a great actor.

What’s your favorite character or movie Viola Davis has been in? What about any other actors Tom Cruise has worked with? Let us know in the comments section!

Remember to keep in touch through the Facebook page and Twitter stream whenever you’d like to give us a shout. We love hearing from all of you!

Running across a prop reportedly used by an actor like Tom Cruise may feel like a shot at one-of-a-kind piece of movie memorabilia. Imagine a collectible such as the iconic pool cue Tom used in The Color of Money directed by Martin Scorsese popping up in an auction. The mere thought is enough to get the hearts of authentic memorabilia collectors or billiard enthusiasts racing.

This week such an auction was reported on the online auction site, eBay. For a substantial investment – $50,000 – the supposedly legitimate cue stick wielded by Tom in his epic confrontation with Paul Newman could be in the hands of a lucky fan.

One problem: the prop was a fake. A fraud. A fugazi.

The auction was rightfully taken down following complaints about the authenticity of the suspicious cue. What movie fans can learn from situations like this is how to spot these fakers before losing out on serious money for worthless merchandise. Here’s a short guide on steps to help safeguard purchases of movie memorabilia.

• Certificate of Authenticity (COA) – One of the easiest ways cinema fans can verify the memorabilia they’re getting is the authentic is through a COA, also known as a Letter of Authenticity (LOA). Any reputable collectibles dealer will make a certificate available to an interested buyer, along with a carefully researched back-story or pedigree of the item. This should include a chain of ownership leading back to the original production studio and often will include a signature from a prop manager. In the case of Tom’s fake cue from The Color of Money, the seller gives a vague promise of a notarized letter in a different location verifying the authenticity of the prop. The description goes on to swear the pool cue is legitimate. Not the kind of promise someone would want to risk the kind of money you could use to buy a car or three with.
• Expert Opinion – While a COA is good, having it backed up by an outside expert is even better. Companies exist specifically to research the authenticity of memorabilia of all kinds. These experts are especially helpful when verifying movie stars’ autographs, which is a science all its own. This kind of assurance from a third-party adds a deeper layer of trust to a purchase.
• Photos – Legitimate movie memorabilia is likely to be featured in still photos from a movie production. Potential buyers should scrutinize photos in comparison to the item, attempting to find marks or flaws from the photo that show in what is being sold. Look for scarring, wear or unique marks that correspond with the action in the movie. Remember, over the course of multiple takes for a scene, there will inevitably be wear on props. Back to Tom’s pool cue, the reporter discuses his purchase of a cue used by Paul Newman in the film authenticated by these means. The moment Newman struck the cue against a lamp over a billiards table, a visible mark was left and found in the right place at the time of purchase.
• Tags – Some of the most popular movie memorabilia comes from the wardrobe department. Thankfully, many wardrobe managers will mark the tags on the interior of costumes with actors’ names, initials or measurements. These identifiers can easily be used to establish a first level of authenticity for an iconic item worn by your a silver screen star.

When talking about making an investment in a small piece of movie magic from your favorite film, making sure you’re getting the real thing is paramount. With a little research, a COA and maybe an outside opinion on a purchase, you can be assured your slice of Hollywood isn’t just make believe.

What piece of memorabilia or collectible would you like to have from a Tom Cruise film? Or any film for that matter! Let us know in the comments section, or keep the conversation going on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Cheers!

Anyone familiar with Tom Cruise should know about his boundless passion for the art and science of making films. While Tom has talked about his love of movies throughout his career, the real proof of his devotion is in the finished product. Regardless of the movie, fans feel the intensity, drive and joy the action star brings to making memorable cinema. His passion is all in service of creating films movie lovers the world over can connect with emotionally.

Tom isn’t alone in his love for movies and movie making. The worldwide interest in filmmaking spiked with the rise of the Internet, giving normal fans an outlet to distribute their own creations. This revolution in filmmaking is aided with the introduction of high-quality, less expensive equipment, giving the average person access for the first time to create  professional quality films.

In reflection of this shift in making movies, the team at TomCruise.com is reaching out to the filmmakers with some resources to help you get your movies written, directed, acted and distributed! We also will connect you to a list of aspiring filmmakers through Tom’s Twitter stream – including directors, screenwriters and actors – to start getting your dreams off the ground.

This week we concentrate on resources for everyone behind the camera – the writers and directors. We’ll give you the links to resources for getting your movies out on the Internet, festivals to enter films into, film contests and competitions to earn exposure or money, and schools to train for a career in the movie industry.

Aspiring actors will find plenty of helpful advice in this post, but should return to the blog next week for resources specifically for performers.

But for now, filmmakers are in the driver’s seat. Check out all the info below!

ONLINE RESOURCES

The real starting point that every new filmmaker should be aware of is the explosion of resources online for distributing movies through the Internet. There’s nothing better than getting the opportunity to have your creation looked at by the entire world. These online channels offer a new route for unknown filmmakers to put their movies out into the world, a route to success and possibly a career in the movie industry.

The most popular online video site for aspiring filmmakers to host their movies with is easily YouTube. With over 2 billion video views a day, pretty much the entire online world is looking at a video on the Google-run site. But one of the little known resources available through the site includes the YouTube Screening Room; a venue for serious filmmakers to have their original productions featured by the site. The Screening Room hosts all kinds of movies – including the documentary series Project:Report that partners with the Pulitzer committee for the vaunted journalism prize.

You can read further into the resources available for filmmaker on the YouTube blog, including their sub-blog for filmmakers: the Creators Corner.

Another video hosting site popular with filmmakers is Vimeo. This site caters to a much smaller audience than YouTube, but differs in one respect: Vimeo is composed completely of original material. Movies on Vimeo then don’t have to compete against clips from television, movies or video games. The site is exclusively to distribute original films of all stripes. It’s for this reason that Vimeo became a popular venue for films from independent producers and music video artists.

FILM CONTESTS/COMPETITIONS

Some of the best opportunities for filmmakers and screenwriters available on the Internet come in the form of legitimate open competitions and contests that can rocket a films’ prestige from unknown to worldwide hit in mere hours. Some destination websites for directors and writers hold these competitions annually, semi-annually or regularly, giving filmmakers the chance for exposure, production deals and even cash. Screenwriters are also in luck, with open competitions judged by some of the film industry’s biggest talents available for entry.

Below are some of the many film, direction and screenwriting contests or competitions available for filmmakers around the world.

Brought to filmmakers by the online film portal I Am Rogue, their Big Break Movie Contest opens the door for any filmmaker with a feature-length (90 minutes or more) movie to find an audience with distribution through AMC Theaters in the United States! The crew at I Am Rogue will set the winning film and filmmakers up with a professional critique, help fine tuning the production, create a professional trailer, and get the film into theaters.

Some of the judges include the head of film production company Relativity Media, Ryan Kavanaugh, along with Hollywood star Kate Bosworth and Relativity Media president of worldwide production, Tucker Tooley.

The filmmakers resource website Open Film hosts a number of regular film competitions of their own, including the Get It Made contest series which awards $50,000 in cash and another $200,000 in financing to movies under 40 minutes that can expand to feature length following the contest. That’s a healthy amount of coin for an online film competition! The site’s advisory board includes Hollywood actors James and Scott Caan, Robert Duvall and director/producer Mark Rydall.

The site also hosts contests from partners such as the My Movie Pitch competition and the Clearwater Film Festival Promo Trailer Contest.

An emerging online trend in online film contests includes creating new material in a limited amount of time in a collaborative environment. One of the leaders in this trend is the touring competition called The 48 Hour Film Project. The challenge of this contest, to write, shoot, edit and score a complete movie in 48 hours! Each team – ranging thus far from one to 118 people.

The competition circles the glob on a tour from city to city, until it finishes it’s yearly cycle. Winners from each city then compete on a global scale for a chance at a $3,000 prizer and, more important, an opportunity to get screened at the prestigious Cannes film festival. Take a look at the calendar to see when the contest will be making it to a city near you.

The Filmaka Digital Studio is an online site that hosts regular film contests and has attracted a widely diverse global filmmakers who compete for prizes ranging from $15,000 in cash and exposure through distribution or airing films on television. Some of the panel of judges at Filmaka include Academy Award-nominated director Werner Herzog, directors Neil LaBute, Wim Wenders and Paul Schrader, along with Academy Award nominated actor Colin Firth.

Founded by Oscar-winning director and noted auteur Francis Ford Copolla, American Zoetrope has been a home for some of the most original screenwriting and filmmaking over the last 40 years. Known for hosting filmmakers with an independent streak and literary bend, Zoetrope is also the home to a well-known screenwriting contest judged by Mr. Copolla himself! The contest includes a membership to the Zoetrope Digital Studio, which helps screenwriters through workshops and critiques of writing to make scripts stronger.

Tom Cruise worked with Francis Ford Copolla early in his career on The Outsiders.

FILM FINANCING

While making a film can be hard work, it’s mostly fun work. Getting a film financed… that can be another story altogether. Part of the job of a filmmaker is finding financing – whether a studio, private financiers or *gulp* credit cards – to help transform a concept into a wondrous flickering image on the screen. The folks at FilmSlate published a detailed primer on how to find the kind of investment filmmakers need to make that transformation a reality.

Money is unfortunately the lifeblood for many film productions. The equipment and time needed to make movie magic possible has always been expensive. That said, the article at FilmSlate repeats what we at TomCruise.com believe – passion and planning can help you find the resources to make your filmmaking dream come true!

FILM FESTIVALS

Nearly every aspiring filmmaker dreams of success, whether that be at the box office, from reviews or just through the reaction of the fans. But some measure of satisfaction is also taken from the praise of peers at film festivals. While not every filmmaker can waltz into prestigious festivals like the Cannes Film Festival, the Venice Film Festival, or the Sundance Film Festival, there’s still plenty of room for competition at some other festivals around the globe and in the United States.

One of the largest domestic film festivals in the U.S., the New York Film Festival, provides such an opportunity for filmmakers starting out. Their New Directors/New Films series has given a venue for burgeoning talent to compete and gain notice for nearly 40 years. Some of the alumni of the competition to gain wider fame through the exposure includes Tom Cruise collaborator Steven Spielberg with his movie The Sugarland Express, which was honored by the festival in 1974.

The Austin Film Festival – a well-known jumping off point in the success of directors and screenwriters like Richard Linklater – has created an environment specifically designed to cultivate the talents of young and upcoming filmmakers throughout the United States and world. The Austin Film Festival Young Filmmakers Program is filled with competitions, workshops, camps and expositions to give a leg up to filmmakers starting on their road to movie careers.

The online portal Open Film also has a resource for you filmmakers through their Open Film Festival Calendar. This is your opportunity to find festivals in your area to meet with other filmmakers, get inspired by their work, or hopefully compete for a prize in a competition!

FILM SCHOOLS

While it’s not the only route to making movies, learning the craft of film from experienced professors and industry professionals offers many promising directors and screenwriters the knowledge they need to break into what is a hugely competitive industry. Below are some of the finest schools from around the United States that have particularly strong programs in cinema production, along with some of the more notable alumni that have come from the specific institution. Collaborators of Tom Cruise will be bolded on these lists, so keep your eyes peeled!

• The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) – Founded in 1961 as a training ground for filmmakers and animators in Los Angeles, CalArts became a known feeder for the legendary animation studios of the Walt Disney Company. To this day, some of the most talented storytellers in the medium of film spring from this institution. Some CalArts alumni include Knight and Day director James Mangold, PIXAR director Brad Bird (The Incredibles), Disney Chief Creative Officer and director John Lasseter (Toy Story), Oscar nominated director Tim Burton (most recently of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland), and Oscar-winning screenwriter and director Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation).
• American Film Institute (AFI) Conservatory – The destination for the most daring and artistically complicated directors, AFI has provided a home for some of the most challenging movie makers to grace the silver screen. Some AFI trained directors include Oscar-nominated directors David Lynch (Blue Velvet) and Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line), as well as screenwriter and director Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull).
• University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Theater, Film and Television – Site to the education of some of the biggest names in filmmaking over the last 40 years and beyond, UCLA has consistently cranked out some of the finest directors and actors to work in the medium. Some of the alumni include Oscar winner and director of The Outsiders, Francis Ford Coppola, A Few Good Men director, Rob Reiner, as well as Academy Award winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (Milk) and director Alexander Payne (Sideways).
• University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinematic Arts – Some of the biggest names in the film world have passed through the halls of USC, including industry heavyweights who’s innovation from the late 1960s on have changed the industry permanently. Some of the alums include Oscar winner and director of Far and Away, Ron Howard, Star Wars creator and founder of Industrial Light and Magic, George Lucas, director Robert Zimeckis (Forrest Gump), comedy writer and director Judd Apatow (The 40-Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up), and director Bryan Singer (X-Men).
• New York University (NYU) Tisch School of Performing Art – From the East Coast school known for intense dramas and dark comedies, NYU delivered some of the most critically acclaimed auteurs from the last three generations of filmmakers for both direction and writing. Among the distinguished alums are Academy Award winner and director of The Color of Money, Martin Scorcese,  and Academy Award winner and director of Born on the Fourth of July, Oliver Stone. Other Oscar winning directors to emerge from the school include Woody Allen (Annie Hall), Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain), and Joel Coen (No Country for Old Men).

So there you go Tom Cruise fans and emerging filmmakers! The beginnings of a career in film can be in your grasp through some of the resources found in this post. While not completely exhaustive, reading through the information here and on the links can get you started on the road to cinematic expression and fame. We can’t wait to see you make it!

Thanks again to all of the followers on the aspiring directors, writers and actors list on the TomCruise.com Twitter page. We think you guys are bound for great things and love to keep in touch.

Again, stay tuned for next week as the Tom Cruise blog unveils resources for aspiring actors.

Cheers!