by Tom | Jan 11, 2025 | Alex Ross, Elite Consulting, News, Updates, WriteMovies News, Writing Insights
Blade Runner and AI Technology – Have the creative minds of this 1982 cult classic predicted the realities of our age? This is what WriteMovies founder Dr Alex Ross discusses in his new article “Can the prescience of Blade Runner engender a deeper understanding of our relationship with AI technology?” that’s been recently published in the Institute of Physics, Harvard, The Smithsonian and NASA!
The article examines how Blade Runner (1982), despite being a work of science fiction, has become a significant cultural and intellectual touchstone for understanding the ethical, societal, and technological implications of advanced AI and robotics. It highlights the film’s visionary narrative, which reflects many concerns of today’s world, such as corporate monopolization, technological overreach, and the fluid definitions of personhood and humanity.
“The world that we painted is virtually knocking on the door of this world that we’re in now.” – Ivor Powell, Producer of Blade Runner
Key points in the article include:
- Science and Technology in the Film: including biotechnology, bioengineering, and neuroscience. It looks at how the film’s portrayal of Replicants as man-made biological humanoids and their connection to current research in artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, and organ production.
- Corporate Power and Ethics: drawing parallels between the fictional Tyrell Corporation and real-world tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Tesla, emphasizing the unchecked power and lack of transparency in these monopolies.
- Philosophical Questions: The film’s narrative raises critical questions about the nature of personhood, consciousness, and morality. What are the ethical implications of creating life and the societal impact of advancing technologies?
- Cultural Significance: Blade Runner‘s lasting impact and how its prescient themes have sparked debates in AI, robotics, philosophy, ethics, and even ancient mythology, drawing connections to classical thinkers who imagined artificial life millennia ago.
To explore the profound connections between Blade Runner and today’s technological and ethical challenges, read the full article here.
If you have a script you want to see succeed, through WriteMovies.com you can get mentoring direct from Dr Alex Ross – there’s nobody better qualified to tell you why films succeed and fail. Click here to get mentoring from Alex.
by Tom | Jul 5, 2024 | Alex Ross, Development Notes, Elite Consulting, Script Mentoring offers, Studio Consulting, Updates, WriteMovies News
WriteMovies Founder Dr Alex Ross discusses Disney and Pixar in Recent Newsweek Article!
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by John | Jan 12, 2024 | News, Script Mentoring offers, WriteMovies News
Get representation confirmation and feedback faster than ever before.
Welcome to a fresh year at WriteMovies in 2024, and we’re doing things differently this time. With our new-look Anytime Entry service you can still become a lauded winner of representation and guaranteed pitching to industry, like our many existing winners, but quicker than ever, combined with valuable feedback!
We’re also working with international partners to launch WriteMovies Screenwriters Forum – launching hybrid online and in-person masterclasses and script development sessions and courses. More on this soon!
And with so many winners to pitch following the WGA strike and other industry disruption, plus more industry media news from our founder Dr. Alex Ross, we’re sure of an exciting year ahead…
Anytime Entry – your fast track to a great result!
There’s going to be lots to announce in the coming months, but today we’d like to show you what you get by using our Anytime Entry service. Enter your script at any time at our website for just $45, and you will receive:
- An analysis of the first ten pages of your script, focusing on its key strengths and weaknesses in the key passages that the industry would actually consider before deciding whether to continue.
- A writer evaluation, confirming either that we believe the industry’s analysts would Pass this entry, Consider this entry for representation and pitching (which we will do by entering it in any one of our annual Awards and Prizes this year!)… or that our analyst can immediately Recommend it – guaranteeing you Representation, public promotion and pitching to industry in return for a signed contract to be managed and publicly promoted by us and our partners at TalentScout International Management!
If you’d like a more advanced script report to inform your next steps as a writer, why not enter for a WriteMovies Studio Consulting Report, Development Notes, or any of our services direct from Dr. Alex Ross? You’ll be evaluated for representation, promotion and pitching just the same!
We think this will be a great model for our customers to get prompt confirmation of their project’s potential in the market, and of their own opportunities for representation, from WriteMovies in 2024. And we think you’ll feel the same!
What’s more, it also guarantees you the chance to win any relevant WriteMovies prize or Award that we announce this year – giving you a second shot at representation, promotion and pitching by the end of the year as our view of your entry and the market develops! And even better than that: if you get a ‘Consider’ outcome, you’ll be allowed to submit a new draft of your project to that contest before it closes – giving you every chance to learn from the feedback you got first time around and nail it before the contest winners are decided.
Enter now at WriteMovies.com – see the options in the right sidebar or navigate to the service you’re interested in!
by John | Oct 23, 2023 | Alex Ross, News, Our Books, Script Mentoring offers, WriteMovies News
InkTip partnership, Royal Historical Society, Newsweek, Amazon news
It’s been another lively period for us, and the end of the WGA strike opens up many doors for us and our winners again – but a lot was already happening, as you can see here! Lots to tell you about from this period including impressive new acclaim for Dr. Alex Ross!
- We’ve renewed our partnership with InkTip, enabling us and 4 of our winners to gain significant exposure to successful producers – more on this soon!
- Alex Ross has been made a fellow of the Royal Historical Society – some accolade! Alex says: “It’s a pretty cool honour as the fellowship is the highest form of membership and really tough to get”! Read about it here.
- The next book by Dr. Alex Ross is also shaping up as a blockbuster insight into a hugely talked-about movie – we’re looking forward to revealing this soon!
by John | May 15, 2023 | Alex Ross, Offers, Our Books, WriteMovies News
30% off for all WriteMovies newsletter subscribers!
This ground-breaking new book shows how Hollywood developed its ‘calculated blockbuster’ and created a replicable model for success which all industry professionals can use to their advantage. Packed with insights and unheard stories from the massive films of the past and today through an industry insider’s perspective, it’s a must-read for screenwriters, producers and anyone with a passion for the movies over recent decades.
The book is published here in hardback ($110) and eBook ($45) formats:
https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781666911084/The-Evolution-of-Hollywood’s-Calculated-Blockbuster-Films-Blockbusted
An exclusive 30% discount is available to all WriteMovies subscribers. It’s easy to get the discount – just directly email info@writemovies.com to request the promo code!
To subscribe check the menus at the bottom of the page.
About Alexander Ross and BLOCKBUSTED…
Dr. Alexander Ross launched his journey into filmmaking, as an undergraduate at the University of Cambridge, by watching a lot more films at the Arts Cinema than attending lectures. On graduating, he was hired by Ismail Merchant (Merchant/Ivory Productions) to work on a film as assistant director.
Ross later went to Los Angeles, working for MGM Studios as a story analyst. With a keen eye for spotting scripts with great winning potential, he was hired by a literary agency based in Beverly Hills. Sifting through the pile of rejections, he noticed a script by a then unknown Quentin Tarantino, as well as one by Andrew Niccol (The Truman Show). The discoveries gave his career a major boost.
Several years later, Ross created his own management company, helped to finance a number of films, produced a romcom (which he sold to Warner Bros.), founded www.writemovies.com, ran more than 5,000 pitch meetings at the studios, (mainly with the heads of production), became an expert consultant to the European Union: Education, Audio-visual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), as well as to several hedge funds and family offices looking to invest in motion pictures. With his deep reservoir of knowledge about Hollywood’s inner sanctum, he decided to write about his experiences and so headed back to the UK to do a PhD. His first major publication came in the 2019 anthology on the film Grease: “Grease is the Word”.
Now, “The Evolution of Hollywood’s Calculated Blockbuster Films: Blockbusted” is his most extensive probe into Hollywood’s most dynamic era. It is the first contemporary book to delve deep into the studio process behind the making of some of the defining modern blockbusters of the 1970s and 1980s, by engaging directly with many of the leading executives who run Hollywood.
The book investigates William Goldman’s “Nobody knows anything” contention which suggests that every film the studios make is a colossal gamble. Over eight years of research, which included dozens of interviews with leading filmmakers and leading film academics, revealed that not only do the studios know exactly what they are doing, but by using replicable key markers of success, they have radically reduced the risk in film investment and significantly increased their multi-platform revenue streams.
This book is intended not just for scholars, undergraduates and post-graduates, but also for the fans of The Godfather, Jaws, Star Wars, E.T., Back to the Future etc. who want to find out what really made those films work. It also provides budding screenwriters, directors, producers, agents and studio executives with the keys to the kingdom.
The book shows specific, detailed instructions on how to make highly successful movies, repeatedly.
by John | Jan 13, 2023 | Alex Ross, Elite Consulting, Our Books
Essential reading for screenwriters this year! The history of the modern Hollywood blockbuster, with dozens of awesome interviews!
We’re proud to announce that this year Dr. Alex Ross will be publishing his new book BLOCKBUSTED – a history of modern Hollywood blockbuster films, packed with amazing industry interviews and insights. Film fans are going to love this!
The book is due to be published in May or June. Alex says: “every fan of The Godfather, Jaws, Star Wars, ET, Back to the Future and Blade Runner will want to find out more, as the book will provide never before shared insights.”
We’ve got lots of insights, endorsements and extracts from the book to share with you over the coming months… let the countdown begin!
Click here to see what Alex can do for you!
by John | Jan 5, 2023 | Alex Ross, Contests, Our Winners, Pitching, Screenwriting Courses
We’re pausing our contests to focus on a big year for our founder and recent winners.
Like many people and businesses, 2022 was a challenging year for us, with unexpected staffing changes and resultant delivery challenges. This left us with a bigger backlog of work than we anticipated, but coming into 2023 we’re ready and refocused for an exciting year for us, our founder Alex Ross, and our winners. Here are a few headlines of what to expect in 2023!
We’re pausing our contests while we focus on Alex’s news and on delivering great results in the industry for our 2022 winners and existing clients. You can still submit for our “Anytime Entry” to get a 10-page Analysis of your script and a free submission of your redraft to the next relevant WriteMovies contest. We will work personally with any existing submissions to help them get the most out of their entry.
Our consultancy services are now delivered directly by Alex Ross – literally the world’s most qualified person in why films succeed and fail! They still also come with a free contest entry. Check out the many packages and prices available here!
We have big announcements to make about Alex’s work and publications in 2023, including book news which all screenwriters will want to know about – watch this space in the coming weeks!
We’ll also be working with our winning writers and clients behind the scenes – and will be pitching them to industry soon! We’ll introduce them and their scripts on our website and newsletters for you soon.
We’ll also be turning Alex’s, and our own, lectures and insights into snappy online videos and online courses!
We’re really looking forward to this year – hope you are too!
