Take the quiz and find out the true depths of your screenwriting geekitude. Answers at the bottom.   #1. The famous statement that, in Hollywood, “Nobody knows anything,” is from the book Adventures in the Screen Trade, authored by what screenwriter? #2. If you registered a script with the WGA today, how many digits would there be in the registration number? #3. What was the first feature screenplay from the scribe who later wrote Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?

#4. Whose pen brought us the line, “You can’t handle the truth!”?

#5. Frank Darabout’s Shawshank Redemption and Raynold Gideon and Bruce Evans’ Stand by Me are both adaptations of novellas by what writer?

#6. Mario Puzo wrote the book The Godfather. Who wrote the screenplay?

#7. Which of these names does NOT belong on this list: Syd Field, Spike Jonze, Robert McKee, David Trottier?

#8. Who is responsible for the following poetry?

A red stain.
Then a smear of blood blossoms on his chest.
The fabric of his shirt is ripped apart.
A small head the size of a man’s fist pushes out.
The crew shouts in panic.
Leap back from the table.
The cat spits, bolts away.
The tiny head lunges forward.
Comes spurting out of Kane’s chest trailing a thick body.
Splatters fluids and blood in its wake.
Lands in the middle of the dishes and food.
Wriggles away while the crew scatters.
Then the Alien being disappears from sight.
Kane lies slumped in his chair.
Very dead.
A huge hole in his chest.
The dishes are scattered.
Food covered with blood.

#9. What scribe is the showrunner behind Grace Under Fire, Dharma and Greg, and Two and a Half Men?

#10. The writings of what author have been adapted to more Hollywood movies than any other, earning him writing credit in IMDb for more than 600 projects?

#11. Who wrote Chinatown?

#12. What model of brad is the industry standard paper fastener for a feature screenplay?

#13. Of the six Star Wars movies, on which does George Lucas NOT have shared or sole screenwriting credit?

#14. If a movie is credited to “Jane Doe and Alan Smithee,” did the authors collaborate?

#15. Which entertainment publication now owns the Hollywood Creative Directory?

#16. What groundbreaking writer/producer brought the world sitcoms such as The Jeffersons and All in the Family?

#17. What writer holds the record for most Academy Award nominations in screenwriting?

#18. Which scribe created the characters Jeff Spicoli, Lloyd Dobler, and Jerry McGuire?

#19. Who is the only screenwriter to create back-to-back Best Picture Oscar winners? (Hint: He won Best Screenplay on the second project, and was also nominated as the film’s director.)

#20. The three-act structure is described for the first time in what ancient work? Plato’s Republic, Aristotle’s Poetics, Xenophon’s Symposium, or Archimedes’ The Method?

answers (highlight with mouse to see)

#1. William Goldman
#2. Seven
#3. Being John Malkovich (Charlie Kaufman)
#4. Aaron Sorkin
#5. Stephen King
#6. Mario Puzzo and Francis Ford Copolla
#7. Spike Jonze is a director, best known for music videos. The rest are screenwriting “gurus”
#8. Dan O’Bannon (Alien)
#9. Chuck Lorre
#10. William Shakespeare
#11. Robert Towne
#12. Acco #5 (1 ¼“)
#13. The Empire Strikes Back
#14. No. The word “and” indicates that Smithee rewrote Doe’s work. An ‘&’ is used when a project was written together by two authors.
#15. The Hollywood Reporter
#16. Norman Lear
#17. Woody Allen (14 nominations, 2 wins)
#18. Cameron Crowe
#19. Paul Haggis (Million-Dollar Baby, then Crash)
#20. Aristotle’s Poetics

number correct

18-20—You have permission to be friends with screenwriterguy
15-17—Knowledge flows from your every pore!
12-14—Best renew that Variety subscription
9-11—-Are you sure this is what you really want to do? Wouldn’t you maybe rather get a real job?
7-8—–Hobbyist
3-6—–Dabbler
1-2—–Tax Attorney