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Dreams on Spec

NR
Documentary
5.4/10(8 ratings)

"Dreams on Spec" takes an intimate look at how far people will go - and how much they will sacrifice - for the chance to pursue their dreams. This feature-length documentary delves into the lives of three aspiring Hollywood screenwriters as they pour their hearts into their spec scripts, pitch their ideas to anyone who will listen, go to meetings, hold table reads, and work at low-level day-jobs - all in the hopes of one day seeing one of their beloved creations made into a movie. These poignant portraits are intercut with wisdom from a "Greek Chorus" of superstar Hollywood creative-types like James L. Brooks, Nora Ephron, Gary Ross, and Carrie Fisher to forge a funny and compelling look at inspiration, creativity, and solitude in the movie industry.

03-23-2007
1h 28m
Dreams on Spec

Main Cast

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Carrie Fisher

Carrie Fisher

Carrie Frances Fisher (October 21, 1956 - December 27, 2016) was an American actress, novelist, screenwriter, and lecturer. Daughter of the famous actors Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, she gained fame for her portrayal of Princess Leia Organa in the original Star Wars trilogy. Her novel Postcards from the Edge was also a bestseller, for which she wrote a screenplay to the film of the same name.

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Scott Alexander

Scott Alexander

Scott Alexander is a writer and producer, best known for 1408 (2007), Man on the Moon (1999) and Ed Wood (1994). He attended the University of Southern California, and instructed screenwriting seminars at USC film school in the late 1980s.

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James L. Brooks

James L. Brooks

James Lawrence Brooks is an American director, producer and screenwriter. Growing up in North Bergen, New Jersey, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of New York University, he got a job as an usher at CBS, going on to write for the CBS News broadcasts. He moved to Los Angeles in 1965 to work on David L. Wolper's documentaries. After being laid off he met producer Allan Burns who secured him a job as a writer on the series My Mother the Car. Brooks wrote for several shows before being hired as a story editor on My Friend Tony and later creating the series Room 222. Grant Tinker hired Brooks and Burns at MTM Productions to create The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1970. The show, one of the first to feature an independent working woman as its lead character, was critically acclaimed and won Brooks several Primetime Emmy Awards. Brooks and Burns then created two successful spin-offs from Mary Tyler Moore in the shape of Rhoda (a comedy) and Lou Grant (a drama). Brooks left MTM Productions in 1978 to co-create the sitcom Taxi which, despite winning multiple Emmys, suffered from low ratings and was canceled twice. He moved into feature film work when he wrote and co-produced the 1979 film Starting Over. His next project was the critically acclaimed film Terms of Endearment, which he produced, directed and wrote, winning an Academy Award for all three positions. Basing his next film, Broadcast News, on his journalistic experiences the film earned him a further two Academy Award nominations. Although his 1994 work I'll Do Anything was hampered by negative press attention due to the cutting of all of its recorded musical numbers, As Good as It Gets (co-written with Mark Andrus) earned further praise. It was seven years until his next film, which came in the shape of 2004's Spanglish. His sixth film, How Do You Know, was released in 2010. Brooks also produced and mentored Cameron Crowe on Say Anything... (1989) and Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson on Bottle Rocket (1996). Although he did not intend to do so, Brooks returned to television in 1987 as the producer of The Tracey Ullman Show. He hired cartoonist Matt Groening to create a series of shorts for the show, which eventually led to The Simpsons in 1989. The Simpsons won numerous awards and is still running after 20 years. Brooks also co-produced and co-wrote the 2007 film adaptation of the show, The Simpsons Movie. In total, Brooks has received 47 Emmy nominations, winning 20 of them.

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Steven E. de Souza

Steven E. de Souza

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Steven E. de Souza (born 17 November 1947) is an American producer, director and screenwriter. He is among a handful of screenwriters whose films have earned over two billion dollars at the worldwide box office. Description above from the Wikipedia article Steven E. de Souza, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

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Nora Ephron

Nora Ephron

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Nora Ephron (born May 19, 1941-June 26, 2012) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, novelist, journalist, author, and blogger. She was best known for her romantic comedies and was a triple nominee for the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay; for Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally... and Sleepless in Seattle. She sometimes wrote with her sister Delia Ephron. Her final film was Julie & Julia. Description above from the Wikipedia article Nora Ephron, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Larry Karaszewski

Larry Karaszewski

Larry Karaszewski and his writing/directing/producing partner Scott Alexander are best known for writing unusual true stories.  The duo created the hit television miniseries “The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” for which they won the Golden Globe, Emmy, PGA and WGA Awards. They also won the Golden Globe and WGA Award for the film “The People vs Larry Flynt.” Other movies include the Oscar winning “Ed Wood” (WGA nomination), “Big Eyes” (Independent Spirit nomination), “Auto Focus” “Man on the Moon” and “Dolemite is My Name.”  The team has been inducted into the Final Draft Screenwriting Hall of Fame. Larry is a former Governor and Vice President of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

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Unknown Actor

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Gary Ross

Gary Ross

Gary Ross (born November 3, 1956) is an American film director, writer, and producer. He is best known for directing The Hunger Games.

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Ed Solomon

Ed Solomon

Ed Solomon (born September 15, 1960) is an American writer, producer and director. After graduating from Saratoga High School and UCLA, Solomon came to fame as one half of the writing duo that created the 1989 film Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and its sequel with Chris Matheson. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ed Solomon, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Movie Details

Production Info

Director:
Daniel Snyder

Key Crew

Producer:
Daniel Snyder

Locations and Languages

Country:
US
Filming:
US
Languages:
en