Cut to the chase : writing feature films with the pros at UCLA Extension Writers' Program / edited by Linda Venis, Director, UCLA Extension Department of the Arts and Writers' Program.

Title :

Cut to the chase : writing feature films with the pros at UCLA Extension Writers' Program

Format:

Books

Language:

English

ISBN - ISSN:

1592408109

9781592408108

Physical Description:

xviii, 381 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

General Note:

Includes index.

Contents:

Introduction / by Linda Venis -- From Idea to Outline: Preparing to Write Your Feature Screenplay. Hollywood Storytelling: Its Enduring Appeal and Universal Principles / by Billy Mernit -- Jump-starting the Screenplay / by Jon Bernstein -- "What Happens Next?": Structuring the Screenplay / by Andy Guerdat -- Building Characters / by Cindy Davis -- Deepening Characters and Defining Their Arcs / by Billy Mernit -- Outlining the Screenplay / by Juliet Aires Giglio -- Writing Your First Draft Feature Screenplay. Writing Through the First Draft / by Steve Mazur -- The Who, What, Where, When, Why (and How!) of Writing a Scene / by Dan Vining -- Pictures in motion: scenes and the movement they create / by Chrysanthy Balis -- Rewriting Your Feature Screenplay. Taking the Script to the Next Level: The Rewrite Process Begins / by Quinton Peeples -- The Art and Craft of Dialogue Writing / by Karl Iglesias -- "Show, Don't Tell": Visual Screenwriting / by Philip Eisner -- Polish workshop: Making Your Best Even Better / by Michael Weiss -- Being a Professional in the Movie Business. Demystifying the Business of Feature Film Writing / by Laurence Rosenthal -- Launching and Sustaining a Feature Film Writing Career / by Deborah Dean Davis.

Subject:

Motion picture authorship.

First Title value, for Searching:

Cut to the chase : writing feature films with the pros at UCLA Extension Writers' Program / edited by Linda Venis, Director, UCLA Extension Department of the Arts and Writers' Program.

Holds: Copies:

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Summary

Millions of people dream of writing a screenplay but don't know how to begin, or are already working on a script but are stuck and need some targeted advice. Or maybe they have a great script, but no clue about how to navigate the choppy waters of show business. Enter Cut To The Chase, written by professional writers who teach in UCLA Extension Writers' Programme, whose alumni's many credits include Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl; Twilight; and the Academy Award nominated Letters from Iwo Juima. From learning how to identify story ideas that make a good movie to opening career doors and keeping them open, this authoritative, comprehensive, and entertaining book, edited by Writers' Program Director Linda Venis, will be the film-writing bible for decades to come. "A well-organized soup-to-nuts manual for aspiring Nora Ephrons and Charlie Kaufmans, from the faculty of a notable screenwriting program. . . . A readable writer's how-to that goes down smoothly." - Kirkus Reviews

Author Notes

Over the past two decades, Linda Venis has guided the growth of the UCLA Extension Writers' Programme into the nation's largest creative writing and screenwriting program. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and their daughter.

Reviews (1)

Kirkus Review

A well-organized soup-to-nuts manual for aspiring Nora Ephrons and Charlie Kaufmans, from the faculty of a notable screenwriting program. UCLA Extension Writers' Program director Venis divides the book into four sections devoted to: preparations for writing the script, writing the first draft, rewriting and polishing, and working the system to get the script produced and your screenwriting career on track. A group of professionals--screenwriters, story analyst and readers--share advice; their film credits include Scream, Citizen Ruth, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Twilight, Event Horizon, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and scores of other projects for major Hollywood studios and TV networks. Encouraging without being unrealistic, the contributors use examples from dozens of award-winning and popular screenplays (The King's Speech, Juno, Reservoir Dogs, Bridesmaids, The Hangover, etc.) to illustrate their points about how to set scenes, develop characters and propel stories through all of the scenes. Their advice to give script buyers--"The same, but different"; i.e., more of what's selling tickets already, with a twist--may seem stifling to creative types, but it's based on intimate knowledge of Hollywood tastes. Even if the fledgling screenwriter does not want to follow the UCLA team's amazingly harmonious advice to the letter, there's plenty of solid wisdom in the book to warrant giving it a careful read. The contributors insist that you can write a successful screenplay, and it's hard not to believe them. After following the practical advice included in the book, you will not want to miss Deborah Dean Davis' deliciously witty and inspiring final chapter on the life of a Hollywood writer. A readable writer's how-to that goes down smoothly.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Linda VenisBilly MernitJon BernsteinAndy GuerdatCindy DavisBilly MernitJuliet Aires GiglioSteve MazurDan ViningChrysanthy BalisQuinton PeeplesKarl IglesiasPhilip EisnerMichael WeissLaurence RosenthalDeborah Dean Davis

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction	p. xi
Section I From Idea to Outline: Preparing to Write Your Feature Screenplay
1 Hollywood Storytelling: Its Enduring Appeal and Universal Principles	p. 3
2 Jump-starting the Screenplay	p. 24
3 "What Happens Next?": Structuring the Screenplay	p. 49
4 Building Characters	p. 75
5 Deepening Characters and Defining Their Arcs	p. 99
6 Outlining the Screenplay	p. 123
Section II Writing Your First Draft Feature Screenplay
7 Writing Through the First Draft	p. 151
8 The Who, What, Where, When, Why (and How!) of Writing a Scene	p. 170
9 Pictures in Motion: Scenes and the Movement They Create	p. 194
Section III Rewriting Your Feature Screenplay
10 Taking the Script to the Next Level: The Rewrite Process Begins	p. 219
11 The Art and Craft of Dialogue Writing	p. 242
12 "Show, Don't Tell": Visual Screenwriting	p. 271
13 Polish Workshop: Making Your Best Even Better	p. 294
Section IV Being a Professional in the Movie Business
14 Demystifying the Business of Feature Film Writing	p. 319
15 Launching and Sustaining a Feature Film Writing Career	p. 339
About the Editor and Contributors	p. 365
Index	p. 369

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Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (1)

Kirkus Review

Table of Contents