Show, don’t tell: A Step-by-Step Handbook for Aspiring Screenwriters, Producers, Directors


Book Description

Unlock the magic of visual storytelling with "Show, Don’t Tell," the ultimate guide for the next generation of screenwriters, producers, and directors. Whether you’re dreaming of Hollywood or aiming to captivate audiences on the small screen, this comprehensive handbook provides the essential tools to bring your vision to life. Inside, you'll discover: - Proven Techniques: Master the art of showing, not telling, with practical tips and exercises that turn your ideas into compelling scenes. - Insider Secrets: Gain invaluable insights from industry professionals who’ve worked on blockbuster films and hit TV shows. - Step-by-Step Guidance: Navigate every stage of the creative process, from crafting a powerful screenplay to producing, directing, and distributing your projects. - Resources: Resources to rely on for further study. Transform your passion into a profession with this indispensable resource perfect for beginners and seasoned creators alike. "Show, Don’t Tell" is your ticket to mastering the craft of visual storytelling and making your mark in the entertainment industry. Are you ready to bring your stories to the screen? Purchase this book and turn the page to let your cinematic journey begin!




Writing in Pictures


Book Description

Writing in Pictures is a refreshingly practical and entertaining guide to screenwriting that provides what is lacking in most such books: a clear, step-by-step demonstration of how to write a screenplay. Seasoned screenwriter and writing teacher Joseph McBride breaks down the process into a series of easy, approachable tasks, focusing on literary adaptation as the best way to learn the basics and avoiding the usual formulaic approach. With its wealth of useful tips, along with colorful insights from master screenwriters past and present, this book is invaluable for anyone who wants to learn the craft of screen storytelling. CONTENTS Introduction: Who Needs Another Book on Screenwriting? Part I: Storytelling 1: So Why Write Screenplays? 2: What Is Screenwriting? 3: Stories: What They Are and How to Find Them 4: Ten Tips for the Road Ahead Part II: Adaptation 5: Breaking the Back of the Book: or, The Art of Adaptation STEP 1: THE STORY OUTLINE 6: Research and Development STEP 2: THE ADAPTATION OUTLINE 7: The Elements of Screenwriting STEP 3: THE CHARACTER BIOGRAPHY 8: Exploring Your Story and How to Tell It STEP 4: THE TREATMENT Part III: Production 9: Who Needs Formatting? 10: Actors Are Your Medium 11: Dialogue as Action STEP 5: THE STEP OUTLINE 12: The Final Script 13: Epilogue: Breaking into Professional Filmmaking Appendix A: The Basic Steps in the Screenwriting Process Appendix B: “To Build A Fire” by Jack London Selected Bibliography Acknowledgments Index




Creative Writing-The 2014 Kelly Manual of Style


Book Description

THIS IS THE TEXTBOOK ON CREATIVE WRITING. THIS BOOK IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS ON CREATIVE WRITING. ITS PURPOSE IS TO TAKE YOU FROM THE IDEA, TO A BOOK DRAFT TO A FINAL MANUSCRIPT AND EVEN TO A MOVIE SCRIPT. HUNDREDS OF ACTUAL EXAMPLES FROM PUBLISHED WORKS ARE PROVIDED. IT IS THE IDEAL REFERENCE BOOK.




Save the Cat!


Book Description

This ultimate insider's guide reveals the secrets that none dare admit, told by a show biz veteran who's proven that you can sell your script if you can save the cat!




Stop Screwing Around and Write a Screenplay That SELLS


Book Description

All you need to know about writing a screenplay that sells. The author Robert L. McCullough has nearly 300 produced script credits and is a founder of The Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards. With a Master's Degree in Screenwriting and a long professional career turning fledgling writers into prominent Hollywood producers and showrunners at every major studio, he now reveals the principles of writing like a pro in this fast-reading no-nonsense book. 12 short chapters tell you all you need to know about writing a screenplay that stands above the competition and has the greatest chance of selling. Read this book and keep it by your side as you write your next screenplay. You'll avoid the pitfalls and problems that mark you as an amateur. Follow these simple guidelines and you'll write a screenplay that can be your ticket into the world of highly-paid Hollywood professionals. If you're serious about your screenwriting, then you're serious about seeing your scripts produced. This book delivers the point-by-point essentials behind every successful screenplay and shows you how to demonstrate the professional expertise that will get your scripts noticed. It's a quick, concise read that gets to the bottom line with an irreverent no-nonsense approach to putting your writing on a level with Hollywood's working professional screenwriters.Making movies is a complex matter that is so difficult that very few people do it.And it all starts with writing the script, an equally challenging and complex task.Buy this book and you'll have the tools you need to write a screenplay that SELLS.




Mediabistro.com Presents Small Screen, Big Picture


Book Description

Take On Hollywood and Make It as a Television Writer. From mediabistro.com, the media industry’s most well-respected source for jobs, professional development, and community, this inside-the-business guide gives you the knowledge and tools you need to infiltrate Hollywood and land a job as a TV writer. That’s right—Small Screen, Big Picture gives you a competitive edge over millions of other aspiring writers who share your talent, creativity, and determination . . . because after reading these pages, you’ll have the one thing they lack: an understanding of the business of television. This journey into Hollywood’s inner workings not only details how networks, studios, and production companies work together, it teaches you how the process affects the creation and writing of TV series, how shows make money, and—ultimately—how you can use this information to break into the industry. You’ll learn: • What really goes on in the inner sanctum of the writers’ room—and how to be a part of it • How today’s TV business model works—and how rapidly it’s changing • Who has the power to buy a show idea—and how to pitch your own • How new media formats are changing television—and how to use them to your advantage • Which jobs will kick-start your TV writing career—and how to get hired • And much more . . . Armed with this solid foundation of knowledge, you’ll be ready to plan your entry into the industry and begin your successful TV writing career.




How to Get a Literary Agent


Book Description

Written by a top literary agent who gives writers an insider's view of how to find and work with an agent throughout the process of getting published. Includes: -- How to know that you're ready for an agent -- 7 ways to find an agent -- Writing a cover letter that grabs attention -- What to do with an agent once you've got one -- What you can expect and what you'd better not hope for -- Making sure this is the right agent for you -- Congratulations, now you have an agent AND an editor -- How to avoid the 7 worst pitfalls for aspiring writers -- And much, much more. In today's highly competitive publishing industry, literary agents are more important than ever. Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, reference or children's books, here is everything you need to know about using an agent to launch and sustain your literary career.a




Screenwriting Fundamentals


Book Description

Screenwriting Fundamentals: The Art and Craft of Visual Writing takes a step-by-step approach to screenwriting, starting with a blank page and working through each element of the craft. Written in an approachable anecdote-infused style that’s full of humor, Bauer shows the writer how to put the pieces together, taking the process of screenwriting out of the cerebral and on to the page. Part One of the book covers character, location, time-frame and dialogue, emphasizing the particularity in writing for a visual medium. Part Two of the book focuses on the narrative aspect of screenwriting. Proceeding incrementally from the idea and story outline, through plotting and writing the treatment, the workshop-in-a-book concludes with writing the First Draft. A unique emphasis on the visual elements of storytelling because the camera is always present—the screenplay must act as a guide for the director and the editor. A "workshop in a book" approach that walks the reader step-by-step through a screenplay—focusing on character, location, time frame, visual components, and transitions—with plenty of exercises that generate material for the narrative writing process. A process-oriented approach, combined with a lighthearted tone and approachable style, that allows the reader to ease into the daunting task of writing a First Draft and takes them all the way through to the end— First Draft in hand.




Cut to the Chase


Book Description

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




Screenplay


Book Description

Providing examples from well-known movies, Field explains the structural and stylistic elements as well as writing techniques basic to the creation of a successful film script.