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Literature
Books
We are not endorsing any particular book and do not receive a commission
for any sales, however, these are books that have been recommended
as useful tools for screenwriters.
Everyone who has ever thought about writing or working in Hollywood
will want to read this book. These are the personal and often
outrageous adventures of a veteran screenwriter who has worked
extensively for the major studios, as well as with major directors
such as Richard Donner and James Cameron.
There are abundant writing lessons to be learned here, but "life"
lessons, as well. In fact, this story is about "getting
over" Hollywood, more than just "getting into"
Hollywood. Readers looking past the material or superficial
(e.g., celebrity) for something more meaningful in their lives,
will find this book truly uplifting.
REELING THROUGH HOLLYWOOD:
How I Spent 40 Fabulous Years in Film and Never Made a Nickel
"Dan Bessie's book should be obligatory for anyone considering
a creative life. . . The story is rich in detail, funny, and
honest. Bessie . . . reviews a rich and sometimes desperate
life as a creative person who sustained himself by wit and wile.
I hope that I'll be able to say as much about my own."
Peter Coyote, EMMY winning actor: ERIN BROCKOVICH, ET, etc.
"If you've ever wondered what Jane Fonda, Spiderman, Clint
Eastwood, Bertholt Brecht, Tom and Jerry and Ken and Barbie
and Roy and Dale plus. . . the Culligan Man and the House UnAmerican
Activities Committee have in common, the answer is Dan Bessie.
He encounters them all in his lively account of his struggles
to make films his way. 'Reeling Through Hollywood' is both a
delight and a powerful tutorial in independent filmmaking."
Tom Rickman, OSCAR and EMMY nominated screenwriter / Humanatis
Prize winner: COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER, TRUMAN, TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE,
etc.
For anyone who can't get into film school. An on-paper process
that shows how to write screenplays and make both long and short
films. Will save you years of head scratching and will completely
demystify the process of making a movie.
D.B. Gilles is the author of "The Screenwriter Within" and
"The Portable Film School." He is a produced and published screenwriter,
TV writer and playwright. He did the screen adaptation of the
play "Spinning Into Butter" starring Sarah Jessica Parker due
this Fall. He teaches Screenwriting and Comedy Writing in the
Undergraduate Film & Television Department at New York University's
Tisch School of the Arts. He is also a Script Consultant and
Writing Coach. You can contact him at screenwriterwithin.com
If you've ever dreamed of writing a screenplay, The Screenwriter
Within is the book for you. Insightful, inspirational, and
wildly irreverent, it takes you through all the stages of the
writing process, using references to hit movies and the author's
personal experience.
D.B. Gilles is the author of "The Screenwriter Within" and
"The Portable Film School." He is a produced and published screenwriter,
TV writer and playwright. He did the screen adaptation of the
play "Spinning Into Butter" starring Sarah Jessica Parker due
this Fall. He teaches Screenwriting and Comedy Writing in the
Undergraduate Film & Television Department at New York University's
Tisch School of the Arts. He is also a Script Consultant and
Writing Coach. You can contact him at screenwriterwithin.com
If you've ever found yourself staring at the
blank page all day, or cleaning out the refrigerator for the
fifth time in a week just to avoid seeing that taunting blinking
cursor, then you've experienced writer's block. The good news?
It means you're a writer. It's not important that you have these
times; what's important is how you deal with them. Outwitting
Writer's Block will provide tricks of the trade to help
any writer break through the dreaded block and become a more
creative and better writer than before. A humorous, inspirational,
practical guide for writers, college students, businesspeople,
and those who would like to write as a means of therapy or "release."
Only $14.95! Order
here.
Hollywood creative executives consistently say that
Jeff Kitchen teaches "the most advanced development tools in the
film industry." What makes this book entirely unique is that once
Jeff explains the tools in detail, he then builds an original
screenplay from scratch to demonstrate them. You work alongside
Jeff as he starts with a one-sentence idea and wrestles it into
a fully structured plot using the tools. This is a real script
that he's actually writing and the process is left unvarnished
and transparent, with all the struggles, the brainstorming, the
dead ends and the breakthroughs that constitute the daily grunt
work of constructing a screenplay. The book costs $29.95, plus
$4.00 for shipping. Order
here.
Script Analysis: The Godfather, Tootsie and Blade Runner
is the companion piece to Writing a Great Movie. It features
state-of-the-art dramaturgic analyses of these great films,
utilizing Jeff's four tools. The book is designed to consolidate
your knowledge of the tools by taking you deeper into their
full use. While script analysis is extremely useful in diagnosing
and curing elusive story problems, this book is primarily intended
to help you make your own screenplays work. It's about writing
screenplays, not studying them. The book is $19.95, plus $4.00
for shipping (unless you buy Writing a Great Movie and then
$4.00 covers shipping for both books.) For those who have already
taken my classes, these script analyses have been completely
revised and updated from their 1993 edition and they can be
bought for $10.00 by former students. Order
here.
Forty-eight top film and TV writers tell the real story about
making it in the entertainment business…and it isn’t always
pretty. Doing It For Money - The Agony and Ecstasy of Writing
and Surviving in Hollywood (Tallfellow Press, ISBN 1-931290-58-X,
$24.95, 288p, Hardcover, May) offers personal essays and behind-the-scenes
tips that will either scare you away forever or confirm that
you were meant to be a writer.
Contributors include Stephen Gaghan (Syriana, Traffic), Terry
Rossio (Pirates of the Caribbean, Shrek), Leslie Dixon (The
Thomas Crown Affair, Mrs. Doubtfire), John Sacret Young (The
West Wing, China Beach) and many more. For a complete list of
contributors, their credits and notable quotes from the book,
visit www.Tallfellow.com
Stories define who we are. From the myths of ancient Greece
to the silver
screen of Hollywood, people of all cultures have relied on stories
to reveal
the most profound truths of life. A thousand stories have been
told thousands of times, all without the benefit of a comprehensive
theory of story, until now. Order here.
No matter what you write, or plan to write - screenplays, TV
scripts, children’s book, novels, nonfiction books, magazine
articles, comic books - this book will show you how to get started,
how to get ahead and what to expect from the marketplace.
When you’re an outsider, it’s not a matter of who you know
- because you don’t know anybody - it’s what you know.
Learn how to get noticed by agents, producers and publishers.
Learn how to adapt your work into different formats, including
TV/Film treatments.
Learn about contracts, copywriting; what to do once you’ve
finished your script/book/article.
Acquire show-biz savvy without moving your family or selling
your soul - well, at least without moving your family. Order
Here.
This book is about details and the intricate, complex elements
that make it possible for films like The Hours to become
great films. It's about creating a script that moves well, with
a focused, original story that leaps off the page and gives
a great actor something to work with. It's also about creating
stories that touch and intrigue an audience and perhaps transform
their lives in the process. "Once again, Linda Seger has peeled
back the veils and revealed the essential truths of great screenwriting,
making the complex comprehensible. This book is loaded with
tons of useful analysis and screenwriting craft that is essential
for any screenwriter; beginner or advanced." Jack Epps, screenwriter,
Top Gun, Dick Tracy $15.00. Order
Here.
Your Resume Sucks is a how-to book written in a story
format that’s enjoyable to read so you’ll actually
finish the book unlike most other snoozerville resume books.
It outlines our common sense Three Keys of Success and explains
why the keys work with real-world examples. Plus it has many
before and after examples of resumes that we revised according
to our three keys and made them ROCK!
Do fancy fonts get you the fancy job? No. Find out why not on
page 60.
What’s the most important item at the top of your resume?
Hint: It’s not your name. Find out what it is on page 10.
In what order should your work experience be listed? The shocking
answer is on page 23.
Includes industry-approved formatting guide, a workbook, clear
writing advice, a practical marketing section, a spec style
guide, and a list of resources. Strongly recommended by agents
and industry insiders.
You can buy the book directly from the publisher: Silman-James
Press at 323-661-9922. Your contact is Gwen
Feldman. The address is 3624 Shannon Road, Los Angeles,
CA 90027.
A film's ending is crucial. It is the last thing an audience
sees and often the last thing it remembers upon leaving the
theater. Indeed, it's no stretch to suggest that, more than
any other part of the film, the ending determines whether the
audience likes a film or not.
The Third Act is the first screenwriting instructional book
to focus entirely on that most important part of a script -
the ending.
The book features detailed examinations of the endings of many
memorable films, including Rocky, Rain Man, Good Will Hunting,
Saving Private Ryan, Casablanca, Million Dollar Baby, Se7en,
Lost in Translation, and Gladiator. Through this analysis, Drew
Yanno highlights the structural elements you'll need to make
your screenplay's ending as compelling and satisfying as
possible.
If you want to understand the fine art of writing a great ending
to your screenplay, The Third Act is a truly useful resource
and inspiration.
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