Hollywood's premier teacher of screenwriting shares the secrets of writing and selling successful screenplays in this perfect gift for aspiring screenwriters. Anyone fortunate enough to win a seat in Professor Richard Walter's legendary class at UCLA film school can be confident their career has just taken a quantum leap forward. His students have written more than ten projects for Steven Spielberg alone, plus hundreds of other Hollywood blockbusters and prestigious indie productions, including two Oscar winners for best original screenplay—Milk (2008) and Sideways (2006). In this updated edition, Walter integrates his highly coveted lessons and principles from Screenwriting with material from his companion text, The Whole Picture, and includes new advice on how to turn a raw idea into a great movie or TV script-and sell it. There is never a shortage of aspiring screenwriters, and this book is their bible.

Hollywood’s script guru teaches you how to write a screenplay in the ultimate three-volume guide to writing for film, featuring “the ‘bible’ of screenwriting” (The New York Times), Screenplay—now celebrating forty years of screenwriting success! This blockbuster ebook bundle includes: SCREENPLAY: FOUNDATIONS OF SCREENWRITING • THE SCREENWRITER’S WORKBOOK • THE SCREENWRITER’S PROBLEM SOLVER Syd Field was “the most sought-after screenwriting teacher in the world” according to The Hollywood Reporter. His pioneering insights into structure, concept, and character launched innumerable careers. Now in one handy collection, his invaluable expertise is available to aspiring writers and working professionals alike. The Essential Screenplay contains Syd Field’s Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting, the industry standard for script development; The Screenwriter’s Workbook, a hands-on workshop full of practical exercises for creating successful screenplays; and The Screenwriter’s Problem Solver, a guide to identifying and fixing problems in your latest draft. Throughout, you’ll learn: • why the first ten pages of your script are crucially important • how to visually “grab” the reader from page one • what makes great stories work • the basics of writing dialogue • the essentials of creating great characters • how to adapt a novel, a play, or an article for the screen • the three ways to claim legal ownership of your work • tips for allowing your creative self to break free when you hit the “wall” • how to overcome writer’s block forever Featuring expert analysis of popular films including Pulp Fiction, Thelma & Louise, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Essential Screenplay will transform your initial idea into a screenplay that’s destined for success—and maybe even Cannes. Praise for Syd Field “The most sought-after screenwriting teacher in the world.”—The Hollywood Reporter “Syd Field is the preeminent analyzer in the study of American screenplays.”—James L. Brooks, Academy Award–winning writer, director, producer

Basics Film-Making: Screenwriting is the second in the Basics Film-Making series and is aimed both at students on film production courses, as well as those wishing to write a short film. The book teaches the key elements of screenwriting through examining areas such as dialogue, sound, setting, shots and structure. It also provides advice to new film-makers on how to market their productions. This is an essential guide to screenwriting and will teach you to write and produce artistically satisfying shorts.

Putting a vision on the page for creative and commercial video is harder than it seems, but author Carey Martin explains how to bring these tools to bear in the “work for hire” environment. Whilst other texts focus on writing the next award winner, this can be out of reach both logistically and financially for many. Instead, readers will learn how to write what they want the eyes of the audience to see and the ears of the audience to hear, in such a way that the Producer and Director can read the creative blueprint and bring that vision to life. The text will walk readers through a focused and practical consideration of the camera, the edit, and the sound design, in addition to a straightforward application of basic story principles. By understanding writing for video as more than creating a recorded play, readers will become more effective screenwriters and, should they wish, Producers and Directors as well. This book is ideal for students of screenwriting and those writing scripts for message-driven video for corporate, nonprofit, and commercial production.

Once you understand the basics of screenwriting, ideas for your next screenplay are everywhere. Whether it comes from a favorite children’s book, a summer novel you discover accidentally, a news story that catches your imagination, or a chapter from your own life — advanced screenwriting strategies should now guide you through your first adaptation. In Screen Adaptation: Beyond the Basics, award-winning screenwriter Eric Williams uses examples from award-winning screenplays to explain new storytelling techniques. His real-world examples illustrate a range of advanced approaches — including new ways to identify and craft tension, how to reimagine structure and character, and how to strengthen emotional depth in your characters and in the audience. Screen Adaptation: Beyond the Basics teaches readers new ways to engage with source material in order to make successful adaptation decisions, regardless of the source material. The book offers: Three detailed examples of award-winning adaptations by the author, including the complete short story and final scripts used in the Voices From the Heartland project; Breakout boxes highlighting modern and historical adaptations and providing examples for each concept discussed in the book; More than fifty charts providing easy-to-use visual representations of complex concepts; New screenwriting techniques developed by the author, including the Triangle of Knowledge, the Storyteller’s Parallax, and the idea of Super Genres as part of a Screenwriters Taxonomy.

I am thrilled to introduce my comprehensive guide, “Screenwriting Made Easy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Your First Screenplay”. With my extensive experience in script coverage, analyzing over 388 scripts for filmmakers and film students, and my contribution as a ghostwriter for numerous short and feature films, I am certain that this book will prove to be an invaluable resource for aspiring screenwriters. In this book, I provide a detailed explanation of the screenwriting process, breaking it down into specific points and delving deeper into each step. This approach is part of my pedagogical method in accelerated learning practices in educational systems, designed to facilitate fast and effective learning. If you ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed or frustrated, I encourage you to take a break, relax, and return to the book when you are ready to continue reading. As an experienced screenwriter, I offer practical advice and detailed instruction to help readers gain the skills and confidence needed to write a successful screenplay and navigate the complex entertainment industry. I understand that the world of screenwriting can be daunting, but I believe that with the right tools and insights, anyone can craft compelling stories that capture the attention of audiences and industry professionals alike. Throughout the book, I share my tried and true strategies to help aspiring screenwriters get their foot in the door and provide examples of screenwriting across various genres. I firmly believe that screenplay writing doesn’t have to be complicated, and I offer strategies for making your screenplay viable for production. Whether you’re a first-time screenwriter or looking to refine your skills, my book is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in pursuing a career in screenwriting. I invite you to explore the world of screenwriting and to use this book as your guide on your journey towards success.

Providing a key resource to new students, Film: The Essential Study Guide introduces all the skills needed to succeed on a film studies course.This succinct, accessible guide covers key topics such as:Using the libraryOnline research and resourcesViewing skillsHow to watch and study foreign language filmsEssay writing Presentation skillsReferencing and plagiarismPractical FilmmakingIncluding exercises and examples, Film: The Essential Study Guide helps film students understand ho.

This book about screenwriting assures aspiring screenwriters that they can begin chasing their dreams while still in high school. With colorful photographs depicting experiences of screenwriters and others working in television and film today, as well as firsthand accounts from those involved in the industry, this book explores the skills needed and coursework recommended to help students wishing to enter the television and film industry. Readers will learn about the different types of scriptwriting, from Hollywood movies and series shows to local news and video games. They will discover how the writing processes work, what types of jobs are available and what they entail, how to deal with inevitable setbacks, and how screenwriters' skill sets can be applied to other careers.

The digital video revolution has blurred the lines between professional and amateur equipment, with some Hollywood movies being shot and edited using the same technology that families use for their vacation footage. With sales of digital video cameras and computer-based editing systems skyrocketing, more and more people are seeing the potential and are anxious to advance their own personal video production skills to a higher level. The Essential Digital Video Handbook will help you, the beginner and budding professional become a better writer, producer, director, photographer, and editor. Author Pete May's sound advice and no-nonsense approach will help you achieve results that will wow audiences whether they're gathered in the family room or the corporate boardroom. The Essential Digital Video Handbook takes the you through every step of the process, from buying the right equipment to editing footage. This book shares tips on achieving professional quality results by understanding and exploiting visual language, both by initially following the rules and then by breaking them with style and confidence. Videographers will also learn to sound like professionals by understanding and speaking the language of the business. Instead of narrowly focusing on just the latest equipment and technology, May uses lessons he learned during twenty-five years in the television business to drill down to the most important stuff: the principles that don't change, and the tricks behind making videos that document, entertain, train, motivate, persuade, satisfy, and even have the ability to make money.

In his astute and deeply informed film reviews and essays, Jonathan Rosenbaum regularly provides new and brilliant insights into the cinema as art, entertainment, and commerce. Guided by a personal canon of great films, Rosenbaum sees, in the ongoing hostility toward the idea of a canon shared by many within the field of film studies, a missed opportunity both to shape the discussion about cinema and to help inform and guide casual and serious filmgoers alike. In Essential Cinema, Rosenbaum forcefully argues that canons of great films are more necessary than ever, given that film culture today is dominated by advertising executives, sixty-second film reviewers, and other players in the Hollywood publicity machine who champion mediocre films at the expense of genuinely imaginative and challenging works. He proposes specific definitions of excellence in film art through the creation a personal canon of both well-known and obscure movies from around the world and suggests ways in which other canons might be similarly constructed. Essential Cinema offers in-depth assessments of an astonishing range of films: established classics such as Rear Window, M, and Greed; ambitious but flawed works like The Thin Red Line and Breaking the Waves; eccentric masterpieces from around the world, including Irma Vep and Archangel; and recent films that have bitterly divided critics and viewers, among them Eyes Wide Shut and A.I. He also explores the careers of such diverse filmmakers as Robert Altman, Raúl Ruiz, Frank Tashlin, Elaine May, Sam Fuller, Terrence Davies, Edward Yang, Hou Hsiao-hsien, and Orson Welles. In conclusion, Rosenbaum offers his own film canon of 1,000 key works from the beginning of cinema to the present day. A cogent and provocative argument about the art of film, Essential Cinema is also a fiercely independent reference book of must-see movies for film lovers everywhere.