AS A NEW SCREENWRITER, WHERE DO YOU START? Selling Yourself as a Scriptwriter in Hollywood is your most important resource as you begin your career as a professional screenwriter. LEARN THE HOLLYWOOD LITERARY MARKETPLACE New screenwriters need to learn the playing field before getting into the game. ABOVE ALL ELSE YOU MUST LOOK PROFESSIONAL This easy-to-read manual teaches new screenwriters state-of-the-art spec script format and selling techniques. LEARN PROFESSIONAL TRICKS-OF-THE-TRADE Many of the tools needed by new screenwriters are readily available—if you know where to find them. BE AWARE OF THE DOs AND THE DON’Ts No-nonsense warning of the common and not-so-common mistakes made by new screenwriters. GETTING YOUR SCREENPLAY KNOWN IN HOLLYWOOD After your screenplay is finished, learn how to uncover potential buyers and how to access reputable agents. A PRODUCER OR AGENT WANTS TO READ YOUR SCRIPT What should you send? What shouldn't you send? Learn how to create an effective submission package. SCREENWRITING CONTESTS & FELLOWSHIPS Are they useful? Which ones are best? There are some great opportunities offered by Hollywood’s major players. The Peterbrook Series

This upbeat resource book is full of encouraging advice to budding screenwriters on just how to prepare, submit, and sell their movie scripts. From structuring the plot and formatting the script to finding an agent and negotiating the best deal, this insider's information covers all the bases. Tips are offered for developing characters and storylines; using scriptwriting computer programs; sending letters to prospective agents; working with directors; getting along in the business; tapping into Web sites and workshops; and other sources of support for writers.

To most Americans, Hollywood activism consists of self-obsessed movie stars promoting their pet causes, whether defending marijuana legalization or Second Amendment rights. There's some truth in that stereotype, and in this book you'll find the close personal friends of Fidel Castro, the wannabe cowboys, and the ever-ubiquitous Barbra Streisand. But Citizen Hollywood makes a far more serious case--that Hollywood's influence in Washington runs deeper and affects the country's government more than most of us imagine. Celebrity activism exerts a subtle power over the American political process, and that pressure is nothing new. Through money, networking, and image making, the movie industry has shaped the way that politics works for nearly a century. It has helped to forge a culture that is obsessed with celebrity and spectacle. In return, politicians have become part of the fabric of Hollywood society and cater to the wishes of their new-found friends and fund-raisers. Using original archival research and exclusive interviews with stars, directors, producers, and politicians from both parties, Timothy Stanley's Citizen Hollywood shows that the only way to understand the image-obsessed, volatile politics of modern America is to understand the hidden history of Hollywood's influence on Washington.

Now in its fourth edition, Television and Screen Writing: From Concept to Contract is a classic resource for students and professionals in screenwriting and television writing. This book will teach you how to become a creative and marketable writer in every professional arena - including major studios, production companies, networks, cable and pay TV, animation, and interactive programs. Specific techniques and script samples for writing high-quality and producible "spec" scripts for theatrical motion pictures, the sitcom series, one-hour dramatic series, longform television, soaps, talk show, variety, animation, interactive and new media are provided. Television and Screen Writing: From Concept to Contract, Fourth Edition also offers a fully detailed examination of the current marketplace, and distinct strategies for marketing your scripts, from registering and copyrighting the script to signing with an agent. This new edition has been expanded to include the most up-to-date creative and professional script samples, marketing resources, and practical information possible. The companion website (www.focalpress.com/companions) offers a wide range of contacts and resources for you to explore, and Internet links to professional resources. There is also an Annotated and Selected Bibliography for your reference

We know what actors do. We know what writers do. But what does a movie producer do, other than arrange financing for films and accept Academy Awards? Featuring in-depth interviews with 14 top movie producers, including eight who have won Oscars for Best Picture, this book describes how they nurture a project from concept to casting to screen. They are entrepreneurs, essentially creating a new business every time they start work on a film. They possess an array of skills and talents and the resilience and the fortitude to not take "no" for an answer. The interviewees are Marc Abraham, Tony Bill, Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa, Clint Eastwood, Taylor Hackford, Mark Johnson, Arnold Kopelson, Alan Ladd, Jr., Michael London, Fred Roos, Paula Wagner, Jim Wilson and Janet Yang.

Finally! A step-by-step guide to the keys that unlock the doors to Hollywood. Opening the Doors to Hollywood has all the information you'll ever need in order to tap into the $500 million spent yearly in Hollywood on acquiring and developing projects. Discover how to: Find a story Rewrite it Option it Package it Pitch it Write it Sell it to film and television companies Complete with a reference section that includes guilds/unions, libraries, sample contracts, seminars and workshops, trade publications, and writers' organizations, Opening the Doors to Hollywood is invaluable to any writer.

This third edition of the UK's best-selling filmmaker's bible, builds upon the most successful features of the previous books. Including illustrations, diagrams, and box-outs, this book comes with a DVD, packed with further interviews with filmmakers, as well as theatrical trailers.

This directory lists nearly 500 agents across the United States--and even a few in Canada. Writers will find listings organized by literary agents (fee-charging and non-fee-charging) and script agents (TV, movies, and plays). Through articles written by professionals, the book also answers the most frequently asked questions about agents--what they do, where they are, and how to sign and work with them.

"Hollywood Drive: What is Takes to Break in, Hang in & Make it in the Entertainment Industry is the essential guide to starting and succeeding at a career in film and TV. Written by a Hollywood insider, Eve Honthaner's invaluable advice will give those attempting to enter and become successful in the entertainment industry the edge they need to stand out among the intense competition." "Hollywood Drive goes beyond what it takes to get you foot in the door by offering you the tools, attitude, philosophy and road map you'll need to give yourself a good fighting chance at success - whether you're looking for you very first job or for a strategy to move your career to the next level. This book will allow you to proceed with your eyes wide open, knowing exactly what to expect."

This fully updated, career-boosting book arms aspiring and experienced writers with an insider's insights into the process of conceiving, writing and marketing a winning film or TV script. A veteran story analyst reveals what is demanded of scriptwriters in today's competitive marketplace.