Michael Lucker - Crash! Boom! Bang!: How to Write Action Movies

Personal, perceptive, provocative, pleasurable to peruse, and those are just the Ps! Michael Luckers Crash! Boom! Bang! is an authentic contribution to the expanding body of screenwriting literature. Designed in particular for writers of action/adventure fare, there are keen insights here and tons of worthy advice also for writers of dramatic narratives in any genre.

PROF. RICHARD WALTER, UCLA Screenwriting Chairman

You dont have to be a writer of action films to benefit from Michael Luckers rock-solid screenwriting advice, but if you are an action writer it is essential.

JOHN BALDECCHI, Producer: Point Break, The Mexican, Conan the Barbarian

The knowledge Michael Lucker shares in this book is not that of an outsider looking in, but rather an insider reaching out to all those who are interested in learning and giving them insightful and practical information.

ANDY FICKMAN, Director, Writer, Producer: The Game Plan, Parental Guidance, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2

With Crash! Boom! Bang! Michael Lucker brings together his vast life experience, insuppressible passion for teaching, and mastery of the screen-writing craft. This powerhouse of a book is an absolute pleasure to read. Here, Michael entertains, he teaches, and he beckons both novice and expert alike to excel at the craft and business of screenwriting.

MICHAEL NORTON, Nine-time Emmy Awardwinning Producer for The Amazing Race

Crash! Boom! Bang! is an indispensable how-to book peppered with the authors personal experience going from wide-eyed wannabe to successful scribe. Screenwriters of all stripes should read this.

CARTER BLANCHARD, Screenwriter: DreamWorks, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, New Line Cinema, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, and Paramount Pictures

No one explains story structure better than Michael Lucker. In Crash! Boom! Bang!, Lucker draws on his own screenwriting experiences as well as classic action films to illustrate how to write a winning script. Lucker combines witty, fun-to-read examples with step-by-step instructions that lay out the basics for beginners while giving old hands some exciting new strategies.

DR. DONNA LITTLE, Professor and Director, MFA in Creative Writing, Reinhardt University

With his unique experience and keen understanding of his craft, Michael Lucker reveals step-by-step how action-packed tales are intelligently and skillfully woven. His passion is real, his integrity genuine, and his guidance witty and warm, as if from the pen of a caring mentor. If you are serious about writing an action movie Crash! Boom! Bang! is a must.

MAJ. THOMAS A. ROSS, U.S. Army Special Forces, Retired; Author of Privileges of War

When it comes to action films, Michael Lucker has literally written the book on them! Whether youve had a hit movie, made a big spec sale, or have yet to type Fade In: this book will teach you something you didnt know, or teach you a better way of doing something you thought you knew.

JIM WEDAA, Producer: The Boy, Unstoppable, Big Trouble, Mission to Mars, Black Dog

An exceptional and hilarious instruction manual on the craft of screen-writing, told by one of the Hollywood elite.

NATHAN GOODMAN, Author: The Special Agent Jana Baker Spy-Thriller Series

Straightforward, witty, smart, and informative. Michael Luckers Crash! Boom! Bang! offers writers of action movies a hands-on manual for not only delivering on the promises of the genre, but elevating them.

MIREILLE SORIA, Producer: Madagascar I, II & III, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, Home, Sinbad: Legend of the High Seas, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Ever After

With its appropriate mix of encouragement and realism, this book reads so effortlessly youll fly through itand yet, Luckers insights into the craft take root and stay with you. Youll be inspired to go write and put the lessons into action.

DR. JEFF MARKER, Associate Professor of Film, Chair of the Communication, Media & Journalism Department, University of North Georgia

Michael Luckers screenwriting guide reads like an action-movie script. This fun and lively page-turner is full of verve, drive, wit, insight, and inspiration. I recommend it highly!

DR. MATTHEW H. BERNSTEIN, Goodrich C. White Professor, Chair of the Department of Film and Media Studies, Emory University

CRASH! BOOM! BANG!

HOW TO WRITE ACTION MOVIES

MICHAEL LUCKER

MICHAEL WIESE PRODUCTIONS

Published by Michael Wiese Productions

12400 Ventura Blvd. #1111

Studio City, CA 91604

(818) 379-8799, (818) 986-3408 (FAX)

www.mwp.com

Cover design by Johnny Ink. www.johnnyink.com

Interior design by William Morosi

Copyediting by Gary Sunshine

Printed by McNaughton & Gunn

Manufactured in the United States of America

Copyright 2017 by Michael Lucker

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

Printed on Recycled Stock

Contents

FOREWORD

I admit it. I was a nudge. But who could blame me? I was a sixteen-year-old wannabe filmmaker in the suburbs of Connecticut wanting desperately to break into Hollywood. Who cared about high school? I just wanted to make movies, just like my hero, Steven Spielberg. So I wrote him a letter. And sent him my film. And called. And kept calling. To my surprise, someone in his office actually responded. It was Michael Lucker.