Venis - Cut to the chase : writing feature films with the pros at UCLA Extension Writers Program

CUT TO THE CHASE

CUT

to the

CHASE

WRITING FEATURE FILMS with the
PROS at UCLA EXTENSION
WRITERS PROGRAM

Edited by Linda Venis, Director, UCLA Extension
Department of the Arts and Writers Program

GOTHAM BOOKS

Published by the Penguin Group

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Copyright 2013 by Linda Venis

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

has been applied for.

ISBN: 978-0-698-13836-0

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While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers, Internet addresses, and other contact information at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors or for changes that occur after publication. Further, the publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

To Gary

Cut to the Chase: Writing Feature Films with the Pros at UCLA Extension Writers Program and its companion book, Inside the Room: Writing Television with the Pros at UCLA Extension Writers Program, grew out of creating and refining Writers Programs film- and television-writing curriculum, in close collaboration with its instructors and staff, for more than two decades. My sincere hope is that these books appropriately thank and honor the expertise, generosity, and contributions of all of the programs screenwriting and creative-writing teachers and staff memberspast, present, and future. I have assigned all royalties over to UCLA Extension Writers Program.

Foremost gratitude goes to Cindy Lieberman, program manager of the Writers Program, my right-hand person, colleague, and friend who has been Cut to the Chase and Inside the Rooms most meticulous and dedicated reader. Special appreciation goes to Program Representative in Screenwriting Chae Ko for his helpful comments on every chapter; to Assistant to the Director Carla Janas for her abiding support; and to UCLA Extension Interim Dean Michelle Stiles, whose work on the highest administrative level of this project helped bring it to fruition.

I am indebted to and in awe of four screenwriters whom I call, for lack of a more elegant term, the books core authors: Writers Program instructors Cindy Davis, David Isaacs (now at USC), Steve Mazur, and Billy Mernit. This dream team provided invaluable feedback on the books content and organization, contributed spectacular sample chapters, and maintained a steadfast commitment to this project that is humbling. My gratitude also goes to the Editorial Board, whose constructive advice and insights, generously rendered, made every chapter better.

Thank you to my agent, Betsy Amster (Betsy Amster Literary Enterprises); Gotham Books/Penguin Group (USA) Executive Editor Lauren Marino; and Emily D. Wunderlich, Susan M. Barnes, and Aja Pollock of Penguin Group for their belief in and support of Cut to the Chase and Inside the Room. That my name would appear on the same page as the Penguin logo is amazing to me.

To my precious late parents, Grace Bullock Miller and Ashton and Dona Venis; to my Im so lucky I married into it family Leona Berg Town, Alec Berg, and Maggie Trinh; to my dear friends David Bushnell and Karla Klarin; to my talented, kind, and lovely-inside-and-out daughter, Laura Berg; and to my husband, Gary Berg, whom I always love at all times and without whom Cut to the Chase and Inside the Room would not exist: thank you.

Welcome to Cut to the Chase: Writing Feature Films with the Pros at UCLA Extension Writers Programa truly unprecedented, comprehensive (and entertaining!) guide to writing feature-length screenplays and understanding what it takes to have a successful career as a screenwriter. Whether you dream of writing a screenplay but dont how to begin or youre already writing your script but need some targeted advice, youve opened the right book!

The title, Cut to the Chase, comes from the days of silent films, when a chase scene would be inserted to move the plot along, excise anything extraneous, and raise the action to a climactic peak. Taking a cue from those early filmmakers, Ill get right to the point and tell you all the ways this book is a one-of-a-kind resource to screenwriters at all levels.

Real Screenwriters Teach You to Write (and Think!) Like a Pro

Lets start with the three most basic and yet absolutely unique reasons that Cut to the Chase stands apart from any other book on screenwriting.

First, it is based on UCLA Extension Writers Programs screenwriting curriculum, which is the largest and most in-depth in the nation. As screenwriter-director and former student Stuart Beattie (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl; Collateral) describes it: Writers Program courses at UCLA Extension offer the best of both worlds: academic excellence and the real-world experience of accomplished screenwriters.

Second, just like the curriculum upon which it is based, Cut to the Chase is process-oriented. As you work through its lessons, a while, and its supposed to, so try to learn to embrace and enjoy the process.

Third, Cut to the Chase is written by pros whose collective level of professional experience has never before been available in a single volume. They have nearly two dozen produced feature films to their credit, including Liar Liar, Heartbreakers, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Meet the Robinsons, Asylum, and the Oscar-winning Spirited Away, and have sold projects to Pixar, Working Title, Miramax, Disney, 20th Century Fox, MGM, Warner Bros., and Sony, among many others. Important as well, they are seasoned Writers Program instructors who have trained thousands of aspiring screenwriters just like you.

Customized Screenwriting Education to Meet Your Goals

Cut to the Chase is designed to reflect the screenwriting la carte nature of the Writers Programs curriculum, which allows students to customize their own screenwriting education. You can work your way through Cut to the Chase linearly and build your skills incrementally, from first idea to final draft. Alternately, you can jump into the book where it best suits your writing goals and needs, as each chapter stands alone.

In addition, Cut to the Chase welcomes you back again and again as you continue to develop and refine your craft. The chapters cumulatively embody a layering of knowledge; they are a prism through which craft issues and film examples are examined and reexamined, from different points of view, at different points in the screenwriting process, and with new meaning accruing each time as you grow and refine your own skills.