Screenplay: Writing the Picture

Screenplay is a complete screenwriting coursefrom initial idea through final script saleproviding in-depth discussions of theme development; story research; script plotting and structuring; character development; dialogue; writing and rewriting methods; formatting; the ins and outs of marketing and pitching scripts; writing for TV, the Web and video games, and much more. Well-written, comprehensive and filled with both innovative and tried-and-true writing techniques, illustrative screenplay examples and sage advice from veteran writers, Screenplay will help novices as well as working screenwriters improve and sell their scripts. The second edition of this popular manual is completely revised, reflecting current film industry practices, and includes new chapters on such subjects as Webisodes and video games, as well as updates to its many examples. ROBIN U. RUSSIN Robin was educated at Harvard, Oxford, RISD and UCLA, where he received his MFA in screenwriting. A Rhodes Scholar, he has written for film, theater, television and many national publications. He has won or been a finalist for many awards, and credits include the hit film On Deadly Ground with Steven Seagal. His other scripts have been bought or optioned by studio and independent producers, and he co-produced the film Shark In A Bottle. He has written, produced and/or directed for America's Most Wanted, was Senior Producer of ABC's Vital Signs, and co-produced Alcatraz--the True Story on FOX. His original pilot and bible sold to ABC, now adapted and in production as Of Kings and Prophets. Among his produced plays are Painted Eggs and The Face in the Reeds. Robin taught at UCLA and is currently Full Professor of screenwriting at UC Riverside. WILLIAM MISSOURI DOWNS Bill earned an MFA in screenwriting from UCLA and an MFA in acting from the University of Illinois. For many years, he studied playwriting under Lanford Wilson and Milan Stitt at the Circle Rep Theatre in New York. In Hollywood he wrote for such NBC sitcoms as My Two Dads, Amen and Fresh Prince Of Bel Air. He sold the movie Executive Privilege to Tri-star, and won the Jack Nicholson Award for screenwriting. His plays have been produced all over the world, from the Kennedy Center to the Berkeley Rep, and from the International Theatre festival in Israel to the Hexis in Singapore. A few highlights are: Innocent Thoughts winner of the National Playwrights Award, Jewish Sports Heroes and Texas Intellectuals, which took first place at the Mill Mountain Theatre's Festival Of New Plays, Dead White Males a Eugene O'Neill semi-finalist and Kabuki Medea, winner of the Bay Area Critics Award for best production in San Francisco and the Jefferson Award for best production in Chicago. Bill is the co-author of the book, Playwriting: From Formula To Form, published by Harcourt Brace. He lives in Wyoming.