Bulletproof Screenwriting™ Podcast

Richard Walter was born on July 11, 1944 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a writer, known for Group Marriage (1972), The Cinematographer (1969) and The Production Manager (1969). He has been married to Patricia Sandgrund since 1967.In 1988, he released his first instructional book Screenwriting: The Art, Craft, and Business of Film and Television Writing (Plume). This was followed a decade later (2000) by his debut novel Escape from Film School, which tells the sprightly tale of a young man who makes it in Hollywood without ever leaving film school.Richard is one of the few OG writers who have studied, and taught through the evolutive eras of screenplays and screenwriting in Hollywood.With his wealth of knowledge, he released his third and most recent book, Essentials of Screenwriting: The Art, Craft, and Business of Film and Television Writing. In this one, he shares the secrets of writing and selling successful screenplays for aspiring screenwriters.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.

Today on the show I have a good friend and fellow podcaster, Giles Alderson. Giles is not only a podcaster but a successful filmmaker, producer, and screenwriter. I've been on The Filmmaker's Podcast a couple of times now and I just love talking shop with him. One day we got to talking and he told me the crazy story of his debut film The Dare, which cost over a million dollars.The Dare starred Richard Brake (31, Batman Begins), Alexandra Evans (Redistributors), Bart Edwards (Fantastic Beasts), Richard Short (Vinyl, Public Enemies), Robert Maaser (M.I 5 Rogue Nation).Giles Alderson has recently locked a picture on his directed historical action feature Arthur & Merlin: Knights of Camelot for Signature Ent and Picture Perfect. Starring Richard Short (Macbeth) Stella Stocker (The Good Liar) and Richard Brake (Game of Thrones).I had to have him on the show to share his misadventures in making a million-dollar debut feature film.Get ready for one whale of a tale.Enjoy my conversation with Giles Alderson.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.

Pilar Alessandra is the director of the screenwriting and TV writing program On the Page®, host of the popular On the Page Podcast and author of the top-selling book “The Coffee Break Screenwriter.”Pilar started her career as Senior Story Analyst at DreamWorks SKG and, in 2001, opened the On the Page Writers’ Studio in Los Angeles.Her students and clients have written for The Walking Dead, Modern Family, Grey’s Anatomy, Lost and Family Guy. They’ve sold features and pitches to Warner Bros, DreamWorks, Disney and Sony and have won the prestigious Nicholl Fellowship, Austin Screenwriting Competition and Warner Bros. TV Writing Workshop.In addition to her private classes taught out of the On the Page Writers’ Studio, Pilar has trained writers at DreamWorks, Disney Animation, ABC, CBS and regularly moderates the Pitch Conference at the American Film Market.Pilar has traveled the world teaching in London, Dublin, Beijing, Warsaw, Lisbon and Cape Town, training writers, animators, producers and show runners in the art of writing, story telling and pitching.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.

Chris Soth developed the “Mini-Movie Method” after years of success as a Hollywood screenwriter. Chris has multiple projects in development at major Hollywood studios. This master story teller is also an expert in pitching and selling - necessary tools for a screenwriter in Hollywood.Chris holds an MFA in screenwriting and a BA in Dramatic Literature. He is the only seminar instructor whose work has been produced by a major Hollywood studio.MILLION-DOLLAR SCREENWRITING presents a method of story design that is easy to understand and easy to do, The Mini Movie Method! This is the key to unlocking your future as a working screenwriter in Hollywood. It turns writing into an effortless, step-by-step process, makes beginners into experts and experts into masters of the craft. The secret to successful screenwriting has finally arrived:The Mini-Movie Method!-THE MINI-MOVIE METHOD WAS INVENTED FOR MOVIES!-When film was born story changed forever. Traditional “Three-Act Structure” was invented for the theater, but movies are shot, edited and projected on “reels”. Each reel contains its own piece of the story, like chapters of a novel, called “sequences” or “Mini-Movies”. The Mini-Movie Method is a way of “sequencing” your story that is specifically designed for movies, tailored to movies, unique to movies, because The Mini-Movie Method was CREATED for movies.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.

We have all heard stories of difficult and even dangerous film shoots before but today's story tops them all. In today's episode, we welcome filmmaker Jon Gustafsson. This filmmaker was in the belly of the beast as they say. His documentary Wrath of Gods documents one of the most dangerous and difficult films shoots in modern film history.When Canadian director Sturla Gunnarsson and his cast and crew, including Gerard Butler and Stellan Skarsgård, set upon Iceland to film Beowulf & Grendel in 2004, they expected the usual complications involved in making a major motion picture. What they encountered was a ruthless Icelandic winter on a foreboding landscape, financing complications, and a bizarre run of bad luck that led some of them to believe they were in an epic battle with the Norse gods themselves.Filmmaker Jon Gustafsson was along for the ride. Hired to play one of Beowulf’s warriors, he’s one set with his camera as the crew battles hurricane-force winds and he’s in the backroom as the producers scramble to shore up a collapsing deal, creating an intimate portrait of filmmakers fighting the odds in pursuit of a vision.I'm also honored to announce that you can watch Wrath of Gods on the Indie Film Hustle TV. Plus you'll get exclusive bonus materials not available anywhere else. If you liked Lost in la Mancha or Burden of Dreams you will probably like this one.Enjoy my conversation with Jon Gustafsson.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.

S.S. Wilson, the screenwriter of such films as Tremors and Short Circuit, has just finished his second novel Fraidy Cats. Wilson also wrote a book on special effects, stop-motion animation, PUPPETS, AND PEOPLE. In 1983 Wilson and Maddock sold their spec script SHORT CIRCUIT. Directed by John Badham, it was their first produced feature. In quick succession, they wrote SHORT CIRCUIT 2, BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED, GHOST DAD; and served as consultants on Steven Spielberg’s animated THE LAND BEFORE TIME.In 1990 they sold another spec, TREMORS, on which they also served as producers. Directed by fellow USC alum Ron Underwood and starring Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Michael Gross, and Reba McEntire, the film became a revered cult classic, spawning three sequels and a TV series. Wilson and Maddock joined with Nancy Roberts (producer of all the Tremors sequels) and Ron Underwood to form Stampede Entertainment in 1992. The first Stampede project was HEART AND SOULS at Universal, starring Robert Downey, Jr.The TREMORS franchise grew with Wilson debuting as a director on TREMORS 2: AFTERSHOCKS for Universal Family Home Entertainment. During the same time period, he and Maddock wrote the green-light draft of Warner Bros. 1999 tent pole release WILD WILD WEST, starring Will Smith.In 2001 it was TREMORS 3: BACK TO PERFECTION, with Stampede partner Brent Maddock directing and Wilson handling the second unit. 2004 saw both the debut of TREMORS: THE SERIES for the Sci-Fi Network (Wilson co-created and co-executive produced with Maddock and Roberts) and TREMORS 4: THE LEGEND BEGINS, with Wilson again at the helm.In addition to screenwriting, Wilson is branching out into fiction. His first book is an action-adventure tale Tucker’s Monster.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.

Craig Brewer (Director/Producer) began his career as a filmmaker in Memphis, Tennessee. While working at Barnes & Noble, he learned camera and editing techniques from books he purchased with his employee discount. In 2000, he made his first feature film, THE POOR & HUNGRY, which won Best Digital Feature at the 2000 Hollywood Film Festival.Brewer’s second film, HUSTLE & FLOW, starring Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, was produced by Stephanie Allain and the late John Singleton. The film premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, winning the Audience Award for Best Feature. The film secured a record-breaking acquisition deal by Paramount Pictures and MTV Films. It garnered an Academy Award nomination for lead actor Terrence Howard and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song: Three 6 Mafia’s "It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp."Brewer’s third film, BLACK SNACK MOAN, starred Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, and Justin Timberlake. The film premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and was released in theaters by Paramount Pictures. In 2011, Brewer directed the remake of FOOTLOOSE for Paramount and produced the concert documentary KATY PERRY: PART OF ME. Moving into Television, Brewer directed the pilot to TERRIERS, which ran for one season on FX. He then re-teamed with Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, directing ten episodes on their hit TV series, EMPIRE.In 2018, Brewer began his collaboration with Eddie Murphy on two films. The first, DOLEMITE IS MY NAME, based on the life of Rudy Ray Moore, won The Critic’s Choice Award for Best Comedy, an NAACP Award for Best Independent Film, and earned Eddie Murphy a Golden Globe Nomination for Best Actor.Next was the highly anticipated sequel, COMING 2 AMERICA. The film was produced by Paramount and released by Amazon Studios in 2020, becoming the most streamed movie for Amazon ever.Enjoy my conversation with Craig Brewer.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.

Jim Uhls is an American screenwriter best known for his work on the iconic film "Fight Club." Born in 1951 in the United States, Uhls began his career in the entertainment industry as a script reader and development executive. He worked his way up the ranks, honing his skills as a writer and developing a reputation for his unique voice and style.Uhls' big break came in the late 1990s when he was approached to adapt Chuck Palahniuk's novel "Fight Club" for the big screen. The project was seen as a risky and unconventional choice, but Uhls was drawn to the dark and satirical tone of the book, as well as its themes of individuality and rebellion.Working with director David Fincher, Uhls approached the writing process for "Fight Club" with a focus on staying true to the spirit of the novel while also adapting it for the screen. He spent months researching and studying the novel, immersing himself in the characters' world and exploring the story's deeper themes and meanings.One of the biggest challenges of adapting "Fight Club" for the screen was finding a way to translate the unconventional and fragmented structure of the novel into a cohesive and compelling film. To achieve this, Uhls worked closely with Fincher to develop a visual and narrative style that would capture the book's spirit while making it accessible to a wider audience.Uhls' hard work and dedication resulted in a film that was both a critical and commercial success. "Fight Club" was praised for its bold and innovative style, darkly humorous tone, and powerful themes of individuality and rebellion.The film has since become a cult classic, and Uhls' screenplay is widely regarded as one of the best adaptations of a novel to the screen.In addition to his work on "Fight Club," Uhls has also written and produced several other successful films and television shows. Despite his success, he remains humble and dedicated to his craft, always striving to push the boundaries of storytelling and create unique and impactful works of art.Overall, Jim Uhls is a talented and innovative writer who has significantly impacted the entertainment industry. His approach to the writing process, which emphasizes research, dedication, and a deep understanding of the source material, has earned him a reputation as one of the best screenwriters of his generation.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.

This episode might give you a better understanding of How To Sell A Movie To Netflix?In this age of streaming platforms, knowing your distribution route and your audience's comfortable viewing habits as filmmakers is crucial. Today on the show returning champion and film industry data analyst ninja Stephen Follows, breakdowns the build-up process and goal of his newly-launched data analysis platform, VOD Clickstream. The first phase of Stephen's VOD Clickstream is an independent research of Netflix streaming history between 2016-2019 of two-thirds billion data points that reveal what folks have been watching on Netflix. The research provides insights into the streaming sector by anonymizing browsers and users' history through a plugin to analyze clickstream data from Netflix. Being an entrepreneur himself, he explores, through this project, the future of VOD Clickstream's impact on independent filmmaking and creates a feedback loop with the audience to gauge films and television show performances.Stephen and I discuss the interlink between the upswing of film and television content, the growth of streaming platforms, and the challenges this situation poses for indie films to succeed on these platforms.Enjoy my conversation with Stephen Follows.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.

Brendan McCarthy is a legend in the world of comics and now the world of Mad Max. His series Freakwave was inspired by Mad Max 2, The Road Warrior, and was later copied by the film Waterworld (without giving credit to McCarthy). In this episode, we talk with McCarthy about his relationship with Mad Max and how he went from being a film of The Road Warrior to actually co-writing the most INSANE installment with writer/director George Miller.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.