Bulletproof Screenwriting™ Podcast

I wanted to do an episode on this subject for a long time.“You are the average of the five people you spend most of your time with.” – Jim RohnI wish I had someone to tell me this early on my screenwriting journey. In this episode, I go over what happened to me when I was starting out, how my friends affected me and my ability to move forward in my career and what happened to me when I moved to Los Angeles over a decade ago. I discuss how the people around you affect you on a personal, professional and even spiritual level.I really hope you find some value in this episode.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.

Every week I'll be posting new videos as part of my Bi-Weekly Motivation Series to help the #IFHTribe along with their filmmaking and/or screenwriting path. We all need some help, guidance, motivation or inspiration on our long journey in this crazy business so I hope these videos help in a small way.If you like this please share it with your friends and inner circle. Keep on hustling and never give up on that dream!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.

Today on the show we have the legendary Linda Segar. Linda was one of my first ever interviews back when I launched Indie Film Hustle and her episode is by far one of the most popular ever. Here's some info on our lovely guest.In 1981, Linda Seger created and defined the career of Script Consultant. She based her business on a method for analyzing scripts that she had developed for her doctoral dissertation project. Since then, she has consulted on over 2,000 scripts including over 50 produced feature films and over 35 produced television projects. Linda was the consultant for Peter Jackson’s breakthrough film, Brain Dead and for Roland Emmerich’s breakthrough film, Universal Soldier.She was the script consultant on Pasttime and Picture Bride–both winners of the Audience Favorite Award at the Sundance Film Festival–as well as for the films The Long Walk Home, The Neverending Story II, Luther, Romero, and television movies and mini-series including The Bridge, the Danish-Swedish mini-series (now playing in the US).Other clients include Ray Bradbury who said, “Linda’s technique is a light to see by,” William Kelley, Linda Lavin, and production companies, film studios, producers, directors, and writers from over 33 countries.Having authored nine books on scriptwriting, including the best selling Making A Good Script Great, Linda is one of the most prolific writers in her field. Here new book The Collaborative Art of Filmmaking: From Script to Screen explores what goes into the making of Hollywood’s greatest motion pictures. Join veteran script consultant Linda Seger as she examines contemporary and classic screenplays on their perilous journey from script to screen. This fully revised and updated edition includes interviews with over 80 well-known artists in their fields including writers, producers, directors, actors, editors, composers, and production designers.Their discussions about the art and craft of filmmaking – including how and why they make their decisions – provides filmmaking and screenwriting students and professionals with the ultimate guide to creating the best possible “blueprint” for a film and to also fully understand the artistic and technical decisions being made by all those involved in the process.“A very thorough and fascinating look at the whole filmmaking process – the art and the craft. Highly readable and interesting for filmmakers or beginners with a special emphasis on the power of collaboration. A well-researched​ insider’s guide – like taking the hand of accomplished filmmakers and learning from the best.”- Ron Howard, Oscar-Winning Director and Co-Founder of Imagine EntertainmentEnjoy my knowledge bomb filled conversation with Linda Seger.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.

Over the years I have mentioned my meditation practice and how important it is in my daily routine on the show. Many of the #IFHTribe have asked me to do an entire episode on meditation and the importance it has in the creative process. Today is that day.In this episode, I go over:My personal meditation practiceWhy it's impossible to CLEAR YOUR MINDHow to embrace your minds inner voiceHow science view meditationNeuroscience and what actually happens to your brain when you meditateHow meditation can make you more creativeI discuss practical everyday uses for meditation in your creative life. Some of my greatest ideas and thoughts have come to me during my meditations. I'll also teach you how to meditate for 10-15 min to start and then over time, you can grow your practice to 1-2 hours a day like I do. Once you start meditating it becomes addictive.Get ready to open your creative channels to full flow. Enjoy!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.

Today on the show we have an author, writer, and former development executive, Danny Manus. Danny parlayed his career as a development executive in Hollywood to becoming an in-demand script consultant and founder of No BullScript Consulting.The author of “No BS for Screenwriters: Advice from the Executive Perspective,” which is now in its 2nd Edition, Danny was ranked in the Top 15 “Cream of the Crop” Script Consultants by Creative Screenwriting Magazine and was named one of Screencraft’s “25 People Screenwriters Should Follow on Twitter.”Danny has taken over 3000 pitches, written almost 250 articles on screenwriting for numerous websites and publications including ScriptMag, for which he is a columnist, and has been a judge for the PAGE Awards four years running. On this episode, I wanted to see what the perspective is from the other side of the desk. Enjoy my conversation with Danny Manus.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.

We have all heard about Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey by this point but what is it really. Chris Vogler, the author of The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers and the man who brought the Hero's Journey into the film industry, breaks down the ordinary and special worlds of the hero's journey. Enjoy.These videos on screenplay structure are from his best selling online course: Story and Screenwriting Blueprint - The Hero's Two Journeys.In more than 4½ hours of lecture, discussion and Q&A, Michael Hauge, author of and Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds: The Guaranteed Way to Get Your Screenplay or Novel and Christopher Vogler, story analyst and author of The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers, unite to reveal the essential principles of plot structure, character arc, myth and transformation.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.

Before we begin I need to reveal a truth to you."The Matrix is not a movie, it's a documentary"Believe it or not, this is true. Our internal operating system in our mind was programmed years ago when we were children. That programming runs our life through the subconscious. Don't believe me?Did you drive a car today?Did you brush your teeth?Did you think about walking to the kitchen to make breakfast?Did you think about breathing or making sure your heart beats?Probably not. You would be exhaust mentally if you had to think about all of this every day. This is all run by our operating system (aka the subconscious), the problem is many of us are still running Windows 95.In this episode, I go deep down the rabbit hole and discuss how our subconscious can and does stop us from achieving not only our screenwriting dreams but how it affects all areas of our lives. I discuss how my life changed dramatically when I discovered this and made those upgrades. I also go over the two ways you can upgrade the old operating system in your head.“This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.” - MorpheusLet's all take that Red Pill and see how deep the rabbit-hole goes. Get ready to have your mind blown, literally. Enjoy!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.

Today on the show we have Emmanuel Oberg. Emmanuel is a screenwriter, author and script consultant with more than twenty years of experience in the Film and TV industry. After selling his first project to Warner Bros as a co-writer, he went on to be commissioned by StudioCanal and Gold Circle before writing solo for Working Title / Universal and Film4.He has also designed an internationally acclaimed 3-day Advanced Development Workshop - based on the Story-Type Method® - which he delivers with passion to filmmakers all over the world. Emmanuel lives in the UK with his wife and their two daughters. His film agent is Rachel Holroyd at Casarotto in London. He is also the writer of Screenwriting Unchained: Reclaim Your Creative Freedom and Master Story Structure (With The Story-Type Method).In Screenwriting Unchained, Emmanuel Oberg busts many myths and sets out an innovative methodThis practical, no-nonsense guide leaves behind one-size-fits-all story theories and offers a modern approach to story structure, making it a precious resource for anyone involved creatively in the Film and TV industry (or aspiring to be): writers, directors, producers, development execs, showrunners and, more generally, storytellers keen to reach a wide audience at home and abroad.Having identified three main story-types - plot-led, character-led, theme-led - Oberg reveals in a clear, conversational style how each of these impacts on the structure of any screenplay, and how we can use a single set of tools to develop any movie, from an independent crossover to a studio blockbuster.This leads to a powerful yet flexible way to handle the script development process: the Story-Type Method®. A new framework that doesn't tell you what to write and when, but focuses instead on why some tools and principles have stood the test of time, and how to use them in the 21st century.According to readers (see reviews below), Oberg's new approach is a game changer.Here are some of the easy-to-understand concepts explored in Screenwriting Unchained that will help you improve any screenplay:How to identify the story-type of your project to make its development faster, easier and solve most story structure problems.How to leave behind the prescriptive, logistical three-act structure based on page numbers or minutes and replace it with a flexible, dramatic three-act structure that will help you design a rock-solid screenplay.How focusing on emotion, character development and managing information will allow you to go beyond the "protagonist-goal-obstacles-conflict" basic chain of drama.How to use the fractal aspect of structure to design not only the whole story but also its parts in order to avoid the dreaded "sagging middle" syndrome and breathe new life into your script.How to clarify what's at stake and increase your chances of getting the project made with a new take on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.How to use subgoals to Sequence the Action and psychological/emotional steps to Sequence the Evolution of your characters.How to keep the audience engaged using tools like dramatic irony, surprise, mystery and suspense, adding a third dimension to your story.How to master these tools and principles in scenes through practical exercises before using them in a short film, a feature film, a TV episode or a whole series following hands-on tips and advice.How to design an attention-grabbing opening and a satisfying ending.How to deal with hybrids and exceptions, as story structure isn't about forcing all narratives into a single formulaic paradigm.With The Rewrite Stuff: 12 Ways to a Stronger Screenplay, how to approach a new draft creatively and efficiently.How to make the difference between selling documents - used to raise development or production finance - and story design tools.Once you've developed a killer script, how to best pitch your project according to its story-type and get enthusiastic partners on board....and much, much more!Using many case studies including films as diverse as Gravity, Silver Linings Playbook, Crash, Billy Elliot, The Intouchables, Birdman, Alien, Groundhog Day, Misery, Edge of Tomorrow, The Secret in Their Eyes, Cloud Atlas, L.A. Confidential and The Lives of Others, Screenwriting Unchained will transform the way you write, read, pitch, design, assess and develop screenplays.Enjoy my conversation with Emmanuel Oberg.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.

Today on the show we have screenwriter and producer Erik Bork. Erik Bork is a screenwriter best known for his work on the HBO miniseriesBAND OF BROTHERS and FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON, for which he wrote multiple episodes, and won two Emmy and two Golden Globe Awards as part of the producing team.Erik has also sold series pitches (and written pilots) at NBC and FOX, worked on the writing staff for two primetime dramas, and written feature screenplays on assignment for companies like Universal, HBO, TNT, and Playtone. He teaches screenwriting for UCLA Extension, National University, and The Writers Store, and offers one-on-one consulting to writers.Why don’t most scripts have the kind of success their writers' dream of? Because of problems with the basic idea for their story. Which the writer is usually unaware of. While story structure and scene writing choices do need to be top-notch, writers tend to rush into those parts of the writing process too quickly, without vetting their basic concept.This is a mistake professionals rarely make because their agents and managers insist that ideas be run past them first. And this usually leads to serious notes and development before the outlining process even starts.The "Seven Elements of a Viable Story" in The Idea form an acronym for the word PROBLEM, since every story is really about one, at its core. Each chapter focuses on one of these seven deceptively simple-looking aspects of a strong story, which are anything but easy to master. Mr. Bork highlights his own struggles as a writer, and his arrival at an understanding of how each of these elements works -- and how to know if one's idea really succeeds at each of them. A special section devoted to television writing (and its unique attributes) ends each chapter.Whatever your education and background in writing or story, this book and its unique focus contribute foundationally useful information not covered elsewhere -- which may be the missing piece that leads to greater results, both on the page and in the marketplace.Enjoy my conversation with Erik Bork.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.

Today we will tackle the toxic screenwriter mindset. That screenwriting mindset. That artist mindset. We discuss the mindset. How the beliefs we have stop and derail our dreams and life. So many of us have belief systems that limit us. Today we are going to break this down and give you some tools to reprogram yourself into the person and screenwriter you want to be."To have results that very few people have you have to start doing things that very few people do."Please share this episode with anyone you think needs to hear it. Listen to this often. Enjoy and keep on hustling.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/bulletproof-screenwriting-podcast--2881148/support.