Writing Scripts Hollywood Will Love

SYNOPSIS

Veteran screenwriter and analyst Katherine Atwell Herbert gives aspiring and experienced screenwriters an indispensable, insider�s view of the process of conceiving, writing, and marketing a winning film or television script. The author reveals what professional script analysts demand from screenwriters and offers in-depth guidance on everything from the script�s appearance to plot, structure, character, dialogue, and the innumerable subtle clues that shape analysts� opinions. Now in a revised and expanded edition, which provides up-to-date coverage of opportunities on the Internet and in film festivals and contests, this book arms readers with invaluable insight into the Hollywood process and the role that screenwriters play in it. Included are essential suggestions for:
� Turning a story idea into a full-length script
� Articulating specific shots to create a desired look
� Testing, editing, and rewriting scripts
� Formatting for both screen- and teleplays
� Researching a script�s market and knowing its audience
� Pitching to the right agents and negotiating contracts
� Exploring venues outside of the feature film industry
� Learning how to survive and succeed in Hollywood

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Like lots of writers in this town I feel confident about scriptwriting, producing, and movie making; but like a lot of writers, I wish I knew the secret of getting my scripts praised by a script analyst. This book tells you how to do that."Bill Richmond, writer-producer of The John Larroquette Show, Blossom, Three's Company, Carol Burnett; and author of eight produced screenplays including The Nutty Professor "Writing Scripts Hollywood Will Love is a realistic insider's view of the screenwriting process. It's a worthwhile, solid work for the budding screenwriter. (Gerald Petievich, founder and director of the Palm Springs Writers Conference, author of To Live and Die in L.A. and many other scripts)  — Gerald Petievich

I have often wondered what goes on in the minds of studio script analysts.Well, now I know!Writing Scripts Hollywood Will Love is loaded with critically important information.I wish it had been around when I started out.It's an invaluable resource for the writer. (Richard Rossner, story editor and writer on Full House, She's the Sheriff, and The Live Aid Concert)  — Richard Rossner

This is one of the first books I read.It's also the one I constantly revisit.Herbert covers the good, the bad and the basics of screenwriting and gives you the insight and confidence that you need in order to, not only finish a script, but market it as well.This book provides that and many other invaluable resources. (Regan Letourneau, independent writer-director)  — Regan Letourneau

ACCREDITATION

For Katherine Atwell Herbert, it was love at first sight from the time she was taken to see her first movie. Later, as a grade school student, she realized that the written word possessed another sort of magic. Decades later the two loves continue unabated.

Before she finished post-graduate classroom work in film at the University of Southern California and Arizona State University, she was writing newspaper film reviews, interviews, and features. It was inevitable that her path would lead to Hollywood.

After getting an agent with her very first script, she moved to Los Angeles and began working in the business. At DeLaurentiis Entertainment Group, she was a script analyst and the executive assistant to the vice president of production. Later she became the development director for a production company at MGM Television and has worked with Backroads Productions preparing films for production.

She has also analyzed scripts for Fox Broadcasting, IRS Films, Carolco, and other, including Multimedia, Viacom-Showtime and LightstormJim Cameron's company. Her scriptwriting includes episodes for "Trial by Jury," "Murder She Wrote," and "Quantum Leap," among others, as well as feature screenplays and rewrite work. Her other writing includes national magazine articles in such publications as Young Miss, Teen, Dynamic Years, and others, as well as articles for various newspapers.

The writer-analyst has won several national and local awards for her work from the National Federation of Press Women and was nominated as an Outstanding Young Woman in America. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona.