Writing Movies for Fun and Profit: How We Made a Billion Dollars at the Box Office and You Can, Too!

Finally, a guide to screenwriting by two guys who have actually done it (instead of some schmuck who just gives lectures about screenwriting at the airport Marriott).

Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon's movies have made over a billion dollars at the box office--and now they show you how to do it yourself This book is full of secret insider information about how to conquer the Hollywood studio system: how to write, pitch, structure, and get drunk with the best of them. Well . . . maybe not the best of them, but certainly the most successful of them. (If you're aiming to win an Oscar, this is not the book for you ) But if you can type a little, and can read and speak English--then you too can start turning your words into $TACK$ OF MONEY

This is the only screenwriting book you will ever need because all the other ones pretty much suck. In these pages, Garant and Lennon provide the kind of priceless tips you won't find anywhere else, including:

- THE ART OF PITCHING

- GETTING YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR

- TAKING NOTES FROM MOVIE STARS

- HOW TO GET FIRED AND REHIRED

- HOW TO GET CREDIT AND ROYALTIES

AND MOST IMPORTANT:

- WHAT TO BUY WITH THE HUGE PILES OF MONEY YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE

Writing Movies for Fun and Profit will take you through the highs and lows of life as a professional screenwriter. From the highs of hugging Gisele Bundchen, and getting kung fu punched by Jackie Chan, to the soul-crushing lows of Herbie: Fully Loaded. READ THIS BOOK--and you'll have everything you need to make your first billion the old-fashioned way--by selling out in show business

A portion of the authors' proceeds from this book are being contributed to the USO of Metropolitan Washington, a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to serving active duty military members and their families in greater Washington, D.C., region.

The writers of Reno 911! and several other feature films trace their haphazard experiences in the movie industry, revealing the process through which they worked on script development with executives and stars, pacified exploitative decision makers and fought to be paid for their work.

A hilarious and revealing guide to the movie industry by two writers whose movies have made over a billion dollars.

Selling Your Movie. Getting started in Hollywood ; Why isn't anyone buying my brilliant script? ; How to pitch your movie ; Joining the Writers Guild of America, West — I sold it! now what happens? ; Idiot check ; Coverage! or, How a kid getting college credit can make or break your movie! ; Have I made it yet? ; They love my script!...and I got fired? ; Why does almost every studio movie suck donkey balls? ; The art of nodding, or, How to take notes ; Directors ; Producers ; Herbie: Fully Loaded ; Redlighting, or, How to get your movie un-greenlit! ; Turnaround ; How to pimp your movie ; Naysayers ; The silver lining ; Our lunch with Jackie Chan ; Credit$ ; Living in Los Angeles — Writing a Screenplay. If your screenplay doesn't have this structure, it won't sell, or, Robert McKee can suck it ; In a few pages, we'll teach you how to formulate characters in a script ; How to write a screenplay ; Writing action and description ; Advice for writing with a partner ; Rewrites: you want it when? and I'm getting paid what? ; Martin Lawrence has a few thoughts, or, How to take notes from a movie star ; Arbitration, or, Who wrote this crap? ; Sequels ; Getting the book rights ; I'm drinking too much. is that a problem? ; Final thoughts — Sample outlines.