Synopses & Reviews
This isandlt;iandgt; andlt;/iandgt;the only screenwriting guide by two guys who have actually done it (instead of some schmuck who just gives lectures about screenwriting at the airport Marriott); and#8220;These guys are proof that with no training and little education, ANYONE can make it as a screenwriterand#8221; (Paul Rudd).andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennonand#8217;s movies have made over a billion dollars at the box officeand#8212;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. Welland#8230;maybe not the best of them, but certainly the most successful. (If youand#8217;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 Englishand#8212;then you too can start turning your words into stacks of money!andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;This is the only screenwriting book you will ever need (because all other ones pretty much suck). In these pages, Garant and Lennon provide the kind of priceless tips you wonand#8217;t find anywhere else, including:andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;-The art of pitchingandlt;BRandgt; -Getting your foot in the doorandlt;BRandgt; -Taking notes from movie starsandlt;BRandgt; -How to get fired and rehiredandlt;BRandgt; -How to get credit and royalties!andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;And most important: what to buy with the huge piles of money youand#8217;re going to make!andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;andlt;iandgt;Writing Movies for Fun and Profitandlt;/iandgt; will take you through the highs and lows of life as a professional screenwriter. From the highs of hugging Gisele Band#252;ndchen and getting kung fu punched by Jackie Chan to the soul-crushing lows of andlt;iandgt;Herbie: Fully Loadedandlt;/iandgt;.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;Read this book and youand#8217;ll have everything you need to make your first billion the old-fashioned wayand#8212;by and#8220;selling outand#8221; in show business!andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt;A portion of the authorsand#8217; 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 the greater Washington, DC, region.
Review
"These two guys are the reason Night at the Museum won so many Oscars"
—Ben Stiller
Review
"These guys are proof that with no training and little education, ANYONE can make it as a screenwriter."
—Paul Rudd
Review
“These guys probably ripped off everything in this book just like they do in all their screenplays. That would explain why it’s actually kind of good.”
—Ed Helms
Review
“Tom and Ben are two of the writers currently working in Hollywood. I can add they make a ‘profit’ on each of their writing jobs, as I believe they have very little overhead. Therefore, they are clearly qualified to write this book. Having not read it, I can tell you that it is uproariously funny, perhaps the best book on writing ever."
—Zak Penn, Film Screenwriter & Director
Review
"Tom and Ben's valuable insight into writing for a Volkswagen bug and creating the ‘Lawrence of Arabia of Ping Pong films’ make this book far more informative to the young dramatist than the vastly over-rated ‘Aristotle's Poetics.’"
—Jonathan Glickman, Film Producer, President of MGM, Motion Picture Group
Review
“Ben and Tom are a great fit for me. I love working with talented writers and then telling people everything was my idea. This is a great book, that I pitched to them a while back... I'm thrilled that they finally got around to writing it.”
—Danny DeVito
Review
“Some screenwriters have a knack for capturing the heart and soul of characters, the nuance of themes, the richness of the human experience. And some are like Tom and Ben.”
—Shawn Levy, Film Director & Producer
Synopsis
“A hilarious and helpful insider’s guide to launching a successful writing career in Hollywood…The only compass readers will ever need to navigate the treacherous waters of filmmaking” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). Full of juicy insider knowledge as well as practical information that from the front lines, Writing Movies for Fun and Profit is a unique survival guide to conquering the Hollywood studio system. The authors have weathered script development with high-level movie executives and are ready to pull the curtain back on the most hare-brained and egotistical “notes” they’ve ever received and what it feels like to have written Herbie Fully Loaded. They cover everything from the art of the pitch to the art of “nodding,” as well as explain the ins and outs of dealing with naysayers.
This is not some highfalutin screenwriting guide to help aspiring writers “crack” their story. This book is not about screenwriting “theory.” These are the adventures (and misadventures) of two guys who’ve made it. And, in Writing Movies for Fun and Profit they reveal how you can do it, too.
About the Author
andlt;bandgt;Thomas Lennon andlt;/bandgt;attended the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, where he co-founded the influential sketch comedy group The State. He and Ben Garant have written nine feature films together, including: andlt;iandgt;Night at the Museumandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Taxiandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Reno 911!: Miamiandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Balls of Furyandlt;/iandgt;, and andlt;iandgt;The Pacifierandlt;/iandgt;. Tom has also appeared as an actor in numerous films. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, the actress Jenny Robertson and his son, Oliver.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;bandgt;Robert Ben Garant andlt;/bandgt;spent the early nineties in New York, with the comedy group andlt;iandgt;The State andlt;/iandgt;on MTV. He and Tom Lennon then created two more hit shows on Comedy Central:andlt;iandgt; Viva Variety andlt;/iandgt;and andlt;iandgt;Reno 911!andlt;/iandgt; Since relocating to Los Angeles, heand#8217;s written films for Disney, Spyglass, Imagine, Warner Brothers, Columbia, Paramount, New Line, Dimension, and Universal Pictures. Please visit WritingMoviesForFunandProfit.com.