Man on a Ledge Screenwriter

If you’re writing for Hollywood then age is usually a factor. This isn’t a bias but a fact of life. Here’s a success story from 58 year old Pablo Fenjves.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/man-a-ledge-screenwriter-takes-285264

 

Die Hard Revisited

We’ve been watching the Die Hard series the last few nights on AMC– Die Hard, Die Hard 2 and Die Hard with a Vengeance. I also read the script for the first movie which is considered the template for contemporary action flicks. Yes, the movies are dated and corny in spots, but they’re still great escapist entertainment films. What more can be asked of an action movie? Bruce Willis utters some preposterous things in the face of death, such as “Yippie ki ya, mother……,” but that’s half the fun, his lines are memorable, and we’re not talking about art.

The production quality of the three movies is interesting. The first movie was a blockbuster, the plot outlandish, the characters bordering on the cartoonish but plausible and the film contained a pervasive sense of humor. The second film was an over-the-top caricature of the first and appeared hastily produced to cash in on the success of the original. The third movie was better than the first in spite of Jeremy Iron’s hammy accent (the movie was pulled out of the fire by Samuel L. Jackson and his interaction with Willis).

Bill Martell analyzes the original Die Hard toward the end of The Secrets of Action Screenwriting. Writers: Die Hard, on first glance looks dated and cliched, warrants a second look with fresh eyes.

The Secrets of Action Screenwriting Review

I’m a big fan of Bill Martell’s Blue Books and recently bought The Secrets of Action Screenwriting. The Blue Books typically sell for $2.99 on Amazon, but Secrets cost $9.99 and I was reluctant at first to pay that much for it. I’m glad I did, and this is the best of his Blue Books so far in my opinion. I’ll buy the new ones at $9.99 when they’re available without blinking.

Bill Martell is a working screenwriter with a ton or produced work under his belt, so he’s no wannabe telling you how to write. I really respect working writers that share their knowledge with others, and Bill is one of those. Secrets is useful and above all practical.  It isn’t filled with useless motivational platitudes and pontificating, ineffective elucidations on writing (aka, no big words or fancy advice). He uses plain language (example: “bullshit” is sprinkled throughout) and offers realistic guidance and tips you can use, right now.

I’m a novelist, not a screenwriter, but I always write a screenplay before I write a novel.  I spend a couple months on an outline, write a beat sheet, then write a screenplay before I set a word of the novel to paper. Know what I discovered after reading Secrets? My beat sheets could be a lot better- by 100 percent. I now follow Bill’s method he so clearly portrays in the book.

If you buy The Secrets of Action Screenwriting, I recommend going right to the Finishing Touches section near the end of the book. Bill presents thirty questions and items to consider before unleashing your work, and this applies to novels as well as screenplays. If there’s a concept or item that you’re unfamiliar with, such as a payback line, plot seed, rug pulls or villain’s plan, you can easily refer to the section that describes the concept in detail.

As a working writer on a continuous learning path, I put Bill Martell’s Blue Books at the top of my list.