Beating Hollywood

From a veteran Hollywood script reader who knows what sells--and what doesn't--comes a comprehensive collection of screenwriting tips that provides essential facts for anyone writing a screenplay.

Steve Cuden's Beating Hollywood examines, piece by piece, how writers, directors, and producers create stories for extraordinary movies by breaking down forty classic films into narrative beats, plot points, and movements to uncover how magic was made. More than a simple look at what others have done, this book also serves as a comprehensive guide to how you, too, can craft a memorable story for the screen. From Cuden's 150 invaluable tips, you'll learn how to: Master storytelling fundamentals Create unforgettable characters, dialogue, and scenes Build solid story structure Develop plot Break your story into what Cuden calls eight essential chapters Cultivate a unique voice Think like a businessperson who can sell your writing, not merely a creative artist This is a must-read for anyone who writes screenplays-new writers and seasoned pros alike-as well as an invaluable resource for film teachers and movie buffs. "...so comprehensive, so well organized, so accessible and useful for writers at any stage of their career, I want to quote the whole damn thing... This is one gigantically valuable asset to the screenwriting community." -Hal Ackerman, Screenwriting Co-Area Head, UCLA School of Theater, Film, Television and Digital Media "If you're a lover of cinema, read it and be the smartest guy in the room at your next film society gathering." -David Wise, Developed/Executive Story Editor/Writer, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; Story Editor/Writer The Mighty Ducks "Cuden's text is a masterpiece of insight delivered with the ease and wit of a conversation with good friend, who just happens to be a life-long craftsman at the top of his game." -Rick Hawkins, Emmy-winning Writer, The Carol Burnett Show, Mama's Family, Major Dad, Sister, Sister "Steve has demonstrated by his own writing and through this book that he understands the complexities of screenwriting, and his analysis of what makes certain films unforgettable is enlightening. This book is, above all, useful." -Howard Suber, Professor at UCLA's film school for 50 years, Author, The Power of Film and Letters to Young Screenwriters "Talk about the tools of the trade! After absorbing this amazing book, you may never watch a movie the same way again-and you will certainly be inspired to write one of your own." -Phil Proctor, Firesign Theatre "If you want to learn screenwriting, you could spend $120,000 dollars on graduate school or just buy Steve Cuden's book."

Hollywood Confidential is the first truly in-depth look at the sexy, humorous, violent, and tragic history of the mob in Hollywood from the 1920s, when Joe Kennedy decided to buy a motion picture company, to the 1980s when the last vestiges of mob influence were revealed through investigations of former Screen Actors Guild President Ronald Reagan and his union backers. The revelations continue into the 1980s when the major studios were no longer important, the independents were on the rise, and it was no longer possible to buy, bribe, or blackmail in a meaningful way. There were deals and bad guys, but the mob as it existed was finished in Hollywood.

Film Studies From Hollywood to Bollywood, explore the fantastic world of film Whether you’re preparing to study film at university or you simply have a passion for cinema, you’re bound to enjoy this book. Here’s where you’ll learn how people communicate ideas in films, how the industry works and who’s on the team, the impact of film on popular culture, the different genres and styles, film theory, the joys of animation and so much more. Explore far-reaching effects – examine the narrative, artistic, cultural, economic and political implications of cinema Compare and contrast film and reality – explore conceptual frameworks for a film’s relationship to reality Find out just how they do it – discover how stories are developed in movies and how a storyline is related to broader issues in society Work out what it’s all about – get to grips with avant-garde cinema and find out what such films really offer Take the incredible world tour – sample the unique styles of cinema in Europe, Japan, India and other countries Go larger than life – learn about greats in the industry, venture into film analysis and look at the transitions into 21st century cinema Open the book and find: How people tell stories in film Ways film is used to explore current issues and attitudes Responsibilities of cinema tographers and producers The mysteries of mise-en-scene All about digital-age animation Auteurs from the 1930s to today What poststructuralism and postmodernism really mean Ten must-watch movies

In December 1967, Time magazine put Bonnie and Clyde on its cover and proudly declared that Hollywood cinema was undergoing a 'renaissance'. For the next few years, a wide range of formally and thematically challenging films were produced at the very centre of the American film industry, often (but by no means always) combining success at the box office with huge critical acclaim, both then and later. This collection brings together acknowledged experts on American cinema to examine thirteen key films from the years 1966 to 1974, starting with Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, a major studio release which was in effect exempted from Hollywood's Production Code and thus helped to liberate American filmmaking from (self-)censorship. Long-standing taboos to do with sex, violence, race relations, drugs, politics, religion and much else could now be broken, often in conjunction with extensive stylistic experimentation. Whereas most previous scholarship has examined these developments through the prism of auteurism, with its tight focus on film directors and their oeuvres, the contributors to this collection also carefully examine production histories and processes. In doing so they pay particular attention to the economic underpinnings and collaborative nature of filmmaking, the influence of European art cinema as well as of exploitation, experimental and underground films, and the connections between cinema and other media (notably publishing, music and theatre). Several chapters show how the innovations of the Hollywood Renaissance relate to further changes in American cinema from the mid-1970s onwards.

This uniquely engaging and lively textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to international film, from the golden age of European cinema to the contemporary blockbusters of India and Asia, and the post World War II emergence of global film culture. Offers an overview of film culture in European countries such as France, Sweden and Spain, as well as Africa, Hong Kong, China, and India, in a clear and conversational style to engage the student reader Provides a detailed exploration of the impact of globalization on international cinema Includes a comprehensive companion website (www.wiley.com/go/worldonfilm) with an expansive gallery of film stills also found in the text, plus access to sample syllabi for faculty and a detailed FAQ Addresses the differences in visual and narrative strategies between Hollywood-influenced movies and international cinema Highlights key words within the text and provides a comprehensive glossary of critical vocabulary for film studies Each chapter includes in-depth case studies of individual films and directors, cultural and historical context, selected filmographies, and ideas for projects, essays, and further research

Close readings that look for "the real Los Angeles" in a selection of contemporary movies. Los Angeles is a global metropolis whose history and social narrative is linked to one of its top exports: cinema. L.A. appears on screen more than almost any city since Hollywood and is home to the American film industry. Historically, conversations of social and racial homogeneity have dominated the construction of Los Angeles as a cosmopolitan city, with Hollywood films largely contributing to this image. At the same time, the city is also known for its steady immigration, social inequalities, and exclusionary urban practices, not dissimilar to any other borderland in the world. The Spanish names and sounds within the city are paradoxical in relation to the striking invisibility of its Hispanic residents at many economic, social, and political levels, given their vast numbers. Additionally, the impact of the 1992 Los Angeles riots left the city raw, yet brought about changing discourses and provided Hollywood with the opportunity to rebrand its hometown by projecting to the world a new image in which social uniformity is challenged by diversity. It is for this reason that author Celestino Deleyto decided to take a closer look at how the quintessential cinematic city contributes to the ongoing creation of its own representation on the screen. From Tinseltown to Bordertown: Los Angeles on Film starts from the theoretical premise that place matters. Deleyto sees film as predominantly a spatial system and argues that the space of film and the space of reality are closely intertwined in complex ways and that we should acknowledge the potential of cinema to intervene in the historical process of the construction of urban space, as well as its ability to record place. The author asks to what extent this is also the city that is being constructed by contemporary movies. From Tinseltown to Bordertown offers a unique combination of urban, cultural, and border theory, as well as the author's direct observation and experience of the city's social and human geography with close readings of a selection of films such as Falling Down, White Men Can't Jump, and Collateral. Through these textual analyses, Deleyto tries to situate filmic narratives of Los Angeles within the city itself and find a sense of the "real place" in their fictional fabrications. While in a certain sense, Los Angeles movies continue to exist within the rather exclusive boundaries of Tinseltown, the special borderliness of the city is becoming more and more evident in cinematic stories. Deleyto's monograph is a fascinating case study on one of the United States' most enigmatic cities. Film scholars with an interest in history and place will appreciate this book.

Allan Ryskind, son of Marx Brothers screenwriter Morrie Ryskind (Animal Crackers, A Night at the Opera, Room Service), exposes the ugly truth about the Communists blacklisted from the film industry. Too often, the "Hollywood Ten" brought before the House Un-American Activities Committee are memorialized as victims of an unjust witch-hunt and heroes who stood up for free speech. The truth is shocking: Not only did these supposed liberal paragons adore Josef Stalin and take their orders directly from the Communist Party, but they also sympathized with Adolf Hitler. Ryskind, who grew up in the heart of the Hollywood scene and personally knew many of the key players in this real-life Hollywood drama, has penned a definitive, myth-busting account of the Hollywood Ten and Hollywood Blacklist that will forever change the way you think about the ideological battle waged in the movie capital of the world. With glossy photographs.