Letters to Young Filmmakers – Table of Contents

Becoming a Filmmaker.. xiv

Becoming a Professional Filmmaker ..xvii

Fate vs. Destiny .. 3

War .. 5

It’s Who You Know .. 9

“Born Creative”? .. 11

The Principal Principle of Creativity.. 13

Inspiration .. 17

Originality.. 20

Ideas.. 24

Pitching.. 26               

What’s It About?.. 29

If The Screenplay Is So Important, How Come Screenwriters Are So O?ten Treated Like Shit?.. 31

Emotional Storyboards.. 35

Write What You Know?.. 37

Creating Recognizable Characters.. 41

Developing Your Writing.. 43

The Audience.. 45

What Audiences Want.. 47

Strategy and Artistic Freedom.. 49

Logistics.. 51

Prioritizing.. 53

Hollywood.. 57

What Movie Are You Living Now?.. 59

Decisions.. 61

Active vs. Effctive.. 64

Negotiating.. 66

Aggression.. 68

Motivations vs. Goals.. 71

Rules vs. Principles.. 73

What’s Most Important?.. 75

Treatments.. 77

Readers and Coverage.. 79

Development.. 82

Options.. 87

Marketplace Value of First Time Screenplays.. 89

Credits.. 91

Writers vs. Producers.. 94

Producers vs. Everyone Else.. 97

Conflict.. 100

Partnerships.. 103

Mentors and Models.. 107

Sharing Your Passion..110

How Much Does A Film Cost?.. 112

What Happened To The Studios?..114

The Golden Age of Independent Film.. 117

Making an Independent Film.. 120

Agents.. 123

Managers.. 126

Hip-Pocketing.. 128

Getting Started as a Director..131

Getting Started as a Producer.. 134

Doing Things ?or The Good o? the Film.. 136

Exhibition and Distribution.. 139

Marketing.. 142

Minorities and Women in the Industry.. 144

Ageism and Youthism.. 147

Copy and Other Rights.. 150

Life Rights and Roman à Clef.. 160

Being Screwed.. 164

Other Opportunities..167

The End of the Industry.. 169

What Determines Success?.. 171

Why Try?.. 175