Screenwriting Is Rewriting : The Art and Craft of Professional Revision

If there is one skill that separates the professional screenwriter from the amateur, it is the ability to rewrite successfully. From Jack Epps, Jr., the screenwriter of Top Gun , Dick Tracy , and The Secret of My Success , comes a comprehensive guide that explores the many layers of rewriting. In Screenwriting is Rewriting , Epps provides a practical and tested approach to organizing notes, creating a game plan, and executing a series of focused passes that address the story, character, theme, structure, and plot issues. Included are sample notes, game plans, and beat sheets from Epps' work on films such as Sister Act and Turner and Hooch . Also featured are exclusive interviews with Academy Award winning screenwriters Robert Towne ( Chinatown ) and Frank Pierson ( Dog Day Afternoon ), along with Academy Award nominee Susannah Grant ( Erin Brockovich ). If there is one skill that separates the professional screenwriter from the amateur, it is a writer's ability to rewrite successfully. Even for the most battle-hardened screenwriter, rewriting can be confusing and difficult. Notes are often contradictory, the solutions are not always clear, and when deep in the middle of a rewrite, it's hard to have distance and perspective. From Jack Epps, Jr., the screenwriter of Top Gun, Dick Tracy and The Secret of My Success, comes a comprehensive guide that explores the art and craft of rewriting. Using a method he developed over years of working as a professional writer and script doctor, Epps guides the writer from First Draft to Final Polish through a series of focused passes which target specific rewriting challenges. With Screenwriting is Rewriting, you will find tips on organizing notes, creating a game plan, and executing a series of precision focused passes that address the major story, character and plot issues. Chapters cover: Interpreting Notes, The Foundation Pass, Character Pass, Story & Theme Pass, Structure Pass, and Polish Pass. Studio notes, game plans and beat sheets from his own work on Sister Act and Top Gun are included, along with exclusive interviews about rewriting with screenwriting masters Robert Towne (Chinatown), Frank Pierson (Dog Day Afternoon), and Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich). Screenwriting is Rewriting takes the mystery out of rewriting and helps the writer build a professional screenplay, one layer at a time "If there is one skill that separates the professional screenwriter from the amateur, it is his or her ability to rewrite successfully. But rewriting can be confusing and difficult even for the most battle-hardened screenwriter. From the screenwriter of Top Gun, Dick Tracy and The Secret of My Success comes a comprehensive guide that explores the art and craft of rewriting. Jack Epps, Jr. guides the writer to identify the weaknesses in his screenplay by using the pass method to solve individual story or character problems one at a time, rather than the common model of trying to fix everything in one giant rewrite, by taking the writer on a journey from First Draft to Final Polish. With Screenwriting is Rewriting, Epps gives practical tips on organizing notes, creating a game plan, and then executing a series of precision focused passes that address the major story, character and plot issues. He includes sample notes, game plans and beat sheets from the his own work on films such as Sister Act, Tootsie and Top Gun. Also included are exclusive interviews about rewriting with screenwriting masters Robert Towne (Chinatown), Frank Pierson (Dog Day Afternoon), and Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich), and a companion website containing an instructor's guide for a 10 week term or 16 week semester"-- Provided by publisher "A step-by-step guide that takes the mystery out of rewriting and leads the writer through a series of focused passes which address the core fundamentals of screenwriting resulting in a polished, professional screenplay"--Fourni par l'éditeur "A step-by-step guide that takes the mystery out of rewriting and leads the writer through a series of focused passes which address the core fundamentals of screenwriting resulting in a polished, professional screenplay."--Publisher`s website