101 Things I Learned® in Film School

Product Description

An illustrated, accessible introduction to filmmaking from a Hollywood screenwriter, producer, script consultant, and film school professor

Bringing a film to life requires skills in storytelling, the visual arts, logistics, and more. This book presents many critical principles of filmmaking, including-


. How to structure and pitch a screenplay
. How to make visible the invisible, such as backstory, motivation, and inner psychology
. Why it's best to keep your characters plunging into the unknown
. The difference between plot, story, and theme
. How to compose a frame visually
. How to manage finances, schedules, set logistics, sound, and lighting
. Why many films drag in Act 2, and what to do about it
Written by an award-winning producer, screenwriter, and script consultant to major movie studios, 101 Things I Learned in Film School is an indispensable resource for students, screenwriters, filmmakers, animators, and anyone interested in the movie world.An illustrated, accessible introduction to filmmaking from a Hollywood screenwriter, producer, script consultant, and film school professor

Bringing a film to life requires skills in storytelling, the visual arts, logistics, and more. This book presents many critical principles of filmmaking, including-


. How to structure and pitch a screenplay
. How to make visible the invisible, such as backstory, motivation, and inner psychology
. Why it's best to keep your characters plunging into the unknown
. The difference between plot, story, and theme
. How to compose a frame visually
. How to manage finances, schedules, set logistics, sound, and lighting
. Why many films drag in Act 2, and what to do about it
Written by an award-winning producer, screenwriter, and script consultant to major movie studios, 101 Things I Learned in Film School is an indispensable resource for students, screenwriters, filmmakers, animators, and anyone interested in the movie world.
Neil Landau is a screenwriter, producer, and professor who has lectured and won awards around the world. His credits include Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, Melrose Place, The Magnificent Seven, Doogie Howser, M.D., MTV's Undressed, and Tad- The Lost Explorer (Spanish Academy Goya Award and Cinema Writers' Circle Award for Best Adapted Screenplay). He has developed projects for CBS, ABC, Warner Brothers, Disney, Lifetime, Fremantle, Paramount, and Sony, and is currently co-director of the department of film, television & digital media at UCLA.

Matthew Frederick is a bestselling author, an instructor of design and writing, and the creator of the 101 Things I Learned series. He lives in New York's Hudson Valley.