Few modern art forms are as misunderstood as the craft of creating movie scripts, but "Tales from the Script" puts readers in the trenches of the Hollywood development process. Readers will revel in the exploits of Shane Black ("Lethal Weapon"), John Carpenter ("Halloween'), Frank Darabont ("The Shawshank Redemption"), Nora Ephron ("When Harry Met Sally"), William Goldman ("The Princess Bride"), David Hayter ("Watchmen"), Bruce Joel Rubin ("Ghost"), Paul Schrader ("Taxi Driver"), Ron Shelton ("Bull Durham"), and dozens of others. They'll learn how these writers surmounted the incredible odds against breaking into Hollywood, transformed their ideas into films that topped the box office, launched the careers of major stars, and earned Oscars. The stories behind the storytellers are as exciting, surprising, and inspirational as the narratives of their celebrated films. Entertaining, startling, and uplifting, this collection of exclusive interviews with Hollywood's leading screenwriters is a must read for those who dream of penning a Hollywood screenplay and for movie buffs excited to learn the stories behind their favorite films; it's a a master class taught by those who made that dream come true.

About the Author
Michigan native Peter Hanson studied film at New York University and journalism at the University at Albany-SUNY. He is the author of Dalton Trumbo, Hollywood Rebel (a finalist for the Theatre Library Association Award), and The Cinema of Generation X. He directed the documentary feature Every Pixel Tells a Story and the award-winning short Stagehand, and co-wrote the narrative feature The Last Round. His articles have appeared in Script and Written By. He lives in Beverly Hills, California. Paul Robert Herman graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a degree in psychology. He earned his teaching credentials from the University of Colorado at Boulder, specializing in creative writing and film. After moving to Hollywood, he completed UCLA's Professional Program in Screenwriting. He worked for several years as an assistant producer for an entertainment company in Pacific Palisades before branching off on his own. He has written, directed and produced short films through his multimedia company, Jade Tiger Productions.

Reviews
"Captures the excitement, frustration, and reality of being a working screenwriter in an accessible and essential volume that aspiring screenwriters will devour." -- Booklist (starred review) "Fascinating tales from the belly of the beast." -- Lawrence Kasdan, Oscar-nominated writer/director of The Big Chill, Wyatt Earp, and Body Heat "Tales From the Script gathers notable veterans of the screen wars who demonstrate the basic truth of our adventures in Movieland: Writing is the easy part." -- John Sayles, writer/director of Lone Star and Eight Men Out "A must-read for anyone who depends on the screenwriter's craft. And that's a lot of us." -- Edward R. Pressman, producer of Wall Street, American Psycho, and Reversal of Fortune



Book Information
ISBN 9780061855924
Author Peter Hanson
Format Paperback
Page Count 368
Imprint Dey Street Books, an imprint of HarperCollins US
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Weight(grams) 290g
Dimensions(mm) 203mm * 135mm * 21mm