Bulletproof Screenplay Podcast: Screenwriting | Screenwriters | Screenplay | Writers | Screenwriting Contests | Movie Script

Today on the show we have Miles Chapman, the screenwriter behind the successful action franchise Escape Plan starring the legendary Sylvester Stallone. The premise was simple but great.When a structural-security authority finds himself set up and incarcerated in the world's most secret and secure prison, he has to use his skills to escape with help from the inside.Then add Sly and another legend, Arnold Schwarzenegger to the mix and you have action nirvana. Miles and I discuss how the project came to be, some extremely entertaining stories from the set and what it was like working with legends.The first Escape Plan was such a big international hit that the producers spawn off to more sequels, which Miles wrote as well.Enjoy my conversation with Miles Chapman.

Welcome to the newest member of the IFH Podcast Network. May I introduce you to Inside the Screenwriter's MInd: A Screenwriting Archive with Alex Ferrari.Have you ever wondered what it’s like inside a screenwriter’s mind? In this podcast, we explore how successful screenwriters tackle structure, plot, character, dialog, and the film business. Get ready to go down the rabbit hole of story. Let’s travel inside the screenwriter’s mind with your guide Alex Ferrari.I wanted to create a podcast that could not only highlight the in-depth conversations I have done with some of the world's greatest screenwriters in Hollywood but I also wanted to shine a light on other amazing interviews from the IFH Podcast Network.In this podcast, I will be your guide down the rabbit-hole of story as I bring you interviews from the following podcasts:Indie Film Academy PodcastDave Bullis PodcastBulletproof Screenwriting PodcastFilm Trooper Podcastand others from the IFH Podcast NetworkAs the network continues to grow I will hunt for

Today on the show we have writer and showrunner Michael Jamin. Michael has been writing for television since 1996.  His many credits include Just Shoot Me, King of the Hill, Beavis & Butthead, Wilfred, Out of Practice, Rules of Engagement, Lopez and Tacoma FD.He’s also served as Executive Producer/Showrunner on Glenn Martin DDS, Maron, and Rhett & Link’s Buddy System. Michael currently lives in Los Angeles where he's working on a collection of personal essays to be released in 2020.Enjoy my conversation with Michael Jamin.

Today on the show we have returning champion the legendary Linda Seger. Linda and I discuss her new book You Talkin' to Me?: How to Write Great Dialogue. We do a deep dive into how to write great dialog. Here's a bit about the book.Unlike the chitchat of everyday life, dialogue in stories must express character, advance the story, suggest a theme, and include a few memorable lines that audiences will be quoting for decades to come. The best stories have dialogue that sparkles, but it’s easy for inexperienced writers to fall into common pitfalls like creating dialogue that’s wooden or too on the nose.Other writers end up with exposition awkwardly inserted into conversations, actors tripping over unnatural phrases or characters who all speak exactly the same way. In You Talkin’ to Me? Linda Seger and John Winston Rainey are here to help with all your dialogue problems. In each chapter, they explore dialogue from a different angle and discuss examples of great dialogue from films and novels. To cap it all off, e

Today on the show we have Greg Gertmenian, who is the Head of Script Analytics and Film Development at Slated. He is also the co-inventor of the Script Score, the only screenplay evaluation tool proven to accurately predict good films. Helped arrange financing of films like SUPER TROOPERS 2, DEEP MURDER, CRUISE, AT FIRST LIGHT, GOD BLESS THE BROKEN ROAD, BECOMING and WHAT BREAKS THE ICE.Prior to his time at Slated, produced short format content including the fan-beloved short film, BALROG: BEHIND THE GLORY and the award-winning, AFI Fest film THE HAIRCUT.I wanted to bring Greg on the show to discuss Hollywood, screenwriters and the COVID pandemic, and what we all can do to survive and thrive during these crazy and uncertain times. Enjoy my conversation with Greg Gertmenian.

The IFH Podcast Network makes it easy for you to discover, connect, and engage with industry-leading filmmaking and screenwriting podcasts, all in one place. We curate the best podcasts that will help you on your filmmaking and screenwriting journey. You can listen to any of our shows on your favorite podcast platform. #IndieFilmUnitewww.ifhpodcastnetwork.com

Do you feel like you have a screenplay inside of you but don’t know how to bring it to life? Today's guest Lisa Cron might be able to help.Lisa is story coach and the best-selling author of Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence and Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere).Lisa has worked in publishing at W.W. Norton, as an agent at the Angela Rinaldi Literary Agency, as a producer on shows for Showtime and CourtTV, and as a story consultant for Warner Brothers and the William Morris Agency.Since 2006, she's been an instructor in the UCLA Extension Writers' Program and she's on the faculty of the School of Visual Arts MFA program in visual narrative in New York City.Some of the things we cover in this conversation are:What your audience’s brain is hardwired to crave in every story they read – and it’s not what you think.Why writing a

Today's guest is a screenwriter, director, professor, and Secretary-Treasurer of the Writers Guild of America West Aaron Mendelsohn.  He is best known for co-creating and co-writing the successful AIR BUD family film franchise, which sired eleven sequels and generated millions of dollars over the years. If you have kids then you probably already have seen an Air Bud spin-off film.

On today's show, I'm going to discuss screenwriting scams that ALL screenwriters should be aware of and avoid at all costs. It never surprises me how predatory people can be with screenwriters and filmmakers in this business.I did an episode exposing ways screenwriters can get screwed on writing assignments. I do a deep dive into each of the following scams in the show.The Free Option - Optioning your screenplay for freeAgent Reading FeesScript Consults That Ask for a Backend CutScreenwriting Marketing ServicesScreenwriting Contests - PromisesScreenwriting Contests - Milking TechniqueGhost Writing ScreenplaysAny Deal That Gives Your Rights AwayRepresentation Retainer FeeScreenwriting Contests Warning SignsStay safe out there guys. Sharks are everywhere. Enjoy!

With all the unknowns facing screenwriters due to world events I thought I'd bring on someone who had his ear to the grindstone of Hollywood to see what the town is thinking and doing during this crazy time. I reached out to Stage 32's Jason Mirch, to talk about Hollywood and how to survive and thrive as a screenwriter during and post-COVID.Jason Mirch is a feature film and television producer and executive with over 15 years of experience. Jason also serves as the Director of Script Services at Stage 32 where he works directly with screenwriters, filmmakers, and leading industry executives.In addition to his work with Stage 32, Jason runs production and development for a company which produced low-budget genre pictures for an international audience, as well as serves as a business advisor to a successful post-production VFX company which contributed to The Peanut Butter Falcon, Crawl, Martin Scorsese's Silence, Arctic, and Let them Talk for Steven Soderbergh and HBO.Most recently, he produced a 3D animated f

I always wondered how someone would get into the video game writing business. Today's guest is screenwriter/game development guru Robert Denton Bryant and he answers that question and so much more.Robert Denton Bryant has worked in Hollywood in marketing and production, and in video games as a publisher and a developer. He has been Executive Producer on dozens of games on platforms ranging from CD-ROMs to the iPad, including the bestselling World Championship Poker and Pinball Hall of Fame console franchises.He is the co-author (with Charles P. Schultz) of Game Testing: All in One and (with Keith Giglio) Slay the Dragon: Writing Great Video Games.Writing for the multibillion-dollar video-game industry is unlike writing for any other medium. Slay the Dragon will help you understand the challenges and offer creative solutions to writing for a medium where the audience not only demands a great story but to be a driving force within it. Aimed at traditional writers who want to learn interactive narrative as well

After many requests, I decided to finally tackle the dreaded query letter. I bring back to the show screenwriter, author, and IFH Academy instructor Geoffery Calhoun.

On today's show, I wanted to give you a sneak peek of Bulletproof Screenwriting's first official audiobook Writing for Emotional Impact: Advanced Dramatic Techniques to Attract, Engage, and Fascinate the Reader from Beginning to End, published by IFH Books. You'll get to listen to a free chapter covering how to craft complex and memorable characters, which is over one hour, from this amazing audiobook.You can’t have a great plot without having amazing characters. Strong character development will evoke emotions in your audience whether you’re writing a comedy, drama, or any other genre. To create great characters, you need your audience to connect in some way. Even if you love your characters, there is no guarantee your reader will connect with them.If you want to elevate your scripts and stories – AND your screenwriting or filmmaking career-- to the highest possible level, this class is a must. Creating characters that people connect with is no easy feat, but it is the key to writing amazing work.If you don'

You’ve just boarded a plane. You’ve loaded your phone with your favorite podcasts, but before you can pop in your earbuds, disaster strikes: The guy in the next seat starts telling you all about something crazy that happened to him–in great detail. This is the unwelcome storyteller, trying to convince a reluctant audience to care about his story.We all hate that guy, right? But when you tell a story (any kind of story: a novel, a memoir, a screenplay, a stage play, a comic, or even a cover letter), you become the unwelcome storyteller.So how can you write a story that audiences will embrace? The answer is simple: Remember what it feels like to be that jaded audience. Tell the story that would win you over, even if you didn’t want to hear it.Today's guest Matt Bird can help you. He is a screenwriter and the author of the best-selling book The Secrets of Story: Innovative Tools for Perfecting Your Fiction and Captivating Readers. To succeed in the world of fiction and film, you have to work on every aspect of y

Well, I've been busy during this quarantine. I was racking my brain on how I could provide more value to the Tribe so I create the IFH Academy. The IFH Academy is the home of exclusive online courses on filmmaking, screenwriting, film distribution, cinematography, and more.I wanted to bring you the best film education I could so I partnered with industry powerhouses like award-winning film producer Suzanne Lyons, master cinematographer Suki Medencevic, A.S.C, and screenwriting guru and best-selling author Geoffrey D. Calhoun.Check out Suki's game-changing cinematography course Light and Face - The Art of Cinematography.This workshop will walk you through how to light the most important and emotional subject you could put in front of your lens, the enigmatic face on a low budget. This workshop is unique in that it will literally guide you through the entire process of making your film. Taught by award-winning cinematographer Suki Medencevic A.S.C.Along with these great instructors I'll be creating exclusive co

Today on the show we have former studio executive turned screenwriting teacher and screenplay consultant Namoi Beaty. She is essentially an on-call development partner to screenwriters, producers, and directors at all levels. From those just starting out, to those firmly established and working in the industry today.She lived and worked in L.A. for over a decade, read thousands of scripts, and worked with hundreds of writers through one-on-one consulting, creating the Idea to Outline workshop, and teaching story structure for Save the Cat. I’ve worked with producers internationally and consulted on the 2016 Raindance Film Festival “Indie Film of the Year” winner, Selling Isobel.As a former development exec-in-training at Madonna and Guy Oseary’s Maverick Films, she worked on projects like Twilight, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, and The Stanford Prison Experiment.

Today on the show we have screenwriter and best-selling author Alan Watt. Alan Watt is the author of The 90-Day Novel, Amazon’s #1 book on writing, as well as The 90-Day Rewrite: The Process of Revision and The 90-Day Screenplay: From Concept to Polish. He runs the publishing company, The 90-Day Novel Press which has also published The 90-Day Play. Watt has written screenplays for numerous production companies and is the author of the L.A. Times bestselling novel Diamond Dogs.He has taught everyone from award-winning authors to A-list screenwriters, USC business school students, journalists, poets, actors, professional athletes, war veterans, housewives, doctors, lawyers, maximum security prisoners, television showrunners, Emmy-winning directors, and first-time writers.Many of his students have gone on to successful careers, writing New York Times and International bestsellers, appearing on Oprah, winning major literary awards, becoming top screenwriters and television show-runners, and most importantly, deve

Many screenwriters thinking is based on two months ago. They believe that the world will go back to exactly how it was before on this pandemic blows over. That might be true and I truly hope it does but hope alone will not pay the rent. Our industry is going through an unprecedented shift. We as filmmakers need to start thinking about how we can pivot your writing skills and knowledge into the new reality that we are living in and very well might be in for some time to come. You have to think about what your customer needs are right now and address them. The companies that are sitting on the sidelines fearful of making any moves will be left behind. You as screenwriters need to change your mindsets. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Entire new industries will rise from this turmoil and if you are smart you will be ready to be a part of the new world.In this episode, I breakdown some side hustles that will help screenwriters not only survive the pandemic but thrive in the new world we will be walkin

Today's guest Chris Vander Kaay, breaks down the formulaic and predictable glory that is Hollywood filmmaking and how to avoid it.His new book Spoiler Alert!: The Badass Book of Movie Plots: Why We All Love Hollywood Cliches takes 38 mainstream movie genres, from ‘Teen Sex Comedy’ and ‘Buddy Action Comedy’ to ‘Film Noir Detective Thriller’ and ‘Alien Invasion Thriller’, and through detailed illustrations reveals what makes them so hilariously recognizable: the key lines of dialogue, the essential visuals, the crucial characters and the indispensable cast, scenes, and props.So grab some popcorn and buckle up for a laugh-out-loud ride through the wonderful world of cliché!

Today on the show I going to be discussing how NOT to get screwed on a screenwriting assignment. According to Wikipedia isA screenwriter can also be approached and offered an assignment. Assignment scripts are generally adaptations of an existing idea or property owned by the hiring company, but can also be original works based on a concept created by the writer or producer. Screenwriting assignments are the holy grail for screenwriters. The problem is that that shiny carrot sometimes blinds you to the reality of what is going on. I spoke to a very season industry screenwriter with many credits under his belt, who shall remain nameless, and was enlightened by how producers and production companies take advantage of inexperienced screenwriters.The predators are not just in the production and distribution waters, they are also alive and well in the development oceans as well. I hope this episode shines a light into this dark corner of the industry and shows screenwriters how to protect themselves and their work