Film Courage: Let’s take that same student who came to you and said “Zach I want to know how to write a script that is going to sell.” How would you talk to them about working the craft of writing? How would you guide them?
Zach Zerries, Screenwriter/Author: I would speak to them asking What’s the idea? What’s the pitch? How are you going to sell this to me? Because again screenwriting is selling. You’re not only representing the product (the product that you’re writing), you’re representing yourself in a lot of ways especially when you get out there and you start pitching and you go on meetings. The craft…I mean books like go read Syd Field, read Blake Snyder’s books, read William Goldman’s books. Just try to get every screenwriting book you can and then read scripts, read 10–20 scripts before you actually sit down to start writing, just getting a sense to go about it and how. Again read 10 Oscar-winning screenplays. Read Tarantino, read Alan Ball, read Brian Helgeland, Robert Towne, Francis Ford Coppola. I would say just read all of the great scripts. Herman Mankiewicz…(Watch the video interview on Youtube here).
CONNECT WITH ZACH ZERRIES:
Zach Zerries is a screenwriter and author. His latest screenplay TAKE BACK has been filmed during 2020 and is set for a 2021 release. The movie stars Mickey Rourke, Michael Jai White, Gillian White, James Russo and many more.
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Advice To Screenwriters About Selling The First Screenplay
Writing A Screenplay For The Market (And It Worked!) — Peter Dukes
How Markus Redmond Wrote His First Script In 3 Weeks And Sold It To A Hollywood Studio
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