In more than forty years of WGA membership, it seems there’s a strike threat with the expiration of every contract as talks between the studios and the WGA went into a two week recess in mid-February. Nobody ought to be surprised that I blame the studios. An ancient movie executive characterized writers as “schmucks with […]
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Einstein told us there are two—and only two—constants in the universe: 1) the speed of light and 2) The Rolling Stones. They showed up in downtown Los Angeles last spring celebrating their fiftieth anniversary. The first time I saw them was October of 1965, in Syracuse, New York, when I was enrolled in a jackpot, […]
Comments Off on THE QUALITY OF GENIUS or SNEAKING A CREW BACKSTAGE TO FILM THE ROLLING STONES
The graduate screenwriting program at UCLA enjoys an embarrassment of riches. We receive fifteen times as many qualified applications as we have available slots for new writers. The ‘take rate’ for students admitted is virtually one hundred percent. That is, among applicants admitted, almost everyone enrolls. Continue reading…
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In the December 12, 2013 issue of the LA Times’ story, “Losing Brad Pitt’s Plan B puts focus on Paramount Pictures’ strategy”, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television professor Richard Walter commented: “Paramount’s paradigm is a different model. It’s a business organization run by MBAs, and I am not saying that in a pejorative way.” To […]
Comments Off on Richard Walter Commentary in LA Times: “Losing Brad Pitt’s Plan B puts focus on Paramount Pictures’ strategy”
Join Richard Walter for the London Screenwriters’ Festival 2014! For the three days, over 1,000 screenwriters, filmmakers, producers, practitioners, actors and executives congregate to share ideas, build powerful relationships, hear pitches and get a creative shot in the arm. The event takes place from Oct 24-26, 2014, for more information visit: www.londonscreenwritersfestival.com.
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The New York Times‘ Michael Cieply recently reported on “Suit Filed Against Warner Bros. in Screenplay Theft” — mentioning how intellectual property litigation expertise is to be provided by Richard Walter. The story notes: Yet Mr. Brooks, on getting a close look at “Trouble With the Curve,” became convinced that the film had Mr. Handfield’s […]
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Comments Off on Office Hours With UCLA Screenwriting Chairman Richard Walter – The Complete Film Courage Series
A new Mandarin-language screenwriting book by Richard Walter, celebrated storytelling guru, movie industry expert, and longtime chairman of UCLA’s legendary graduate program in screenwriting, will be available starting October 22, 2013. Three weeks ahead of its premiere, the book is already topping the charts as the number 3 best-selling film/TV book on Amazon China’s site. […]
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J. M. Evenson received a Ph.D. in Renaissance literature from the University of Michigan and an M.F.A. from UCLA’s famed School of Theater, Film and Television. At UCLA, she was awarded the Harmony Gold Screenwriting Prize and the Women In Film Eleanor Perry Writing Award and won top honors at the UCLA Showcase Screenwriting Contest. […]
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Writing is language; language is words. It often seems to me these days that the English language is under assault. But then maybe I’m just an old professorial fuddy-duddy. Language evolves, doesn’t it? Isn’t the Oxford English Dictionary and, indeed, aren’t all dictionaries merely history books detailing the way particular words were used at […]
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