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Bulletproof Screenwriting™ Podcast

Bulletproof Screenwriting

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The Bulletproof Screenwriting Podcast shows you how to make your screenplays bulletproof. Weekly interviews with Oscar® and Emmy® award winning screenwriters, story specialists, best-selling authors, Hollywood agents and managers, and industry insiders. We cover every aspect of the screenwriting process. This is the screenwriting podcast for the rest of us. No fluff. No BS. Just straight talk that will help you on your screenwriting journey.
Some of the past guests include 3X Oscar® Winning Writer/Director Oliver Stone, Eric Roth (Dune, Forest Gump), Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead), Richard Linklater (Boyhood, Slacker) James V. Hart (Dracula, Hook), John August (Big Fish, Aladdin), Jim Uhls ( Fight Club), Peter Rader (Waterworld), Diane Drake (What Women Want), Daniel Knauf (Carnival, Blacklist), Derek Kolstad (John Wick) and Pen Densham (Robin Hood, Backdraft) to name a few.

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01/16/19 • 87 min

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Today on the show we have Jim Mercurio. Jim is a filmmaker, writer, and author whose screenwriting instruction has inspired tens of thousands of writers around the world. Creative Screenwriting ranked him as one of the country’s top story analysts:
“The best example of how an analyst can give concrete help without veering off the track of your story... (Jim) is not just telling you how to rewrite a particular script... but how to apply it to future work as well.”
Jim works with Oscar-nominated and A-List writers as well as complete beginners. He adapts to each writer and script.
Jim is a true champion for undiscovered writers and filmmakers. He produced Hard Scrambled which, like the horror-thriller he directed Last Girl, was discovered in a contest. The film stars Kurtwood Smith (That 70’s Show) and indie stalwart Richard Edson. It premiered at Cinequest and won Best Dramatic Feature at Garden State Film Festival. His experience as a filmmaker informs his approach to the material. He helps you to execute your vision with vivid and cinematic storytelling that can attract allies like directors and producers.
He directed more than 60 hours of Screenwriting education including the first 40 Workshops in the Screenwriting Expo Series including classes by some of the other top screenwriting teachers in the world. His own course Killer Endings was one of the best sellers from the collection. He wrote and directed Making Hard Scrambled Movies, filmmaking tutorials, as bonus material for Hard Scrambled’s original release. The Washington Post called them “a must for would-be filmmakers.”
Inspired by his work on the Expo series, Jim applied his entrepreneurial “go big or go home” attitude to the six-disc DVD set Complete Screenwriting: From A to Z to A-List, a behemoth of screenwriting instruction. It is one of the most comprehensive screenwriting resources in the world. It’s a fast and furious ten hours with an hour of stunning motion graphics that help to explain seldom-discussed topics like theme, concept and character orchestration.
Together, Jim’s course and book illustrate his forte, to illustrate advanced craft and nitty-gritty insight essential for mastery of screenwriting craft. Enjoy my conversation with Jim Mercurio.

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I have an inspirational treat for you today. On the show, we have writer/producer/director Elizabeth Blake-Thomas. She has recently financed, written, directed, and sold six feature films in the past two years, with no professional film school training. Elizabeth has been involved in the creative industries for over 30 years. Studying drama from a young age led her to run theatre schools, train other students and companies and work in various creative industries, culminating in where she is now, a director and writer.
When I heard her story I had to hunt her down and find out how she did it. BTW, she's not stopping, Elizabeth is currently in prep for three more feature films. Talk about hustle. She is the definition of the phrase "INDIE FILM HUSTLE."
She is proof that no film school is needed. Enjoy my conversation with Elizabeth Blake-Thomas.

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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 Podcast
Dave Bullis Podcast
Bulletproof Screenwriting Podcast
Film Trooper Podcast
and others from the IFH Podcast Network
As the network continues to grow I will hunt for the best screenwriter interviews and bring them to you on the Inside the Screenwriter's MInd: A Screenwriting Podcast. If you like the podcast please share with your friends, subscribe, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. This really helps the show out a lot since we are a new show and I want these amazing interviews to reach as many screenwriters and filmmakers as possible.
Thank you for listening and I hope this podcast truly helps you on your screenwriting path. Write. Rewrite. Sell. Repeat.
PREVIEW EPISODE
Today we go inside the mind of screenwriter Brendan McCarthy (Mad Max: Fury Road). This is a re-broadcast from the Indie Film Academy Podcast. Brendan is a legend in the world of comics and now the world of Mad Max.
His series Freakwave was inspired by Mad Max 2, The Road Warrior. In this episode, we talk with McCarthy about his relationship with Mad Max and how he went from being a fan of The Road Warrior to actually co-writing Mad Max: Fury Road with writer/director George Miller.
Enjoy your journey into the mind of Brendan McCarthy.
Proud Member of the IFH Podcast Network (www.ifhpodcastnetwork.com)
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BPS 075: Top 10 Screenwriting Scams to Avoid

Bulletproof Screenwriting™ Podcast

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07/08/20 • 22 min

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 free
Agent Reading Fees
Script Consults That Ask for a Backend Cut
Screenwriting Marketing Services
Screenwriting Contests - Promises
Screenwriting Contests - Milking Technique
Ghost Writing Screenplays
Any Deal That Gives Your Rights Away
Representation Retainer Fee
Screenwriting Contests Warning Signs
Stay safe out there guys. Sharks are everywhere. Enjoy!
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06/10/20 • 23 min

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.
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05/07/20 • 12 min

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 courses as well. After getting bombarded with requests to create this course I finally took action to bring it to you, the Tribe. My first course out of the gate with be: Film Distribution [Confidentail] - The Insiders Look at How to Get Your Film Distributed.
This course will be the course I wish I had when I was trying to sell my first film. It will cover how to protect yourself from predatory film distributors and aggregators, what to look for in a distribution agreement, VOD Myths, film deliverables, working with sales agents and producers reps, film markets, and much more.
If you are a budding filmmaker/producer and want to learn how to produce a low-budget film then Suzanne's Lyons course The Complete Indie Film Producing Workshop is for you.
Award-winning film producer Suzanne Lyons is about to take you from script to screen and beyond in this Mastermind workshop. After producing a number of bigger budget features Suzanne thought producing the SAG ultra-low and modified budget films would be a piece of cake. Boy, was she wrong.
Wearing 100 different hats was a challenge and she learned so much. And now she will be sharing all that great info with you. This workshop is unique in that it will literally guide you through the entire process of making your film.
If you are a screenwriter we have you covered as well. Screenwriting guru and best-selling author Geoffrey D. Calhoun and I teamed up to create The Screenwriter's Guide to Formatting.
Don't let formatting derail your screenplay. Learn how to format your screenplay in the Hollywood Standard. The course walks you through how to properly format your screenplay in the Hollywood standard. We breakdown formatting for the feature film, 30min multi-cam/single-cam television show, documentary, split-screen, scriptments, and the one-hour television drama.
Geoffery and I are working on more screenwriting courses cover structure, development, dialog, characters, and more.
As you can see I've been busy. I plan to create a Filmtrepreneur Masterclass as well as many more exclusive courses for IFH Academy. So if you are quarantined at home right now, and let's face it you probably are, there is no better time to start adding tools to your toolbox.
I truly hope these courses can help you on your filmmaking or screenwriting path. I have big plans for IFH Academy. New courses, world-class instructors, and much more. Take a look around the site and let me know what you think.
Be well and stay safe out there. As always keep that hustle going and keep that dream alive. I'll talk to you soon.
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03/19/20 • 13 min

Today on the show I going to be discussing how NOT to get screwed on a screenwriting assignment. According to Wikipedia is
A 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.
Get ready to take some notes. Enjoy!
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04/03/20 • 19 min

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 walking into.
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03/09/20 • 31 min

We are living in a crazy world, my friends. I wanted to do an episode on the effect the Coronavirus is having, not only on the film industry at large but also on how it will affect the indie filmmaker. With major events canceled like SXSW, MIPTV, and Cinequest, indie filmmakers are already feeling the effect. Twenty four of the largest theater owners in China have pulled out of CinemaCon, the largest convention of international theatrical exhibitors. Is the Cannes Film Festival and Market next?
Production has stopped on Mission Impossible 7, which was shooting in Italy and the extremely popular The Amazing Race reality show has been suspended. The new James Bond film No Time to Die has been pushed until Nov 2020. Disney's Mulan, which is a love letter to the Chinese market has canceled it's China premiere and the release date in the US is up in the air.
The Chinese box office has been at a standstill. 70,000 screens have been closed since January with no word when they will open. This has cost $2 billion in lost revenue to the Chinese and world film industry. The worldwide box office has lost $4 billion to date and growing each day. The theatrical box office was down 26.6% vs 2018 and this could be a MAJOR nail in the coffin of an already vulnerable theatrical business. We are in crazy times, my tribe.
In this episode, I go over how this event is affecting indie filmmakers, what they can do to prepare, adjust and/or pivot in the coming weeks and months. It has never been more important for filmmakers to adopt the Filmtrepreneurial Method. Diversification of revenue streams is the only way filmmakers can hedge their bets in the uncertain times ahead.
Sit back, pull up a stiff drink and take a listen.
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Annoucing the IFH Podcast Network for Screenwriters

Bulletproof Screenwriting™ Podcast

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07/23/20 • 3 min

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. #IndieFilmUnite
www.ifhpodcastnetwork.com
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FAQ

How many episodes does Bulletproof Screenwriting™ Podcast have?

Bulletproof Screenwriting™ Podcast currently has 398 episodes available.

What topics does Bulletproof Screenwriting™ Podcast cover?

The podcast is about Society & Culture, Podcasts and Tv & Film.

What is the most popular episode on Bulletproof Screenwriting™ Podcast?

The episode title 'BPS 033: Beat by Beat to a Better Screenplay with Jim Mercurio' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Bulletproof Screenwriting™ Podcast?

The average episode length on Bulletproof Screenwriting™ Podcast is 63 minutes.

How often are episodes of Bulletproof Screenwriting™ Podcast released?

Episodes of Bulletproof Screenwriting™ Podcast are typically released every 3 days.

When was the first episode of Bulletproof Screenwriting™ Podcast?

The first episode of Bulletproof Screenwriting™ Podcast was released on Mar 27, 2018.

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