Beating Hollywood : Tips for Creating Unforgettable Screenplays

Steve Cuden’s Beating Hollywood examines, piece by piece, how writers, directors, and producers create stories for extraordinary movies by breaking down forty classic films into narrative beats, plot points, and movements to uncover how magic was made.

More than a simple look at what others have done, this book also serves as a comprehensive guide to how you, too, can craft a memorable story for the screen. From Cuden’s 150 invaluable tips, you’ll learn how to:

• Master storytelling fundamentals
• Create unforgettable characters, dialogue, and scenes
• Build solid story structure
• Develop plot
• Break your story into what Cuden calls eight essential chapters
• Cultivate a unique voice
• Think like a businessperson who can sell your writing, not merely a creative artist

This is a must-read for anyone who writes screenplays—new writers and seasoned pros alike—as well as an invaluable resource for film teachers and movie buffs.

“…so comprehensive, so well organized, so accessible and useful for writers at any stage of their career, I want to quote the whole damn thing… This is one gigantically valuable asset to the screenwriting community.”

—Hal Ackerman, Screenwriting Co-Area Head, UCLA School of Theater, Film, Television and Digital Media

“If you’re a lover of cinema, read it and be the smartest guy in the room at your next film society gathering.”

—David Wise, Developed/Executive Story Editor/Writer, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; Story Editor/Writer The Mighty Ducks

“Cuden’s text is a masterpiece of insight delivered with the ease and wit of a conversation with good friend, who just happens to be a life-long craftsman at the top of his game.”

—Rick Hawkins, Emmy-winning Writer, The Carol Burnett Show, Mama’s Family, Major Dad, Sister, Sister

“Steve has demonstrated by his own writing and through this book that he understands the complexities of screenwriting, and his analysis of what makes certain films unforgettable is enlightening. This book is, above all, useful.”

—Howard Suber, Professor at UCLA’s film school for 50 years, Author, The Power of Film and Letters to Young Screenwriters

“Talk about the tools of the trade! After absorbing this amazing book, you may never watch a movie the same way again—and you will certainly be inspired to write one of your own.”

—Phil Proctor, Firesign Theatre

“If you want to learn screenwriting, you could spend $120,000 dollars on graduate school or just buy Steve Cuden’s book.”

Steve Cuden has written 90 scripts for TV series such as X-Men, The Batman, Iron Man, Xiaolin Showdown, The Mask, Beetlejuice, Extreme Ghostbusters, Pink Panther, RoboCop, Gargoyles, and Goof Troop. He also directed and coproduced the multiple award-winning, cult favorite horror-comedy feature Lucky, for which he won Best Director at the Nodance Film Festival. Cuden is perhaps best known for co-creating the hit Broadway and international sensation Jekyll & Hyde, The Musical, writing the show's original book and lyrics with noted composer Frank Wildhorn.

Cuden authored the popular book on writing musicals, Beating Broadway: How to Create Stories for Musicals That Get Standing Ovations.

Cuden teaches a wide variety of screenwriting classes in the Cinema Arts Department at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. To learn more about the author, please visit stevecuden.com and beatinghollywood.com.