Writing and Selling Thriller Screenplays: From TV Pilot to Feature Film (Writing & Selling Screenplays)

Writing and Selling Thriller Screenplays has the lowdown not only on getting your thriller feature script on the page, but getting it in front of producers and investors.

From premise to resolution, Lucy V. Hay guides you through the craft of thriller writing, citing classic thrillers such as Psycho, The Shining, The Sixth Sense and Fatal Attraction and lesser-known gems like Red Eye, Desperate Measures, Impostor and Deviation.

The book also considers how the screenplay might be sold to investors, looking at high concept ideas, pitching, packaging and the realities of film finance.

Lucy V. Hay asks: what is flight vs. fight? What is the difference between horror and thriller? What are the different sub genres of thriller? What part do actors play in film finance? How can limited locations create new opportunities in storytelling and financing? Why is the lone protagonist so in demand? Why are female characters so popular in thriller? And much, much more...

This updated and expanded second edition brings the popular guide up to date with recent cinematic releases and developments in the industry.

Lucy V. Hay is a novelist, script editor and script reader. She is one of the founding organizers of the London Screenwriters’ Festival and Associate Producer of the dark Brit thriller Deviation (2012), starring King of the Indies Danny Dyer and Hellboy 2’s Anna Walton. Lucy has read for a variety of production companies, funding initiatives and screen agencies as well as individual directors and producers with her Bang2write script consultancy. She owns the scriptwriting craft tips and networking site at www.bang2write.com and the online writers’ group on Facebook and Twitter, Bang2writers.