Big Trouble (1986) The In-Laws (1979) Blazing Saddles (1974)
DIRECTOR Isn't She Great (2000) Striptease (1996) It Could Happen to You (1994) Honeymoon in Vegas (1992) The Freshman (1990) So Fine (1981)
Crowned "The Unknown King of Comedy" by NEW YORK magazine in 1985, this former publicist and aspiring academic entered film comedy writing at the very highest level. The 26-year-old Bergman, having penned a 90-page treatment about a black militant cowboy entitled "Tex X", found himself collaborating with Richard Pryor and Mel Brooks on what would become the screenplay of "Blazing Saddles" (1974). Bergman received the sole writing credit for "The In-Laws" (1979), a wacky hit starring Peter Falk and Alan Arkin. PREMIERE writer Andy Webster observed that the comedy writer's work on that project "established his metier: fast-paced farces depicting middlebrow protagonists trapped in extreme situations". Bergman scripted and made his directorial debut with "So Fine" (1981), a sometimes boldly silly Ryan O'Neal vehicle about a professor who conquers the garment industry with an idea for see-through jeans. Bergman's screenplay for Michael Ritchie's popular comic mystery "Fletch" (1985) provided a superior showcase for Chevy Chase. He again served as a writer-director with "The Freshman" (1990), an engaging and well-received comedy starring Marlon Brando and Matthew Broderick.
Bergman formed Lobell/Bergman Productions with Michael Lobell in the mid-1980s. In addition to Bergman's projects, they have released several family-oriented adventures ("The Journey of Natty Gann" 1985; "White Fang" 1991) and comedies ("Chances Are" 1989; "Little Big League" 1994) with Bergman sometimes serving as an executive producer. His recent film works include the screenplay for the modestly successful "Soapdish" (1991), writing and directing "Honeymoon in Vegas" (1992), and helming "It Could Happen to You (1994), the latter two comedies both starring Nicholas Cage.
Bergman earned a Ph.D. in American history from the University of Wisconsin. His dissertation, a study of Depression-era Hollywood films, was published by NYU Press under the title "We're In the Money: Depression America and Its Films" in 1971 and subsequently reprinted in paperback by Harper and Row. Bergman's knowledge of 1930s screwball comedy doubtlessly influenced the "old-fashioned genre entertainment" feel of many of his films and more particularly the populist optimism conveyed by "Little Big League" and "It Could Happen to You." He has also written several mystery novels and a Broadway comedy, "Social Security".
All of us creative types have things we're naturally good at, and things we've learned to do, and things we aren't that good at (yet). This creates a creative trap: when approaching a project, we often work on the part we understand best — the part that scares us least. So if you're good at plot, you write the plot first, and then fill in the characters later. If you're good at characters, you write up the characters and then feel your way towards a plot.
Everyone pursuing a screenwriting career will eventually realize this journey is not for the thin of skin or for those who cannot handle the emotional ups and downs this business brings. If you haven’t yet experienced the soul crushing disappointment of finally having written a script that goes into development, but it doesn’t make it to production and sits on a shelf, I don’t envy you. It’s happened to me a handful of times out of my nearly two dozen paid screenwriting assignments. Learn this early — there are no guarantees in the screenwriting game. You take your lumps, heal, and move on to the next screenplay and the next one.
I love Readers! Yes they are the gatekeepers to the Promised Land and like it or not they do have power. But just how much? Well, I’m here to show you. I got my hands on a classified document folks, the holy grail… An actual copy of a real STUDIO MEMO covering GUIDELINES for their READERS.
Scenes must have a reason to exist in your screenplay. Each scene must advance the plot forward through dialogue and/or visual storytelling. Characters’ journeys drive the script’s narrative, and each scene must steer their journey forward. Although some scenes might not even contain any characters, these scenes must still provide information about your plot, as well as your characters’ lives and actions. There is no set rule as to how many lines, paragraphs, or pages constitute a scene.
The following has nothing to do with wet t-shirts. This entry is actually about screenwriting contests - a subject with little marquee value. One of the most popular category of questions that I find in my e-mail box is about screenwriting contests. As I say over and over, I believe that most are a waste of energy and entry fee. Some - like the Nicholl and Disney Fellowships - are very reputable and have launched a few Hollywood careers. Regardless of how reputable any contest might be, the screening process for most seems tenuous. Low fees for contest readers and a bulk of scripts guarantees a sloppy vetting system.
"Lowtide" writer, director and producer Kevin McMullin has sold his short story "Bomb" and is tabbed to write the script for "low seven figures" and "Gladiator" director Ridley Scott is attached to Direct. According to reports, 20th Century beat out studios Apple, Netflix, Sony, and Warner Bros.
Books are the fastest and easiest way you can learn from an expert. In screenwriting, it’s no different. Some of the best screenwriters and those who have mastered the craft, have created countless books trying to encapsulate all they’ve learned in their work. If you’re a new screenwriter and looking to improve or simply to learn how to create better scripts, these three books will help you out.
Everybody has a perspective. Everybody in your scene has a reason. They have their own voice, their own identity, their own history… But if you don’t know who everybody is and why they’re there, why they’re feeling what they’re feeling and why they’re doing what they’re doing, then you’re in trouble.
What is a successful second act? One that keeps the reader engaged, moves the story forward, and successfully delivers it into the falling action; that being the third act climax and the denouement. A bad screenplay has a second act that simply doesn't keep the narrative trajectory in place and thus the spine of the story sags; meaning rising tension and conflict is not taking place.