Writing the Romantic Comedy

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According to Billy Mernit, all the Hollywood studios--and most major actors--"are actively seeking romantic comedies." But the same studios and actors reject hundreds of romantic comedies a month. Mernit should know. As a story analyst who has read nearly 4,000 screenplays in the last 10 years, Mernit has seen the good, yes, but also too much of the bad and the ugly. With Writing the Romantic Comedy, Mernit presents his UCLA Extension rom-com writing workshop in book form. Believe it or not, it's not enough to have Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks play the leads. You actually have to create characters for them--characters that an audience will believe "absolutely must end up together." Mernit manages to lay down ground rules without seeming rigid: "he can't be in it only for the sex"; "she can't be in it only for the money"; "at least one scene or sequence [should be] laugh-out-loud funny." Mernit offers five ways to bring your characters to life and seven basic romantic comedy "beats." He has chapters on chemistry, humor, dialogue, and sex ("in romantic comedy, there's nothing sexier than sublimated sex"), and he draws generously upon the surprisingly small canon of great romantic comedies to demonstrate his points. Finally, given that the conflicts in romantic comedies are internal, you needn't look far for inspiration when you feel stuck. "Think of one of the most painful, humiliating, embarrassing things that ever happened to you with someone of the opposite sex," he says, and go from there. --Jane Steinberg

Book Description

From the slapstick shenanigans of Hepburn and Grant in Bringing Up Baby to the sexy repartee of Shakespeare in Love, romantic comedies have delighted filmgoers -- and challenged screenwriters -- since Hollywood's Golden Age.

Whether you're a first time screenwriter, or an intermediate marooned in the rewriting process, this thoroughly charming and insightful guide to the basics of crafting a winning script will take you step by step from "cute meet" all the way to "joyous defeat." You'll learn the screenwriting secrets behind some of the funniest scenes ever written; how to create characters and dialogue that set the sparks flying; why some bedroom scenes sizzle and others fall flat; and much more. Writing the Romantic Comedy features case studies drawn from beloved romantic comedies such as When Harry Met Sally, Annie Hall, Tootsie, and The Lady Eve, as well as field-tested writing exercises guaranteed to short-circuit potential mistakes and ensure inspiration.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book for All Writers .......2007-09-19

I recommend this book for all writers - not just screenwriters. He has a way of making it so clear all the clever ways not to fall into the usual traps of a typical scene.

Whether you are writing a book or a movie the information he presents how to establish relationships between characters is tremendous. It's also a fun read.

I refer to it often when building characters, relationships, and their world.

romcom how to.......2007-06-27

This IS the book for anyone interested in writing a romantic comedy. Simple and easy to follow with great examples from films we love. It's all about the chemistry. If you want to write an emotional picture...this is the book for you. Writing the Romantic Comedy is your ticket to writing a romcom that sells!

this book is what I needed.......2005-09-11

I've been working on my text for a while and struggling with
it. Once I start reading the book I knew I was in right hands because page after page I immediately start finding out answers for my questions. I gained time and saved much of my energy for writing the better. Definitely value of my money.
ILKSEN BAS f/36

top stuff.......2005-09-04

As a writer, this book woke up my muse and honed my funnybone. A completely easy-to-read how-to-write book ... what a bonus! The book is perfect for writers in other genres and anyone looking to write humour and comedy.

Not just for Romantics.......2005-06-26

Bill Mernit's book is a fantastic read not only for those who are trying to dig into the romantic comedy genre, but for anyone trying to expand their understanding of the tenants of any good dramatic story.

Mernit covers the elusive topic of theme in a thorough and clear fashion, which is either dodged or fumbled in other screenwriting books I've read. Specifically, he gives you ideas on how to literate thematic 'intents' so you can have a working answer to the deadly "what's your story about" question. He covers issues of credibility, and creating characters who we'll be willing to care about with equal precision.

But the book's about rom-coms, and it delivers on that front big time. He covers the qualities that make a story romantic in an entertaining, approachable manner. Hey, I hate romance (because it's a for wimps and cat owners), and this book has even made writing one a desirable challenge!

Other reviews have said it, and I will echo it. This book sits on the shelf with McKee's Story and Vogler's Writer's Journey as one of the best screenwriting books going.

La genesis de drama romantico: Condesa de Castilla, de Cienfuegos.(TT: Origin of the romantic comedy: Condesa de Castilla de Cienfuegos.): An article from: Dieciocho: Hispanic Enlightenment

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La genesis de drama romantico: Condesa de Castilla, de Cienfuegos.(TT: Origin of the romantic comedy: Condesa de Castilla de Cienfuegos.): An article from: Dieciocho: Hispanic Enlightenment
Russell P. Sebold
Manufacturer: Dieciocho
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Dieciocho: Hispanic Enlightenment, published by Dieciocho on September 1, 1999. The length of the article is 7547 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: La genesis de drama romantico: Condesa de Castilla, de Cienfuegos.(TT: Origin of the romantic comedy: Condesa de Castilla de Cienfuegos.)
Author: Russell P. Sebold
Publication: Dieciocho: Hispanic Enlightenment (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 1999
Publisher: Dieciocho
Volume: 22 Issue: 2 Page: 265

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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WRITING THE ROMANTIC COMEDY
Billy Mernit
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OESDAQ

Book Description

Before Springsteen and before Dylan, there was Woody Guthrie. With "This Machine Kills Fascists," scrawled across his guitar in big black letters, Woody Guthrie brilliantly captured in song the experience of twentieth-century America. Whether he sang about union organizers, migrant workers, or war, Woody took his inspiration from the plights of the people around him as well as from his own tragic childhood.

From the late 1920s to the 1950s, Guthrie wrote the words to more than three thousand songs-including "This Land is Your Land," a song many call America's unofficial national anthem. With a remarkable ability to turn any experience into a song almost instantaneously, Woody Guthrie spoke out for people of all colors and races, setting an example for generations of musicians to come. But Woody didn't have the chance to find everything he was looking for. He was ravaged by Huntington's disease, just like his mother, and died in a mental institution at the age of fifty-five.

Customer Reviews:

Hard times and great songs.......2006-02-24

Like every other genius, Guthrie had hard times all his life. But that may be why he wrote so many great songs of people's lives. The world needs not superficial love songs but real love songs.

4+.......2005-09-24

I have not read other books about Woody, but I don't feel I have to, to get an appreciation of who he was and where he came from. Until I read this book, I really had no idea what a great musician he was. I'm a fan of Arlo, but knew very little about Woody.
Woody's parents didn't have it easy - his father, Charley didn't like to face the reality of what was happening to his wife, he would drink so he didn't have to face it.
Woody explored just about every belief looking for answers, answers to life and how to live his life. He was mostly interested in the Communist Party and their beleifs.
At times Woody was a counselor to those who were lost, sick, hungry, wanting work and he would give them "commonsense answers", the people would go away satisfied with what Woody had to say to them.
Woody would quite frequently sing his songs to down and out families in migrant camps, always identifying with the workers.
Woody began to suspect the same illness that haunted his mother was effecting him also, he knew that Huntington's disease could be passed along generation to generation.
My heart breaks for all the people who loved Woody and for Woody himself. It's a tragic story, but one worth reading.

Below me the golden valley.......2004-03-08

Elizabeth Partridge set herself up with a monumentally difficult task when she decided to write an authoritative juvenile biography of the great Woody Guthrie. How to write a story about a man that was simultaneously brilliant and woebegotten? Who spoke out for racial equality, strength among the masses, and freedom while also leaving every family who ever loved him? Partridge has done as good a job as could be done, considering her circumstances. The result is a meticulously researched labor of love that is just as much tribute as it is tell-all. As Pete Seeger himself has said about the work, "The best book about Woody ever written".

Woody Guthrie was born in 1912 in Okemah, Oklahoma to a mother with Huntington's Disease and a father who joined lynch mobs and Klu Klux Klans. Talking about this point in Woody's life, Partridge simultaneously displays all the harsh horrible things Woody had to deal with growing up without actually condemning anyone. In fact, the portions of the text that talk about Charley Guthrie (Woody's father) joining in the persecution of African-Americans aren't related with any commentary at all. It's as if Partridge is working on the assumption that the readers will be able to process these facts and come to their own conclusions, rather than have interpretations rammed down their throat. It is also the first moment the author gives the audience the benefit of the doubt. It is not the last.

Moving on through Woody's life, we see him grow up, loose his parents (one way or another), and join various bands. We also see him beginning to travel all across the country on his own. At last, Woody marries and it becomes clear that he is not exactly prime husband material. Abandoning his wife regularly to travel (sometimes when she's just about to give birth), Woody joins various causes around the country. When Woody and his wife finally break up, her narrative abruptly ends. Patridge has a habit of following the people in Woody's life meticulously right up until the moment Woody breaks off all contact with them. Then, their story ends immediately. We never really learn how Woody's father ended his life. Or what became of Woody's children by his first wife (though an afterword in the back of the text explaining Huntington's Disease explains that all but three of his children died either of the disease or of car accidents). Do we criticize Partridge for her choice or narratives? Or do we accept that she really couldn't continually follow Woody's friends and relatives because of space and narrative issues? I'm inclined towards the latter, though it would have been nice to see a little afterword that explains what became of everyone.

Moving towards Woody's second wife, the war, and his battle with Huntington's, Partridge nicely melds text with social commentary. Woody's acceptance of all people, regardless of color, is especially well done. As he sinks further into Huntington's, and has an affair with a pretty young folk singer, the reader sees how Woody finally loses control. A little more information about the talented Arlo Guthrie (his son) would not be out of place at this point, but this is Woody's story, I suppose. Finally, we read Woody's death. The story ends.

Partridge is to be commended for how interesting this book is. As I read it, my husband continually asked me why this was considered a juvenile book. Apart from being published by a press for young readers, I have to assume it's considered a youth text because its so doggone interesting. The words are a little larger than you'd find in an adult biography. The pictures a little more interesting and consistent. On the whole it's a great read. Most wonderful of all is how well the book has been researched. Partridge includes an Afterword about her own personal connection to the subject, a tribute to the Woody Guthrie Foundation, information on Huntington's Disease, Acknowledgements (in which she mentions her interviews with Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seegar), Source Notes, a Bibliography, an Index, Picture Credits, and Permissions. She is nothing if not extensive.

"This Land Was Made For You and Me" is not the world's most definitive biography written with youth in mind, but it comes pretty darn close. But don't limit it to the kids. Read it yourself. Learn a little more about what made the great man tick. Though it's over-quoted, here's what Woody himself had to say about his music:

"I hate a song that makes you think that you're not any good. I hate a song that makes you think you are just born to lose. I am out to fight those kind of songs to my very last breath of air and my last drop of blood".

We shall overcome ! !.......2003-10-20

I really enjoyed this book.A longtime fan of Woody and have the bulk of his music that has been published.I have other books of Guthrie;namely, Woody,Cisco,&Me by Jim Longhi,Pastures of Heaven by Woody,edited by Marsh and Leventhal,Woody Guthrie-a life by Joe Klein and this is a very good addition.Though it is a quick read, there is a lot of fresh stuff;plus a lot of really good pictures I've not seen before.
If Pete Seeger says "The best book about Woody ever written", it's got to be good. Can you imagine Pete saying something he didn't believe? Get it,it's a keeper and enjoy it.

Outstanding book........2003-07-07

An always interesting and well presented recap of an astonishing
life. This book has stayed on my nightstand to be picked up again and again at all hours.

This Land Was Made for You and Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie.(Young Adult Review)(Brief Article): An article from: The Horn Book Magazine

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This Land Was Made for You and Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie.(Young Adult Review)(Brief Article): An article from: The Horn Book Magazine
Betty Carter
Manufacturer: Horn Book, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Horn Book Magazine, published by Horn Book, Inc. on March 1, 2002. The length of the article is 650 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: This Land Was Made for You and Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie.(Young Adult Review)(Brief Article)
Author: Betty Carter
Publication: The Horn Book Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2002
Publisher: Horn Book, Inc.
Volume: 78 Issue: 2 Page: 230(2)

Article Type: Book Review, Young Adult Review, Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

Nancy K. Baym’s Tune In, Log On is an ethnographic study of an Internet soap opera fan group. Bridging the fields of computer-mediated communication and audience studies, the book show how verbal and nonverbal communicative practices create collaborative interpretations and criticism, group humor, interpersonal relationships, group norms, and individual identity. While much has been written about problems and inequities women have encountered online, Baym’s analysis of a female-dominated group in which female communication styles prevail demonstrates that women can build successful online communities while still welcoming male participants. In addition, a longitudinal look at the development of the fan group allows an examination of the endurance of the group’s social structure in the face of the Internet’s tremendous growth. Lively and engaging, Tune In, Log On provides an entertaining introduction to issues of online and audience community.

Customer Reviews:

A "Must Buy!".......1999-11-27

If you're a fan of soap operas, and communication about them on the internet, this is the BOOK for you! Ms. Baym's book is filled with insightful and thought-provoking information on a group of individuals in a newsgroup on the internet who all came together to discuss the good and bad of their favorite soap opera(s). And along the way, found a community of friends they never thought possible. In her long and dedicated research, Ms. Baym delves into the communication she discovered, both verbal and nonverbal of a group of people, many women, but also men, and discovers much more about them than what appears on the surface. Her conclusions are quite intriguing! She finds the common bonds between them and shows how they are not only gifted and talented individuals, but how they are able to personify themselves through they're words, acts and deeds. She also talks at length about the changes over the years and gives factual evidence as the internet became larger. The growth is written into her story. It is a fun-filled odyssey into one group of people brought together with one common bond from all walks of life, from locations all over the world and it is quite a fascinating journey. Don't waste any time - get this book!

Book Description

For almost forty years, DeeDee Halleck has been involved in a variety of projects that involve media making by “non-professionals.” Her goal has been to develop a critical sense of the potential and limitations of mediated communication through practical exercises that generate a sense of both individual and non-hierarchical group power over the various apparati of media and electronic technology. Hand-Held Visions is a collection of essays, presentations, and lectures that she has written throughout this process. Halleck starts with a discussion of her own development as a teacher, producer, and an active participant in the struggle for media democracy. She gives the reader a historical first-person perspective on the community-based media movement and a sense of the determination and resolve that have enabled often fragile and much embattled organizations and individuals to survive in a climate dominated by global media corporations that are in direct opposition to their work.

Customer Reviews:

How to wield the potential power of community media.......2002-04-09

Hand-Held Visions: The Impossible Possibilities of Community Media by filmmaker, video activist, and media critic DeeDee Halleck (Professor of Communications, University of California at San Diego) is an amazing and unique guide to creating alternative videos and media to spread positive messages to change the world. Fiery, provocative, and vocal in her calling for solid defiance of the media giants that control the overwhelming majority of the airwaves today, Halleck's Hand-Held Visions is a truly first-rate text for anyone wanting to learn more about how to wield the potential power of community media for their cause, issue, agency or concern.

Community Television in the United States: A Sourcebook on Public, Educational, and Governmental Access

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Community Television in the United States: A Sourcebook on Public, Educational, and Governmental Access
Linda K. Fuller
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

At last, a collection in one volume informing the citizenry about a phenomenon that has existed for nearly a quarter century: community television represents our single source for media access in the United States. With more than 2,000 community groups providing some 15,000 hours of original programming each week--more than the annual output of ABC, CBS, and NBC combined--Community Television compares and contrasts broadcasting and grassroots cablecasting in the form of public, educational, and government (PEG) access. Fuller describes community television in terms of its history, its technical characteristics, and its legal, economic, political, and social concerns, highlighting the work of more than 150 related organizations and local television efforts from 100 cities and towns. She analyzes how competing exigencies and emerging communication technologies might threaten access in the future. Students, scholars, and professionals in television, communications, and public policy will find this reference a definitive one.

Televangelism Reconsidered: Ritual in the Search for Human Community (Aar Studies in Religion)

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Televangelism Reconsidered: Ritual in the Search for Human Community (Aar Studies in Religion)
Bobby Chris Alexander
Manufacturer: Scholars Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 1555409067

Paint The Town (Level 2) (Maya & Miguel)

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Paint The Town (Level 2) (Maya & Miguel)
Crystal Velasquez
Manufacturer: Scholastic Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0439830087

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Eso es! Maya has a great idea to brighten up the Community Center and showcase Miguel and Maggie's talents---a big mural! Maggie knows that such a large painting is a lot of work, and she and Miguel can't do it alone. So they prepare to give all their friends a crash course in art. But the lesson doesn't quite go as smoothly as expected. It'll take a really big idea to save the mural, and luckily Maya is up to the job.

The Barefoot Channel: Community Television as a Tool for Social Change

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The Barefoot Channel: Community Television as a Tool for Social Change
Kim Goldberg
Manufacturer: New Star Books
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Cable television, developing community services (Rand cable television series)
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Community Radio and Public Culture: Being an Examination of Media Access and Equity in the Nations of North America (The Hampton Press Communication Series ... and Participation Subseries).)

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Community Radio and Public Culture: Being an Examination of Media Access and Equity in the Nations of North America (The Hampton Press Communication Series ... and Participation Subseries).)
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Manufacturer: Hampton Press
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Binding: Hardcover

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An economic analysis of community antenna television systems and the television broadcasting industry
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Manufacturer: [for sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Govt. Print. Off.]
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