Beyond the Hero - by Michael Weiss (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Go Beyond the Hero's Journey--and Unlock the Real Secret of Writing Successful Screenplays

Have you ever wondered what it takes to write a great movie script? Studied your favorite films to see what makes them so magical? Beyond the Hero: Relationship-Driven Screenwriting and the Secret to Hollywood's Greatest Scripts is a how-to screenwriting guide built on the foundational idea that great movies--across all genres and styles--are driven by a core relationship between two central characters. Using this fresh alternative to the singular "Hero's Journey" approach dominating most screenwriting instruction and theory, unlock patterns in the movies we love to reveal a vast gallery of dramatic duos and gain a new perspective on creating your own engrossing, compelling scripts.

Beyond the Hero readers will understand that what truly captures the attention and emotion of an audience is the fate of this dramatic couple, with audiences wondering "what will happen to them next?" Through workshop-style lessons and exercises, author and screenwriter Michael Weiss offers step-by-step guidance--from brainstorming, outlining, and writing a first draft, to revising, time management, and pitching--teaching screenwriters how to craft their own relationship driven screenplays from premise to sale. First-time screenwriters and industry veterans alike will find a new set of useful tools to take their scripts to the next level and create more powerful, Hollywood-ready screenplays.

Review Quotes

"Michael Weiss is a highly experienced writer, a terrific teacher, and a wonderful guide to what makes a good script great. Freeing his readers of the too-familiar 'hero's journey, ' he challenges them to center their films on real, complex, immersive relationships--on the central bond that binds or breaks two people--just like life itself."
--Stephen Galloway, dean of Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts; former Hollywood Reporter executive editor

"Every once in a while, someone shines a light on a subject with the wisdom and clarity to elevate and expand our thinking. Michael Weiss has done exactly that for screenwriting, reminding us that the core relationship is the key component of every story! Beyond the Hero is encouraging, specific and relatable, and in it, Weiss takes something daunting and makes it achievable through his very thoughtful process. This book is essential for anyone who works in the business of storytelling."
--Nate Hopper, Senior Development Executive

About the Author

Michael Weiss is a WGA screenwriter with twenty-plus years of experience selling original material and being hired on assignment by a wide range of Hollywood studios. He has written over a dozen produced films, including Journey to the Center of the Earth starring Brendan Fraser. Some of his more unusual projects include crafting a story bible for a theme park in China and serving as co-lead writer for an action-adventure video game. He has taught screenwriting at UCLA Extension Writers' Program, where he received the Distinguished Instructor award, as well as at Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. He is also a contributing writer to the screenwriting guide Cut to the Chase: Writing Feature Films with the Pros at UCLA Extension Writers' Program.