Screenwriting

They come from all walks of life, and each has a different story to tell. Some have found success, while others are just beginning their careers. And although their filmmaking reflects this diversity, they all have one major thing in common (other than being on this list): talent. Be sure to take notes as you read...you'll want to remember these filmmakers.

Ever wonder what, exactly, independent filmmakers – both aspiring and established – should be reading? Look no further than The Independent's 30 Quintessential Books for Independent Filmmakers. Here, we list the top must-owns, including Independent Feature Film Production, The Filmmaker's Handbook, Sidney Lumet's Making Movies, and From Reel to Deal.

After a film finds success, the industry usually lauds the miraculous execution of the director and the cast. Yet, often ignored are those who actually crafted the story: the writers. The Independent’s, Joi R. Wheatley, taps into the ingenious minds of Pamela Cuming and Lee Ross who wrote the dark, intense, drama Downloading Nancy, which was recently screened at the Seattle International Film Festival. The film, starring Maria Bellow and Jason Patric, follows a middle-aged wife who orders a man she met on the Internet to kill her so she can escape from her unhappy life (view the trailer here). Cuming and Lee discuss how the idea became a script, why it’s important to produce and direct your own projects, and what’s next for this writing duo.

Director Joseph Cashiola sits down for coffee with The Independent's Jennifer Sheffield and hashes out the details behind the making of his first feature-length film, A Thing as Big as the Ocean (view the trailer here), now in post-production and ready to hit up festivals in 2009. Cashiola discusses working with his brother, shooting on the road, and the difference between independent filmmakers and "beginner-level professionals."

The Independent's Jericho Parms sifts through the multitude of programs for aspiring screenwriters and boils down the essentials so you can find the best fit to help you achieve your screenwriting goal, whether that be having as many finished screenplays by the end of the program as possible, or walking away with an education that not only helps you put your ideas on paper, but helps prepare you to sell your ideas to the people who can get them up on the big screen.

Up-and-coming Austrialian screenwriting duo, Armstrong & Krause, talk to the Independent about brainstorming horror films and their new film, Acolytes (see trailer), which screened at the Toronto Film Festival in September.

As the Writers Guild of America Strike seems to be finally nearing its end after three months, The Independent offers this concluding segment in its screenplay series. You can also read the other strike screenplays, written by Rufus Chaffee, Dorothy Blyskal, Dane Young and Randy Steinberg. (Photo source: Salomedusa.)

Randy Steinberg's Writer Interruptus is the fourth in our series of original screenplays inspired by the Writer's Guild of America strike, which began on November 5. Most recently, the Television Critics Association cancelled its winter press tour as talks between the studios and the WGA broke down. In the meantime, you can enjoy our other strike screenplays, written by Rufus Chaffee, Dorothy Blyskal and Dane Young. (Photo source.)

Dane Young's 1971 is the third in our series of original screenplays inspired by the Writer's Guild of America strike, which began on November 5. The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the studios and the guild have agreed to return to the negotiating table on the Monday after Thanksgiving. In the meantime, you can enjoy our other strike screeplays, written by Rufus Chaffee and Dorothy Blyskal. (Photo source.)

In the second of a series (which may last for months!), screenwriter Rufus Chaffee offers his take on the Writers Guild of America strike. Chaffee's bawdy directoral debut, Divine Intervention, came out in February. To read the first screenplay in our totally fictional strike coverage, click here.