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Fast, Cheap and Written That Way: Top Screenwriters on Writing for Low-Budget Movies
Advice from Expert Screenwriters on how to write a low-budget script.
"Packed with war stories and savvy advice for beginning screenwriters."
Larry Gross, Screenwriter, 48 hrs., Streets of Fire, True Crime
★★★★★
Learn the inside thinking behind 23 highly successful, classic low-budget movies and discover techniques for making a little go a long way.
Includes in-depth interviews with screenwriters with such credits as the Academy Award®-nominated films You Can Count on Me, Metropolitan , and Capote - plus such classics as Repo Man, Re-Animator, Paris, Texas, Living in Oblivion, subUrbia, Hester Street, Portrait of a Serial Killer , and Eve's Bayou .
★★★★★
Praise for the Fast, Cheap and Written That
"I wish I'd read this book before I made Re-Animator ."
Stuart Gordon, Director, Re-Animator, Castle Freak, From Beyond
"A perfect read for anyone who wants to write a film script or for anyone who just enjoys watching movies."
Fred Willard , Actor, A Mighty Wind, Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman
"This volume is full of useful little nuggets of information and, as you might expect from a book of interviews with writers, many of the views expressed are completely contradictory. Pick and choose what works for you."
Jonathan Lynn, Director, My Cousin Vinny, Clue, Nuns on the Run, The Whole Nine Yards
"John Gaspard has gathered the perfect mix of filmmakers, each of whom brings something vital to the party. This is one of those books you wish you'd read before you made your last film. Fortunately, you can read it before your next."
Jeffrey Hatcher, Screenwriter, Mr. Holmes, Stage Beauty, Casanova
"A well-researched must-read for new screenwriters and filmmakers."
D.B. Gilles, Author, The Screenwriter Within
"Packed with war stories and savvy advice for beginning screenwriters."
Larry Gross, Screenwriter, 48 hrs., Streets of Fire, True Crime
★★★★★
Learn the inside thinking behind 23 highly successful, classic low-budget movies and discover techniques for making a little go a long way.
Includes in-depth interviews with screenwriters with such credits as the Academy Award®-nominated films You Can Count on Me, Metropolitan , and Capote - plus such classics as Repo Man, Re-Animator, Paris, Texas, Living in Oblivion, subUrbia, Hester Street, Portrait of a Serial Killer , and Eve's Bayou .
★★★★★
Praise for the Fast, Cheap and Written That
"I wish I'd read this book before I made Re-Animator ."
Stuart Gordon, Director, Re-Animator, Castle Freak, From Beyond
"A perfect read for anyone who wants to write a film script or for anyone who just enjoys watching movies."
Fred Willard , Actor, A Mighty Wind, Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman
"This volume is full of useful little nuggets of information and, as you might expect from a book of interviews with writers, many of the views expressed are completely contradictory. Pick and choose what works for you."
Jonathan Lynn, Director, My Cousin Vinny, Clue, Nuns on the Run, The Whole Nine Yards
"John Gaspard has gathered the perfect mix of filmmakers, each of whom brings something vital to the party. This is one of those books you wish you'd read before you made your last film. Fortunately, you can read it before your next."
Jeffrey Hatcher, Screenwriter, Mr. Holmes, Stage Beauty, Casanova
"A well-researched must-read for new screenwriters and filmmakers."
D.B. Gilles, Author, The Screenwriter Within
- GenresWritingFilmNonfiction
304 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2007
About the author
John Gaspard
56 books146 followersJohn is author of the Eli Marks mystery series and the Como Lake Players mystery series. He also has four other stand-alone novels: “The Greyhound of the Baskervilles,” “A Christmas Carl,” “The Sword & Mr. Stone” and “The Ripperologists.”
He hosts two podcasts: "Behind the Page: The Eli Marks Podcast," and "The Occasional Film Podcast."
In real life, John's not a magician, but he has directed six low-budget features that cost very little and made even less - that's no small trick. He's also written multiple books on the subject of low-budget filmmaking. Ironically, those books made more than the films.
John lives in Minnesota and shares his home with his lovely wife, several greyhounds, a few cats and a handful of pet allergies.
He hosts two podcasts: "Behind the Page: The Eli Marks Podcast," and "The Occasional Film Podcast."
In real life, John's not a magician, but he has directed six low-budget features that cost very little and made even less - that's no small trick. He's also written multiple books on the subject of low-budget filmmaking. Ironically, those books made more than the films.
John lives in Minnesota and shares his home with his lovely wife, several greyhounds, a few cats and a handful of pet allergies.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 28, 2011
This collection of interviews presents a behind the scenes look at writing for low budget movies. Each screenwriter (some of whom also directed the movie they discuss) has their own approach to writing scripts and how they managed to keep budget in mind as they wrote. The editor and interviewer John Gaspard tries to cover a wide breadth of movies, from adaptations of short stories to horror movies, experimental filmmaking, love stories, and more. He also compiles what he calls a "highly subjective" list of lessons-learned from the interviews at the end of the book.
I love the idea of low budget filmmaking and have a desire to throw my hat into the ring someday. I don't know if I ever will, but in the meantime, reading about other people's experiences is a fun way for me to live vicariously and maybe amass some useful tips, techniques, and knowledge along the way.
I love the idea of low budget filmmaking and have a desire to throw my hat into the ring someday. I don't know if I ever will, but in the meantime, reading about other people's experiences is a fun way for me to live vicariously and maybe amass some useful tips, techniques, and knowledge along the way.
May 7, 2012
If you like interviews and you want to be a screenwriter, then this book will be of great interest to you.
The thing I found most interesting is the variety of responses that the screenwriters give. One will say table reads are the best thing you can do while another will say they're awful because they kill a certain level of spontaneity. Everyone is unanimous on that which all successful writers are unanimous, though: to be a writer, you have to write.
After all 23 interviews, John Gaspard does a recap with 30 quick tips that really boil the interviews down to essential points. It works well and allows Gaspard to have the last word.
The thing I found most interesting is the variety of responses that the screenwriters give. One will say table reads are the best thing you can do while another will say they're awful because they kill a certain level of spontaneity. Everyone is unanimous on that which all successful writers are unanimous, though: to be a writer, you have to write.
After all 23 interviews, John Gaspard does a recap with 30 quick tips that really boil the interviews down to essential points. It works well and allows Gaspard to have the last word.
February 26, 2008
interviews with screenwriters/directors who made their breakout films for less than the cost of a 1 bedroom in LA ...liked the format ...read it at lunch
June 22, 2012
this book has a good variety of moviemakers contributing their thoughts, but the interviews are kind of dull - too many "how did you get the idea to write it" types of questions.
November 17, 2013
Great insight on lower budget filmmaking through interviews with directors that we're all familiar with. Highly recommend!
August 3, 2021
The swift summary at the end is the most valuable thing in the book. Go directly for that, much of the rest is fluff.
The motive for writing this book, as stated in the foreword, is noble: Focus on the actual writing process of low budget movies in order to make it more accessible. Good. Sadly it doesn't quite pan out that way in the actual interviews. They are somewhat diverse, and some do give good advice and interesting stories, but many fall into "I just wrote the thing really quickly and then I showed it to my very good friend. He's called Jack Nicholson."
My favourite part was definitely about "Slumber Party Massacre" and "Mystic Pizza". Valuable insight, fun storytelling and this golden nugget of advice: "Never apologize, never explain", by way of George Romero.
The motive for writing this book, as stated in the foreword, is noble: Focus on the actual writing process of low budget movies in order to make it more accessible. Good. Sadly it doesn't quite pan out that way in the actual interviews. They are somewhat diverse, and some do give good advice and interesting stories, but many fall into "I just wrote the thing really quickly and then I showed it to my very good friend. He's called Jack Nicholson."
My favourite part was definitely about "Slumber Party Massacre" and "Mystic Pizza". Valuable insight, fun storytelling and this golden nugget of advice: "Never apologize, never explain", by way of George Romero.
May 13, 2019
Features a series of interviews of movie makers and their experiences in making small movies. Includes mentions of financing and getting people to act. Insightful, swearing.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews