Screenwriter JIM UHLS: Tricks of the Trade

Jim Uhls is not your average screenwriter. For one thing, his nickname is "Professor Peculiar." For another, as this exclusive off-kilter discussion of his craft demonstrates, Uhls is eager to break the first rule of Fight Club : He talks about Fight Club. A lot. That seminal film, directed by David Fincher (Se7en, Panic Room), pushed every boundary possible for a studio movie, and Uhls' darkly funny script, adapted from the Chuck Palahniuk novel, is a wickedly subversive example of how to successfully adapt an "unadaptable" book. Step inside the mind of the man who figured out how to do it, as Professor Peculiar explains how to use a newspaper story approach to build a brilliant pitch, why you should interview your characters, how to know when to "stick a fork" in your screenplay, and the macabre particulars of how and why he had to murder his brother's cat.

This video is an excerpt from the full interview, available on DVD at TheDialogueSeries.com .

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• uhls
• palahniuk
• film
• lesson
• script
• movie
• screenwriter
• screenplay
• tutorial
• dialogue
• conversation
• discussion

[ilsur]

gotta love the unnecessarily creepy narrator voice!

[killuminati43]

Fight club is a great movie and a great screenplay. Nice read.

[stickybelvedere]

that was truly incredible. i feel honored to have come across this

[laoninja123]

Some people just don't want to deal with the Bull. I had a professor who just left the NY scene because it really kills you inside.

[TheColt27]

I don't understand why such a successful screenwriter has only had three movies in eleven years since the release of 'Fight Club.' I guess the industry sucks so much it ignores raw talent like his, even.

[te22a]

lol.