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William M. Akers

Personal Details

Name: William M. Akers

Last visit: Sep 3, 2009

Contact: Send message

Web site: Click here

Interests

None of your beeswax.

Books

Well, there's my book, of course. Right now, I'm reading THE LONELY PASSION OF JUDITH HEARNE by Brian Moore. Just started it... can't tell if I'll stay the distance, yet. Reading CLINT EASTWOOD: A BIOGRAPHY by Richard Schickel for something I may want to write. Recently, loved A HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN 6 GLASSES by Tom Standage. Read THE CROFTER AND THE LAIRD by John McPhee to prep for my trip to the Scottish highlands this past summer. Best books this year, bar none: THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO and THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE by Stieg Larsson. Oh. My. God. Stop wasting your time reading my book list, run out and buy them! My life will be a living hell until the third book in the series comes out in English! That's probably enough.

Movies

Well, there are my three. After that... here's a list... LES UNS ET LES AUTRES dir. Claude Lelouche. SORCERER dir. William Friedkin. THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY starring Bob Hoskins. TRAINS Short film by Caleb Deschanel. MY AIN FOLK DERSU UZALA. Kurosawa. THE GENERAL Dir. John Boorman with Jon Voight. CITY OF WOMEN Fellini AND THE SHIP SAILS ON Fellini DON'T LOOK NOW Scary sexy set in Venice. Nick Roeg at his best. THE SINGING DETECTIVE. Michael Gambon stars. TO BEGIN AGAIN. Oscar winner for best film in 1982. BLOOD WEDDING Carlos Saura. FLAMENCO Also Saura. Director of Photography Vittorio Storaro. THREE MUSKETEERS & FOUR MUSKETEERS. Dir. Richard Donner

Television

Digging MAD MEN, ENTOURAGE, BURN NOTICE, CALIFORNICATION, and, via the magic of my iPod Touch, YES PRIME MINISTER, my favorite British series. Also British: SKINS, which, if DEGRASSI had actually been good, it would have been SKINS. Exceedingly well done. Also, THE IT CROWD, still British. (IT as in I.T.) Gotta love Netflix.

About Me

Author of Your Screenplay Sucks!, 100 Ways To Make It Great, William M. Akers is a Lifetime Member of the WGA and has had three feature films produced from his screenplays. Akers has written scripts, series television, and documentaries for the MGM, Disney, and Universal Studios, as well as Fox, NBC, ABC, TNN television networks. He teaches screenwriting and filmmaking at Vanderbilt University. Blog: www.yourscreenplaysucks.wordpress.com - every few days, thoughts on screenwriting ARTICLES + INTERVIEWS MICROFILMMAKER MAGAZINE A WORD ON WORDS PODCAST L.A. SCREENWRITER INTERVIEW 2 GUYS WHO DON'T KNOW CRAP ABOUT MOVIES

Goal

Simple. To teach everyone in the world how to write a better screenplay.

Professional Experience

Screenwriter & Script Consultant
1986 - Present

Been writing screenplays for twenty + years. Selling a few now and then! Teaching screenwriting for almost that long. Now I've got a book out on writing... have presentation, will travel. Hire me to critique your work, or bring me to your town to lecture.