12 Oscar Nominated Films in 2014 are Made by Students of Robert McKee

News provided by

McKee Story Seminars

Feb 24, 2014, 03:00 ET

(PRWEB) February 24, 2014 -- 20 former students of Robert McKee participated in making 12 of the films nominated for Academy Awards in 2014. Among McKee’s writers nominated this year are:

  • Billy Ray who wrote the screenplay for CAPTAIN PHILLIPS ("I don't think I'd be a writer if I hadn't taken the Robert McKee class. My debt to him is huge.” - Billy Ray)
  • Carl Joos who wrote THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN (“I'd like to thank Robert McKee for his mind-opening teaching.” - Carl Joos)
  • Terence Winter who wrote the screenplay for THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
  • Julie Delpy who wrote the screenplay for BEFORE MIDNIGHT
  • Julia Roberts for her performance in OSAGE COUNTY
  • John Lasseter who executive produced FROZEN (“McKee’s teachings are the law of the land at Pixar” - The Pixar Times)
  • Adam Kolbrenner who produced PRISONERS (“As a multi-alumni of McKee’s courses, buyer of his books for myself and all my writer clients and someone who has personally sent dozens of people to his seminars I wanted to let Mr. McKee know that I take great pride in talking about this original screenplay of PRISONERS. McKee’s courses educated my story development skills and I’m hopeful that he will see his traits when he gets to see PRISONERS.”)

McKee, age 73, has been teaching sold-out writing seminars for decades, following his own successful acting, directing, and writing career. He believes writing can be taught, and teaches the substance, structure, style, and principles of story over four 10-hour days during which he takes only a lunch break as he answers questions on the mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and mid-evening audience breaks.

To explain his commitment, McKee says “A culture cannot evolve without honest, powerful storytelling. When society repeatedly experiences glossy, hollowed-out, pseudo‐stories, it degenerates. We need true satires and tragedies, dramas and comedies that shine a clean light into the dingy corners of the human psyche and society. If not, as Yeats warned, ‘… the centre can not hold.’”

Over 100,000 writers and Hollywood A-listers have attended McKee’s seminars worldwide, including Hollywood’s A-list (Peter Jackson, William Goldman, John Cleese, Drew Carey, Russell Brand…). Unlike other authors and seminars, McKee tells his students that screenwriting is incredibly difficult and takes a ton of talent, insight, and hard work, then provides a deep study of the principles of great stories.

Writers and others who want to master STORY can join Robert McKee in Los Angeles March 6-9, 2014; New York April 3-6, 2014; London April 24-27, 2014, or attend his GENRE Seminar in New York April 9-13 for deep dives into writing particular genres (GENRE Seminars feature Thriller Day, Comedy Day, Love Story Day, Action Day, TV Day).

Robin Carey, McKee Story Seminars, http://mckeestory.wordpress.com, +1 (928) 204-2323, [email protected]