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BIOGRAPHY & CREDITS
VERNON ZIMMERMAN
Director • Producer • Screenplay Writer
Member
WGA and DGA
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From
the Toronto International Film Festival to Germany's renowned Hof Festival
to the University of Southern California, Vernon Zimmerman has been
feted by retrospectives and film festivals that have played to sold-out
crowds worldwide. His unique vision and outrageous humor have won him
special praise in the realm of international cinema.
Among
Zimmerman's writer-director credits are the cult classic Fade
to Black (Anchor Bay Entertainment, starring Mickey Rourke and Dennis
Christopher), currently being released as a special-edition DVD; the
over-the-top black comedy road picture Deadhead Miles (Paramount,
cowritten with Terrence Malick, who directed Thin Red Line);
and the neo-noir Unholy Rollers (Roger Corman Productions).
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Zimmerman's
teleplay and screenplay credits include Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw (AIP, starring Linda Carter and Marjoe Gortner); Teen Witch (Trans
World, a feature frequently rerun on TV); and three MOWs for CBS: The
Tunnel, The Secret Life of John Chapman: Chapter Two, and Mad
Bull, starring Alex Karras and Susan Anspach. In addition, Zimmerman's
pilot for a one-hour dramatic series on ABC titled Shooting Stars was produced by Aaron Spelling Productions, starring Billy Dee Williams
and Parker Stevenson.
Most
recently, Zimmerman wrote and directed Chuck and Wally on the Road,
which was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Albany
Film Festival, and Hof Film Festival in Germany. In addition, he has recently
completed two medium-budget original screenplays: Check Mate, a
romantic thriller, and Wendy and Dale, a black comedy road picture.
Click here to see a clip from the movie on youtube.
Photo Gallery
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Gratifying
his love for engaging in a wide range of creative activities, and in
response to many requests for advice from aspiring writers, Zimmerman established
Script Doctor, Inc., under whose banner he has assisted clients with rewrites
and has done story surgery on hundreds of screenplays. As well, he has taught
Screenwriting courses at UCLA's Extension and Certificate Program. At the
USC School of Cinema and Television he has taught many courses, including
Writing the Feature Screenplay and Directing Actors for Film and Television.
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Mr. Zimmerman
lives in Los Angeles and drives an ecologically correct VW bug.
He agrees
with Thomas Mann:
"A
writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for
other people."
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REVIEWS AND QUOTES |
"Vernon
Zimmerman has an unerring instinct for where the story can be found
in almost any piece of material. A witty, original sensibility informs
all his work."
—
John Prizer, Producer-Writer: features (Unholy Rollers, Switchblade
Sisters, etc); miniseries (The Best of Families, The Guyana Tragedy);
and PBS documentaries (The Fall of Newt Gingrich, Campus Culture
Wars, etc.).
"Vernon
Zimmerman provides invaluable story guidance for both amateurs and professionals
alike."
—
Mardik Martin, Screenwriter.
"Raging Bull," "Mean Streets," "New York,
New York," and various other features and documentaries."
"Vernon
directs like a writer and writes like a director giving the best of
both worlds."
— George Braunstein, Producer, "Fade To Black" and
"Train Ride to Hollywood."
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"Movies are like real life, with the boring parts cut out."
Alfred Hitchcock
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