Andrew Horton

Julian Hoxter

Mark Eaton

J. Madison Davis

Screenwriting

Learning Screenwriting Through Case Studies

Pleasures of Structure

Screenwriters often joke that “no one ever paid a dollar at a movie theater to watch a screenplay.” Yet the screenplay is where a movie begins, determining whether a production gets the “green light” from its financial backers and wins approval from its audience. This innovative volume gives readers a comprehensive portrait of the art and business of screenwriting, while showing how the role of the screenwriter has evolved over the years. Reaching back to the early days of Hollywood, when moonlighting novelists, playwrights, and journalists were first hired to write scenarios and photoplays, Screenwriting illuminates the profound ways that screenwriters have contributed to the films we love. This book explores the social, political, and economic implications of the changing craft of American screenwriting from the silent screen through the classical Hollywood years, the rise of independent cinema, and on to the contemporary global multi-media marketplace. From The Birth of a Nation (1915), Gone With the Wind (1939), and Gentleman’s Agreement (1947) to Chinatown (1974), American Beauty (1999), and Lost in Translation (2003), each project began as writers with pen and ink, typewriters, or computers captured the hopes and dreams, the nightmares and concerns of the periods in which they were writing. As the contributors take us behind the silver screen to chronicle the history of screenwriting, they spotlight a range of key screenplays that changed the game in Hollywood and beyond. With original essays from both distinguished film scholars and accomplished screenwriters, Screenwriting is sure to fascinate anyone with an interest in Hollywood, from movie buffs to industry professionals.

Encourages you to move beyond your comfort zones in search of stories.

An Accessible Manual for Screenwriters

Write What You Don't Know

Aaron Kerner

This book explores the stupid as it manifests in media—the cinema, television and streamed content, and videogames. The stupid is theorized not as a pejorative term but to address media that “fails” to conform to established narrative conventions, often surfacing at evolutionary moments. The Transformers franchise is often dismissed as being stupid because its stylistic vernacular privileges kinetic qualities over conventional narration. Similarly, the stupid is often present in genre fails like mother!, or in instances of narrative dissonance—joyously in Adventure Time; more controversially in Gone Home— where a story “feels off” It also manifests in “ludonarrative dissonance” when gameplay and narrative seemingly run counter to one another in videogames like Undertale and Bioshock. This book is addressed to those interested in media that is quirky, spectacle-driven, or generally hard to place—stupid!

De-Naturalizing Story Structures in the Cinematic, Televisual, and Videogames

Theorizing Stupid Media

Master the craft of screenwriting--12 steps to bring your creative vision to the screen It can be difficult to find a modern resource that teaches you the nuts and bolts of screenwriting while also allowing you the freedom to creatively thrive. This guide distills the craft of screenwriting into 12 key elements, from developing your story to revising and rewriting, plus plenty of inspiration to create your own screenplay with confidence. Discover what to expect within the film industry and how it has evolved. Look behind the scenes at iconic films using a classic structure of screenwriting, along with experimental films from innovative writers that have transcended the rules and paved their own way to the silver screen. Then, get to the exciting part--writing--using a dozen tried-and-true rules of the trade. Each chapter is accompanied with an In the Writer's Room creative exercise, such as formatting your script, mapping sequences, and creating rich dialogue and characters, to deepen your understanding of what brings a screenplay to life. This screenwriting guide includes: Filmmaker's dozen--From loglines to creating a compelling character to root for, you'll find 12 fundamental but flexible steps to help you craft a powerful, creative screenplay. Topline terminology--Navigate the film biz like a pro with need-to-know Hollywood jargon, plus troubleshooting tips for any screenwriting hiccups along the way. Film archive--From William Goldman's The Princess Bride to Taika Waititi's Jojo Rabbit, discover emerging and timeless screenwriting techniques used in Hollywood blockbusters, micro-budget films, and more. Take your story from creative conception to complete script with this modern, 12-step approach to screenwriting.

12 Rules to Follow--And Break--To Unlock Your Screenwriting Potential

The Creative Screenwriter

Daniel Bernardi

"Due to rapid technological change, economic challenges facing media industries, and the writers' strike of 2007-08, screenwriting has been changing dramatically. While industry professionals in LA are still writing screenplays, what the studios want is changing, and there are new players in the market. Larger studios have become more conservative about the 'tentpole' pictures they need to make their bottom lines work, relying more on sequels, remakes, and established properties with track records in other media. The spec market for pre-written scripts and pitches by established professionals is in drastic decline--and viable content creation by fans and amateurs is on the rise. At the same time new opportunities for writers are proliferating in TV, micro--budget independents, games, and emerging content platforms like iTunes and VOD services. Off the Page is designed to be used by students and writers who want to understand what studios want, and what kind of opportunities exist beyond the old-school three-act structure screenplay. The book addresses specific genres old and new, a wide range of media, as well as specific professional details like working collaboratively in a 'writer's room,' showrunning, and the specific ways that scripts themselves are now written."--Provided by publishe

Julian Hoxter

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