Secrets of Film Writing

Secrets of Film Writing

Author: Tom Lazarus

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Published: 2001-06-02

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 1429937858

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Most books about screenplays instruct on three-act structure, character arcs, and how to format a script. But you already know all that. Secrets of Film Writing reveals a working writer's secrets-the tips, short cuts, tricks, and insider advice that will get your story down on paper, maximize your idea, and seduce your readers. Do you know why actors pick scripts out of a stack? Why montage sequences don't work? Why the traditional three-act structure is obsolete? Lazarus lifts the veil with dozens of secrets like these. Lazarus's insights and techniques will smooth and improve any screenwriter's process and will make any script more readable and ultimately more salable. Secrets of Film Writing takes you behind the scenes of feature and television writing and demystifies, once and for all, the Hollywood System.


The Nutshell Technique

The Nutshell Technique

Author: Jill Chamberlain

Publisher: University of Texas Press

Published: 2016-03-01

Total Pages: 220

ISBN-13: 1477303731

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Veteran script consultant Jill Chamberlain discovered in her work that an astounding 99 percent of first-time screenwriters don’t know how to tell a story. These writers may know how to format a script, write snappy dialogue, and set a scene. They may have interesting characters and perhaps some clever plot devices. But, invariably, while they may have the kernel of a good idea for a screenplay, they fail to tell a story. What the 99 percent do instead is present a situation. In order to explain the difference, Chamberlain created the Nutshell Technique, a method whereby writers identify eight dynamic, interconnected elements that are required to successfully tell a story. Now, for the first time, Chamberlain presents her unique method in book form with The Nutshell Technique: Crack the Secret of Successful Screenwriting. Using easy-to-follow diagrams (“nutshells”), she thoroughly explains how the Nutshell Technique can make or break a film script. Chamberlain takes readers step-by-step through thirty classic and contemporary movies, showing how such dissimilar screenplays as Casablanca, Chinatown, Pulp Fiction, The Usual Suspects, Little Miss Sunshine, Juno, Silver Linings Playbook, and Argo all have the same system working behind the scenes, and she teaches readers exactly how to apply these principles to their own screenwriting. Learn the Nutshell Technique, and you’ll discover how to turn a mere situation into a truly compelling screenplay story.


Secrets of Screenwriting

Secrets of Screenwriting

Author: Professor Bradley

Publisher: Professor Bradley

Published: 2020-02-20

Total Pages: 250

ISBN-13: 1777017831

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Time to cut through the crap with this entertainingly useful generation-defining screenwriting guide on modern structure. Learn some of the best-kept secrets of how to develop a script. Improve your storytelling, structure, character and screenwriting skills. Build confidence in creating better screenplays. Weave new ideas into powerful scripts. Deliver fresh content, gain a plethora of knowledge, and complete a more polished final draft. Hollywood Film Professor Bradley demonstrates authenticity to help writers become better storytellers so they can truly love what they do. You’ll want to add this book to your collection. Whether business or pleasure (or both) he helps readers successfully express themselves to be - or to train to be - amazing screenwriters. Get ready for some great ideas to organize, develop, and rewrite your next screenplay! This is a must-read book.


Dan O'Bannon's Guide to Screenplay Structure

Dan O'Bannon's Guide to Screenplay Structure

Author: Dan O'Bannon

Publisher:

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781615931309

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Dan O'Bannon famously crafted his screenplays using a self-designed system which he called "dynamic structure." This book outlines how O'Bannon's method differs from those of other well-known screenwriting gurus, and illustrates with examples from classic (and not-so-classic) films how dynamic structure can be applied to craft narrative and character. O'Bannon also includes his insights on subjects such as the logic of the three-act structure, the role of the producer in screenplay development, and the psychological principle known as "hedonic adaptation," which has a unique effect on the structuring of screen stories.


The Secrets of Story

The Secrets of Story

Author: Matt Bird

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2016-11-01

Total Pages: 369

ISBN-13: 1440348235

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You've just boarded a plane. You've loaded your phone with your favorite podcasts, but before you can pop in your earbuds, disaster strikes: The guy in the next seat starts telling you all about something crazy that happened to him--in great detail. This is the unwelcome storyteller, trying to convince a reluctant audience to care about his story. We all hate that guy, right? But when you tell a story (any kind of story: a novel, a memoir, a screenplay, a stage play, a comic, or even a cover letter), you become the unwelcome storyteller. So how can you write a story that audiences will embrace? The answer is simple: Remember what it feels like to be that jaded audience. Tell the story that would win you over, even if you didn't want to hear it. The Secrets of Story provides comprehensive, audience-focused strategies for becoming a master storyteller. Armed with the Ultimate Story Checklist, you can improve every aspect of your fiction writing with incisive questions like these: • Concept: Is the one-sentence description of your story uniquely appealing? • Character: Can your audience identify with your hero? • Structure and Plot: Is your story ruled by human nature? • Scene Work: Does each scene advance the plot and reveal character through emotional reactions? • Dialogue: Is your characters' dialogue infused with distinct personality traits and speech patterns based on their lives and backgrounds? • Tone: Are you subtly setting, resetting, and upsetting expectations? • Theme: Are you using multiple ironies throughout the story to create meaning? To succeed in the world of fiction and film, you have to work on every aspect of your craft and satisfy your audience. Do both--and so much more--with The Secrets of Story.


Secrets of Screenwriting: Everything You Need to Know

Secrets of Screenwriting: Everything You Need to Know

Author: Bradley

Publisher:

Published: 2020-02-20

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 9781777017828

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Time to cut through the crap with this entertainingly useful generation-defining screenwriting guide on modern structure. Learn some of the best-kept secrets of how to develop a script. Improve your storytelling, structure, character and screenwriting skills. Build confidence in creating better screenplays. Weave new ideas into powerful scripts. Deliver fresh content, gain a plethora of knowledge, and complete a more polished final draft. Hollywood Film Professor Bradley demonstrates authenticity to help writers become better storytellers so they can truly love what they do. You'll want to add this book to your collection. Whether business or pleasure (or both) he helps readers successfully express themselves to be - or to train to be - amazing screenwriters. Get ready for some great ideas to organize, develop, and rewrite your next screenplay! This is a must-read book.


Actions and Goals

Actions and Goals

Author: Marshall Dotson

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2016-11-16

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13: 9781537001401

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How is A Game of Thrones the same story as The Lego Movie? How is the mind-bending plot of Inception identical to the terse narrative of Gravity? In what way is Clarice Starling's struggle to silence the lambs indistinguishable from Harry Potter's pursuit of the philosopher's stone? Despite the striking difference in these stories, they share a less conspicuous similarity: they're all structured on a universal pattern of actions undertaken by their characters.This sequence of six Actions and Goals is the hidden foundation of modern story structure. By aligning the unique actions your characters takes with these universal story actions, you can create propulsive narratives that grab your audience by the lapels and punch them in the face (figuratively, of course). Whether you're writing for television or plotting a novel, penning your first screenplay or coming off your most recent bestseller, this groundbreaking storytelling technique is guaranteed to change your perception of story.Actions and Goals will teach you: How to use the actions of your character to structure your story.Why your character's goal should change as the story progresses.The five turning points and the decision your character must make at each one.How a conflict of ideals creates the opposition your character faces.How your character's attempt to fulfill a new role propels him through the narrative. Successful storytellers understand the importance of structure. Actions and Goals gives you beat by beat examples of this structural secret at work in over a dozen critically acclaimed novels and films. From The Hunger Games to The Empire Strikes Back, from Titanic to Iron Man, you will learn the simple, effective structure at the heart of them all.


Writing Short Films

Writing Short Films

Author: Linda J. Cowgill

Publisher: Lone Eagle

Published: 2010-10-20

Total Pages: 275

ISBN-13: 0307875148

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This new edition has been completely updated and revised along with the addition of several new chapters. Currently, this title remains the best selling university text book on writing short film screenplays.