Through a "Crazy" approach in writing the feature screenplay, the first half of the book guides the reader in how to create and develop: Story Idea, Characters, One Page Step Outline, and the solid script. In the second half, the book covers professional business side of the ever-changing industry by taking the reader through the work flow of Hollywood and explores how to work creatively with international countries like China in producing movies that resonate with a global audience.
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.
"A hilarious and helpful insider's guide to launching a successful writing career in Hollywood. . . . The only compass readers will ever need to navigate the treacherous waters of filmmaking"--("Kirkus Reviews," starred review).
Navigating through the challenging process of writing a comedy pilot, this book will help screenwriters to create an original script for television. Practical and accessible, the book presents a step-by-step guide focusing on the key elements of the process. Incorporating both the history of TV comedy as well as its current evolving state in this age of the dramedy and an ever-increasing variety of broadcast and streaming platforms, the book will serve as a guide for the fledgling sitcom scribe. Author Manny Basanese breaks down the comedy pilot writing process from what may be perceived as an overwhelming, time-consuming mission into a series of much more manageable, smaller steps (from logline to outline to 1st, 2nd and polished draft). Utilizing his experience in Hollywood’s sitcom trenches, the author offers real-world advice on such topics as building the comedy pilot "world," creating memorable comic characters, sound sitcom structure, and the importance of crafting an emotional through line in a comedy pilot. Finally, there is also practical career guidance for marketing this just-completed script and breaking into the industry with advice on various topics such as the value of networking as well as gaining representation in the competitive Hollywood jungle. It is ideal for students of screenwriting and aspiring comedy screenwriters.
The great challenge in writing a feature-length screenplay is sustaining audience involvement from page one through 120. Screenwriting: The Sequence Approach expounds on an often-overlooked tool that can be key in solving this problem. A screenplay can be understood as being built of sequences of about fifteen pages each, and by focusing on solving the dramatic aspects of each of these sequences in detail, a writer can more easily conquer the challenges posed by the script as a whole. The sequence approach has its foundation in early Hollywood cinema (until the 1950s, most screenplays were formatted with sequences explicitly identified), and has been rediscovered and used effectively at such film schools as the University of Southern California, Columbia University and Chapman University. This book exposes a wide audience to the approach for the first time, introducing the concept then providing a sequence analysis of eleven significant feature films made between 1940 and 2000: The Shop Around The Corner / Double Indemnity / Nights of Cabiria / North By Northwest / Lawrence of Arabia / The Graduate / One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest / Toy Story / Air Force One / Being John Malkovich / The Fellowship of the Ring
"Are you finally committed to writing that novel or screenplay, but have no idea how to get started? Or are you a published author, but know you need some plotting help to move your books and career up to that next level? In this workbook, award-winning author/screenwriter Alexandra Sokoloff will show you how to jump-start your plot and bring your characters and scenes vibrantly alive on the page by watching your favorite movies and learning from the storytelling tricks of great filmmakers."--Page 4 of cover.
From a longtime script consultant, “a vital aid to all writers, novelists, and screenwriters . . . invaluable” (Gale Anne Hurd, producer, The Walking Dead and Aliens). In this book, Linda Seger, author of Making a Good Script Great, shows how to create strong, multidimensional characters in fiction, covering everything from research to character block. She introduces concepts designed to stimulate the creative process, combining them with practical techniques and exercises. She also offers specific advice on creating nonfiction and fantasy characters, and case studies of such classics as Ordinary People and the sitcom Cheers. Addressing topics from backstory development to character psychology to avoiding stereotypes, Creating Unforgettable Characters is an excellent resource for writers in any genre or creative field. Interviews with successful professional writers complete this essential volume.
