Books for Screenwriters
(page five)
Something Startling Happens: The 120 Story Beats Every Writer Needs to Know - Todd Klick
Klick's book reveals the 120 minutebyminute story genome that unites all successful films. In other words, it shows filmmakers what makes a great movie ticklike no other book has done before.
Story Maps: How to Write a GREAT Screenplay - Daniel Calvisi
Learn the secrets to writing a GREAT screenplay from a major Hollywood movie studio Story Analyst who will show you how to BLOW AWAY THE READER! Master the structure and principles used by 95% of commercial movies by studying detailed breakdowns, or “Story Maps,” of several recent hit movies in all different genres, including The Dark Knight, The Wrestler, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Drag Me To Hell and the classics As Good As It Gets and Sunset Boulevard.
The book cites examples from hundreds of hit films, several television series and includes samples from actual produced screenplays to show you HOW TO DO IT. The book provides detailed lessons on format, capturing voice and tone on the script page and developing great characters with powerful dialogue.
The book also includes exclusive insights from major industry professionals with whom the author has interacted with at events in Los Angeles and New York City, including Robert Zemeckis, the screenwriters of Final Destination, Limitless, Armageddon, Antwone Fisher, Speed and Blade Runner, Louis C.K. and the President of Production of Columbia Pictures.
The book cites examples from hundreds of hit films, several television series and includes samples from actual produced screenplays to show you HOW TO DO IT. The book provides detailed lessons on format, capturing voice and tone on the script page and developing great characters with powerful dialogue.
The book also includes exclusive insights from major industry professionals with whom the author has interacted with at events in Los Angeles and New York City, including Robert Zemeckis, the screenwriters of Final Destination, Limitless, Armageddon, Antwone Fisher, Speed and Blade Runner, Louis C.K. and the President of Production of Columbia Pictures.
Story Maps: Booster Pack #1 - Daniel Calvisi
Story Maps: Booster Pack #1 is a companion book to Story Maps: How to Write a GREAT Screenplay. This Booster Pack breaks down 12 GREAT MOVIES, primarily from the past decade, into the detailed but easy-to-follow structural analysis known as the Story Map. 95% of great movies follow the story map.
The Booster Pack #1 analyzes these twelve films:
Juno (Teen Comedy/Drama) 2007
The Social Network (Biopic) 2010
Hustle & Flow (Music Drama) 2007
Raiders of the Lost Ark (Action/Adventure) 1981
Black Swan (Thriller) 2010
Sex and the City (Romantic Comedy) 2008
Meet The Parents (Comedy) 2000
The Matrix (Sci-Fi Action) 1999
Rain Man (Drama) 1988
Rocky (Sports Drama) 1977
Up (Animated Comedy/Action) 2009
X-Men (Superhero “Origin” Action) 2000
These hit movies are great examples of professional screenwriting in many different genres and budget levels aimed at varied audiences. The author, a professional Story Analyst with major movie studio experience, stands by each title as a strong example of its genre and as a primer to learn the screenwriting craft at the level that you need to be: the “submission ready” tier that makes a good script into a GREAT script.
The purpose of learning to story map is simple: to help you improve your craft and increase your odds of getting your script to impress a decision-maker in Hollywood. That's it.
The Booster Pack #1 analyzes these twelve films:
Juno (Teen Comedy/Drama) 2007
The Social Network (Biopic) 2010
Hustle & Flow (Music Drama) 2007
Raiders of the Lost Ark (Action/Adventure) 1981
Black Swan (Thriller) 2010
Sex and the City (Romantic Comedy) 2008
Meet The Parents (Comedy) 2000
The Matrix (Sci-Fi Action) 1999
Rain Man (Drama) 1988
Rocky (Sports Drama) 1977
Up (Animated Comedy/Action) 2009
X-Men (Superhero “Origin” Action) 2000
These hit movies are great examples of professional screenwriting in many different genres and budget levels aimed at varied audiences. The author, a professional Story Analyst with major movie studio experience, stands by each title as a strong example of its genre and as a primer to learn the screenwriting craft at the level that you need to be: the “submission ready” tier that makes a good script into a GREAT script.
The purpose of learning to story map is simple: to help you improve your craft and increase your odds of getting your script to impress a decision-maker in Hollywood. That's it.
Supporting Character Secrets (Screenwriting Blue Books) [Kindle Edition] - William C. Martell
How Do You Create The Best Supporting Characters For Your Screenplay?
You've created a take charge protagonist, but what about the rest of your cast? How do you make them unique and interesting?
Using the hit comedy"Bridesmaids" as our main example we dig into what makes an interesting supporting character. What do Supporting Characters do? The "Rear Window" theory. One Degree Of Separation. Opposites React and the film "The Shape Of Things". Your character's Story Purpose and "The 40 Year Old Virgin". Supporting Character Unity and why "The Watch" flopped.
Introducing your Supporting Characters. Your most important Supporting Character: The Antagonist... and the lovable antagonist Ted the stuffed bear. Relationships between your Supporting Characters. Individual Humor and "The Hangover". Plants & Pay Offs in "Bridesmaids". The Dog Juice Theory. Symbolic Supporting Characters and "High Fidelity". Dialogue differences. Attitude. Instant Identifiers and "Top Secret!" How to handle crowd scenes and extras. And much, much more!
Almost 44,000 words of tips and techniques to help you create amazing Supporting Characters!
You've created a take charge protagonist, but what about the rest of your cast? How do you make them unique and interesting?
Using the hit comedy"Bridesmaids" as our main example we dig into what makes an interesting supporting character. What do Supporting Characters do? The "Rear Window" theory. One Degree Of Separation. Opposites React and the film "The Shape Of Things". Your character's Story Purpose and "The 40 Year Old Virgin". Supporting Character Unity and why "The Watch" flopped.
Introducing your Supporting Characters. Your most important Supporting Character: The Antagonist... and the lovable antagonist Ted the stuffed bear. Relationships between your Supporting Characters. Individual Humor and "The Hangover". Plants & Pay Offs in "Bridesmaids". The Dog Juice Theory. Symbolic Supporting Characters and "High Fidelity". Dialogue differences. Attitude. Instant Identifiers and "Top Secret!" How to handle crowd scenes and extras. And much, much more!
Almost 44,000 words of tips and techniques to help you create amazing Supporting Characters!
Writing Dialogue for Scripts: Effective dialogue for film, tv, radio and stage - Rib Davis
Writing Dialogue for Scripts provides expert insight into how
dialogue works. It shows what to look out for in everyday speech, and
how to apply dialogue in scripts for dramatic effect. Writers learn, on
the whole by trial, error and practice, and this book will help guide
them on their journey.
A highly practical guide, the book includes much analysis and many
examples of scripted dialogue from across different media: from Pulp Fiction to Goodfellas, The English Patient and The Constant Gardner,
playwrights Arthur Miller, Caryl Churchill, Michael Frayn, Alan
Bennett, Alan Ayckbourn to name just a few, as well as documentaries,
TV and radio shows. Chapters deal with how conversation works,
naturalistic and stylised dialogue, pace and variation, scripted
narration, comic dialogue and presentation.
dialogue works. It shows what to look out for in everyday speech, and
how to apply dialogue in scripts for dramatic effect. Writers learn, on
the whole by trial, error and practice, and this book will help guide
them on their journey.
A highly practical guide, the book includes much analysis and many
examples of scripted dialogue from across different media: from Pulp Fiction to Goodfellas, The English Patient and The Constant Gardner,
playwrights Arthur Miller, Caryl Churchill, Michael Frayn, Alan
Bennett, Alan Ayckbourn to name just a few, as well as documentaries,
TV and radio shows. Chapters deal with how conversation works,
naturalistic and stylised dialogue, pace and variation, scripted
narration, comic dialogue and presentation.
Talk the Talk: A Dialogue Workshop for Scriptwriters - Penny Penniston
Great dialogue builds great scripts. This books gives screenwriters and playwrights an easy to use training manual for improving dialogue writing skills It includes step-by-step lessons and over 80 targeted dialogue writing exercises.
Emotional Structure: Creating the Story Beneath the Plot: A Guide for Screenwriters - Peter Dunne
The leap from concept to final draft is great, and the task is filled with hard work and horrors. It is here that most writers struggle to get the plot right at the expense of the story's real power. The result is a script that is logical in every way, yet
unmoving. Emotional Structure, by Emmy- and Peabody-Award winning producer, writer, and teacher, Peter Dunne, is for these times, when the plot fits nicely into place like pieces in a puzzle, yet an elemental, terribly important something remains missing.
unmoving. Emotional Structure, by Emmy- and Peabody-Award winning producer, writer, and teacher, Peter Dunne, is for these times, when the plot fits nicely into place like pieces in a puzzle, yet an elemental, terribly important something remains missing.
The Art of Plotting: Add Emotion, Suspense, and Depth to your Screenplay - Linda J. Cowgill
Plot must be as much about the emotions of the characters as it is about the events of the story. That’s the message of The Art of Plotting, which teaches screenwriters how to integrate plot, characterization, and exposition to make stories compelling. Using examples from recent and classic movies, author Linda J. Cowgill demonstrates how the plot springs naturally from the characters—and how that technique makes audiences connect with the story on a more intimate level. Easy exercises reveal common plot problems and help writers overcome them.
Make a Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time - Jordan Rosenfeld
In Make a Scene, author Jordan E. Rosenfeld takes you through the fundamentals of strong scene construction and explains how other essential fiction-writing techniques, such as character, plot, and dramatic tension, must function within the framework of individual scenes in order to provide substance and structure to the overall story. You'll learn how to:
- Craft an opening scene that hooks readers and foreshadows supporting scenes
- Develop various scene types - from the suspenseful to the dramatic to the contemplative - that are distinct and layered
- Tailor character and plot around specific scene types to better convey the nuances of your storyline
- Create resonating climactic and final scenes that stay with readers long after they've finished your work
Screenwriting 101: The Essential Craft of Feature Film Writing - Neill D Hicks
This book provides writers with the tools necessary to create and market a successful screenplay.