Writing Movies: The Practical Guide to Creating Stellar ScreenplaysTo break into the screenwriting game, you need a screenplay that is not just good, but great. Superlative. Stellar. In Writing Movies you'll find everything you need to know to reach this level. And, like the very best teachers, Writing Movies is always practical, accessible, and entertaining. The book provides a comprehensive look at screenwriting, covering all the fundamentals (plot, character, scenes, dialogue, etc.) and such crucial-but seldom discussed-topics as description, voice, tone, and theme. These concepts are illustrated through analysis of five brilliant screenplays-Die Hard, Thelma & Louise, Tootsie, Sideways, and The Shawshank Redemption. Also included are writing assignments and step-by-step tasks that take writers from rough idea to polished screenplay. Written by Gotham Writers' Workshop expert instructors, Writing Movies offers the same winning style and clarity of presentation that have made a success of Gotham's previous book Writing Fiction, which is now in its 7th printing. Named the "best class for screenwriters" in New York City by MovieMaker Magazine, Gotham Writers' Workshop is America's leading private creative writing school, offering classes in Manhattan and on the Web at www.WritingClasses.com. The school's interactive online classes, selected as "Best of the Web" by Forbes, have attracted thousands of aspiring writers from across the United States and more than sixty countries. |
Contents
The Path of Action | 33 |
Chart of Major Events | 66 |
Words That Move | 103 |
Exploring and Exploding Moments | 136 |
Beat Sheet | 174 |
A Side of Story | 216 |
Like a Roller Coaster | 238 |
The Overlay and Underlay | 265 |
From Rough to Ready | 291 |
Slipping Past the Velvet Rope | 320 |
Format Guide | 359 |
Cheat Sheet | 373 |
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Common terms and phrases
action actor actually agent Andy Andy's audience beat sheet better Blade Runner brass fasteners break Buffalo Bill Callie Khouri character climax comedy conflict Darryl dialogue Die Hard Dorothy draft EDITH example feel film genre give goal Hans Gruber happens Hard Holly Hollywood hostages idea inciting incident Jack John Malkovich John McClane Julie keep lead-in logline look main plot major dramatic question major events Maya midpoint Miles Miles's movie movie's obstacle okay pitch play plot point protagonist pulls romantic scene heading screen screenplay screenwriter script second act sense sequence Shawshank Redemption Sideways someone spec spec script Stephanie story studio subplot subtext tell terrorists Thelma & Louise Thelma and Louise theme there's things tion tone Tootsie trying turn usually visual watch what's woman words writing