| Acknowledgments |
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ix | |
| Introduction: Oh joy, another screenwriting book |
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1 | (11) |
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1 | (3) |
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4 | (2) |
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Top ten tasks that are more important than reading this book |
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6 | (6) |
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12 | (26) |
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`I saw Screenwriting Manual with the Devil!' |
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12 | (2) |
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14 | (2) |
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How movies work, only without the complicated bits |
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16 | (1) |
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17 | (1) |
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A boring pair of everyday shoes: narrative economy |
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17 | (7) |
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Staring open-mouthed at cool stuff: narrative excess |
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24 | (3) |
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Remember who you are writing for: show, don't tell |
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27 | (4) |
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When format nerds attack! |
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31 | (2) |
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`Write what you know': why this idea sucks and what to do about it |
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33 | (1) |
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Creativity today, or: `Don't try this at home!' |
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34 | (2) |
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36 | (1) |
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Write what you never realized that you knew? |
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37 | (1) |
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Write what you don't know |
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37 | (1) |
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2 Screenwriting: the hardest easy thing you will ever do |
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38 | (36) |
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Kind of a pep talk: you should write a movie |
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40 | (4) |
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Bad reasons to write a screenplay |
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44 | (1) |
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When `Write What You Know' attacks! |
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44 | (1) |
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When `Write What You Don't Know' attacks! |
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45 | (1) |
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`I want to make lots of green' |
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45 | (1) |
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`I want supermodels on my d' |
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46 | (1) |
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`Pfft, I could do that. It's just some car chases and `splosions, how hard can it be?' |
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46 | (1) |
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Copying the `hot' concept, or: `Amagawd, I totally got off on Transformers 2!! 1 lone' |
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47 | (3) |
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Good reasons to write a screenplay |
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50 | (1) |
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`I don't know exactly but I love movies and it's my dream and I don't know---wait, I already said that ...' /blush/ facepalm /hide |
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50 | (1) |
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`I have something really important I need to say' |
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50 | (2) |
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`My story is so visual it just needs to be filmed' |
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52 | (1) |
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`I have an idea that I love for a story, but I don't know whether it should be a novel or a screenplay' |
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53 | (1) |
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`I want to be a director' |
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54 | (1) |
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Ideas and where the pesky things hide |
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55 | (1) |
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56 | (3) |
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59 | (2) |
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`Le cadavre exquis boira le vin nouveau' |
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61 | (8) |
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Learning something new: the joys of research. Yes, really |
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69 | (5) |
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3 Screenwriting is For the Birds: a simple model for cinematic storytelling |
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74 | (23) |
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Story worlds: their creation and destruction |
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74 | (2) |
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Understanding story worlds |
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76 | (4) |
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The `V': build a world, break it and then fix it again |
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80 | (6) |
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86 | (2) |
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`I just do eyes, just eyes': outside-in story world creation |
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88 | (2) |
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`Now that's our ball now, right? And we're playing here': inside-out story world creation |
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90 | (2) |
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Playing story worlds to character and theme |
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92 | (1) |
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Plots and stories: why everything comes from character |
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93 | (1) |
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Story worlds, not plot worlds |
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94 | (3) |
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4 It's all about the concept |
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97 | (34) |
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No ifs. No buts. It's the law. You just have to get this part right |
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98 | (1) |
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First steps, or when bunnies attack! |
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99 | (7) |
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106 | (6) |
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112 | (2) |
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114 | (1) |
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115 | (1) |
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The top ten ground rules for a good movie pitch |
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116 | (4) |
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What is a screenplay and how do I get there? |
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120 | (1) |
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121 | (1) |
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The top ten ground rules for a good movie treatment |
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122 | (4) |
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126 | (1) |
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Basic spec screenplay format: it looks like this for a reason |
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127 | (1) |
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Spec script vs shooting script |
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128 | (3) |
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5 `Taming wild words': it's all about the structure |
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131 | (73) |
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What structure is for and where it comes from |
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135 | (5) |
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Ring compositions and the `origin' of structure |
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140 | (7) |
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Narration: positioning your audience |
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147 | (1) |
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148 | (2) |
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The control of story information |
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150 | (3) |
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153 | (6) |
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The `W' model of screenplay structure: acts and angles |
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159 | (2) |
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161 | (2) |
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Act one: first down angle |
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163 | (1) |
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164 | (3) |
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167 | (2) |
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169 | (1) |
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170 | (2) |
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Act three: second up angle |
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172 | (2) |
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174 | (2) |
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176 | (1) |
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176 | (1) |
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177 | (1) |
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177 | (12) |
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189 | (1) |
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190 | (4) |
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194 | (3) |
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Writing to be acted and directed |
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197 | (1) |
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Scene beats and character tactics |
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198 | (3) |
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Case study: scene beats in Juno |
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201 | (3) |
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6 Case study: Brick in the `W' |
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204 | (27) |
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7 It's all about the characters: this time I really mean it |
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231 | (25) |
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Character development, or why writing a character bio is often a waste of ink |
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232 | (2) |
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Return of the bunnies: story goals, plot goals and the need to share the pain |
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234 | (3) |
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237 | (1) |
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238 | (1) |
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238 | (4) |
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Why `my character is kind of an everyman' often translates as `I'm a lazy-ass writer' |
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242 | (3) |
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245 | (5) |
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250 | (4) |
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Ensembles do it (sigh) together |
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254 | (2) |
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8 Dialogue is not just people talking |
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256 | (21) |
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Dialogue is unnatural naturalism |
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256 | (1) |
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Mundanity is boring only when it is mundane |
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257 | (2) |
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Sociolect, genderlect and idiolect, or `vocabulary' for grad students |
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259 | (6) |
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Articulacy is not a default human skill |
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265 | (1) |
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Movie dialogue is dynamic---except when it isn't |
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266 | (6) |
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Why clarity always spanks dialect |
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272 | (2) |
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Having all your characters constantly swear like troopers is basically you holding up a big sign reading: `Don't buy my script!' |
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274 | (2) |
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Dialogue comes to life in the re-writes |
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276 | (1) |
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277 | |
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Well, now we start rewrites |
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277 | (3) |
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Remember to kill your darlings |
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280 | (3) |
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Kind of a kick in the butt: keep at it |
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283 | |
