Writing Your Screenplay

Title page......Page 3
Contents......Page 7
Why write for the screen?......Page 13
Essential tools for screenplay development......Page 19
Creating a screenwriting folio......Page 22
1 Cinema creates a parallel universe......Page 26
The demands of art, the industry and the market......Page 28
Understanding the industry......Page 30
The basic economy of film......Page 31
What makes your audience tick?......Page 33
What makes a good story?......Page 35
Connecting with an audience......Page 37
How to create a timely story......Page 39
Finding the \'hook\'......Page 41
Genre defines audience expectations......Page 44
Put a twist on familiar themes......Page 46
The producer\'s big questions: Who cares? and So what?......Page 47
Exercise 1: Creating your screenplay folio......Page 50
2 Know the rules before your break them......Page 52
The screenplay is a coded document......Page 53
The four Ps......Page 59
How the four Ps interlock......Page 66
Exercise 2: The log book......Page 67
3 The psychology of the protagonist......Page 69
Three acts: beginning, middle and end......Page 70
Marking out the protagonist\'s journey......Page 71
Rules governing the protagonist......Page 72
Character baskstory......Page 74
Character motivation......Page 78
The realms of the protagonist......Page 79
Conflict as the basic building block of drama......Page 80
Support roles and subplots......Page 81
Summary......Page 84
Character psychology......Page 86
4 Time is the basic building block......Page 88
Magical and musical elements......Page 89
Chronology of the plot......Page 90
Plot logic......Page 93
Organising your chronology......Page 94
The unity of space and time......Page 96
Exposition and backstory......Page 99
Historical epics......Page 104
Exercise 4: Plot chronology......Page 107
5 Devices for manipulating story chronology......Page 108
Montage......Page 110
Flashbacks and flash-forwards......Page 117
Deadlines, ticking clocks and high-stakes dilemmas......Page 121
Parallel action......Page 124
Circular or non-circular chronology......Page 125
Exercise 5: Genre and chronology......Page 132
6 Your premise governs three acts......Page 133
Premise reflects the central concept and themes......Page 134
How a good premise informs the plot......Page 136
How to identify your premise......Page 139
The three-act structure......Page 140
How to organise turning points......Page 142
Examples from well-known films......Page 148
Exercise 6: Premise and protagonist psychology......Page 156
Scene structure......Page 159
Cut to the chase......Page 162
The need for repetition......Page 164
Each scene builds your premise......Page 165
Your screenplay isn\'t a novel......Page 167
Exercise 7: Scene construction......Page 168
Characterisation......Page 169
Stage directions......Page 170
Costume......Page 174
Dialogue......Page 175
Exercise 8: Dialogue......Page 180
Complex plot structure......Page 181
Subplots......Page 184
Interweaving plotlines A and B......Page 185
Secondary characters......Page 188
Characters and point-of-view......Page 189
Character archetypes and anthropology......Page 191
Chris Vogler\'s Twelve Steps......Page 193
Exercise 9: Biographies for key support roles......Page 199
10 Act one structure......Page 201
The seven-step outline: The road-map of your protagonist\'s journey......Page 202
Balancing the first and last turning points......Page 204
Act one - step 1: the set-up - establish the protagonist and their world......Page 205
Act one - step 2: The inciting incident......Page 206
Act one - step 3: The act one turning point......Page 207
Exercise 10: Your set-up......Page 209
Act two: The long march forward......Page 212
Act two - step 4: The mid-point......Page 214
Act two - step 5: Act two turning point......Page 220
Exercise 11 - keep act two moving forward......Page 223
12 Act three structure......Page 225
Act three - step 6: The climax, or act three turning point......Page 226
Act three - step 7: The final resolution......Page 227
Examples of how to conclude your story......Page 233
Exercise 12: The climax......Page 239
Fleshing out the contours of your seven-step outline......Page 241
The plot breakdown......Page 242
The scene breakdown......Page 248
Summary and conclusions......Page 249
Exercise 13: The scene breakdown......Page 252
References and recommended reading......Page 253
Filmography......Page 255
Index......Page 260