Film scripts and screenplays Books
Bloomsbury Academic The Bloomsbury Introduction to Creative Writing
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£20.89
Oldcastle Books Ltd Short Films: Writing the Screenplay
Book SynopsisEvery award-winning short film begins life with a clever idea, a good story and a screenplay. Patrick Nash analyses the process of writing short film screenplays and gives advice on: Story and structure Ideas generation Plot and pace Screenplay format Dos and don'ts Eliciting emotion Dialogue and subtext Character design Protagonists and antagonists Character motivation and goals Conflict, obstacles and stakes Clichés and Stereotypes Beginnings, middles and ends Hooking the viewer Screenplay competitions Loglines, outlines and synopses Rewriting and length Practicalities and budgets The book also includes a number of award-winning scripts and interviews, advice and contributions from their award-winning screenwriters and a discussion of the benefits to writers of writing short screenplays.Trade ReviewI would definitely recommend this book . . . (it is) a very thorough look at all aspects of being a writer of short scripts -- Michelle Goode * Writesofluid *Straight talking tome bursting with practical advice * Total Film *A helpful book for anyone interested in screenwriting -- Tom Farr * Tom Farr Reviews *
£16.99
Ebury Publishing Talking Heads
Book SynopsisAlan Bennett sealed his reputation as the master of observation with this series of 12 groundbreaking monologues, originally filmed for BBC Television. At once darkly comic, tragically poignant and wonderfully uplifting, Talking Heads is widely regarded as a modern classic. This edition, which contains the complete collection of Talking Heads, as well as his earlier monologue, A Woman of No Importance, is a celebration of Alan Bennett's finest work.Trade ReviewTalking Heads places Alan Bennett in the highest tier of English dramatic writers * New York Times *His finest achievement - indeed masterpiece wouldn't be too strong a word * The Daily Telegraph *Bennett's genius is his ability to satirize humanely. [His] prose is like stained glass: if you stare at it, you see things you missed * New York Times Book Review *It's hardly a revelation to say that Alan Bennett has proved himself a master of the modern dramatic monologue... One of the finest dramatic achievements of the past few decades. * Scotsman *
£10.44
Geoff Thompson Ltd An Angel on Oxford Street
Book Synopsis
£6.99
University of Minnesota Press What If?: Twenty-Two Scenarios in Search of
Book SynopsisAn imagination of possibilities, of miscalculations, of futures off-kilter “Probability is a chimera, its head is true, its tail a suggestion. Futurologists attempt to compel the head to eat the tail (ouroboros). Here, though, we will try to wag the tail.” —Vilém Flusser Two years after his Vampyroteuthis Infernalis, the philosopher Vilém Flusser engaged in another thought experiment: a collection of twenty-two “scenarios for the future” to be produced as computer-generated media, or technical images, that would break the imaginative logjam in conceiving the social, political, and economic future of the universe. What If? is not just an “impossible journey” to which Flusser invites us in the first scenario; it functions also as a distorting mirror held up to humanity. Flusser’s disarming scenarios of an Anthropocene fraught with nightmares offer new visions that range from the scientific to the fantastic to the playful and whimsical. Each essay reflects our present sense of understanding the world, considering the exploitation of nature and the dangers of global warming, overpopulation, and blind reliance on the promises of scientific knowledge and invention. What If? offers insight into the radical futures of a slipstream Anthropocene that have much to do with speculative fiction, with Flusser’s concept of design as “crafty” or slippery, and with art and the immense creative potential of failure versus reasonable, “good” computing or calculability. As such, the book is both a warning and a nudge to imagine what we may yet become and be.Trade Review"While the universe Flusser created with his previous book, Vampyroteuthis Infernalis, explores a single alternate lifeworld coherent in its mirroring of the human species by a cephalopod, each scenario in What If? suggests a variety of new ideas, given the speculative, projecting nature of their setting—in the best and most creative sense of ‘what if’—in the past, the present, or the future."—from the IntroductionTable of ContentsIntroduction: What If? Into the Slipstream of Flusser’s “Field of Possibilities”Anke FingerFirst Scenario: What If . . .Part I. Scenes from Family LifeSecond Scenario: GrandmotherThird Scenario: GrandfatherFourth Scenario: Great UncleFifth Scenario: BrothersSixth Scenario: SonSeventh Scenario: GrandchildrenEighth Scenario: Great-GrandchildrenPart II. Scenes from Economic LifeNinth Scenario: Economic MiracleTenth Scenario: Foreign AidEleventh Scenario: Mechanical EngineeringTwelfth Scenario: AgricultureThirteenth Scenario: Chemical IndustryFourteenth Scenario: Animal HusbandryPart III. Scenes from PoliticsFifteenth Scenario: WarSixteenth Scenario: Aural ObedienceSeventeenth Scenario: Perpetual PeaceEighteenth Scenario: RevolutionNineteenth Scenario: Parliamentary DemocracyTwentieth Scenario: Aryan ImperialismTwenty-First Scenario: Black Is BeautifulPart IV. ShowdownTwenty-Second Scenario: A BreatherAfterwordKenneth GoldsmithAcknowledgmentsNotes
£15.29
Prototype Publishing Ltd. Sorcerer
Book SynopsisSorcerer is a book in the form of a script/novel/manual about the pleasures of being with others and of being alone. Three friends hang out and share a long and unremarkable conversation about getting dressed, headaches, ticks, compression fantasies, surgery, and their aspirations, among other things. The characters find contentment in each other's company, conversing in the placid, eerie rhythms of a sitcom in which conflict never arises. When two of the friends go home for the night, the remaining one watches TV, dances, and takes apart his face in front of a giant mirror.Trade Review'Atkins and Zultanski's play redesigns the contemporary home as a machine for comedy, sadness, and anxiety. Sorcerer is a unique work of theatre and literature, beautiful and unsettling.' - Dan Fox; 'With Sorcerer, Ed Atkins and Steve Zultanski invite us 'round for an evening of conversational bricolage, word games, and mild social debarment (with grapes). We are privy to the trivial crosscut with the vital; we submit to compression fetish and sulphuric mythology; we ruminate on the merits of facial deconstruction, and most crucially of all, we are reminded once again about the awful sad joy of humanness and what it means to be alone.' - Graham Lambkin; 'Vivid on the page, Sorcerer is a surprising and compelling hallucinatory theatre text for a cast of three. In it a set of hyper-naturalistic micro-conversations are laid out in an unblinking deadpan; crisp dialogues that focus in on the body, mapping the detail of daily actions and experiences from the removal of clothing, to the acquisition of new skills, and the precise interior feeling of headaches. Atkins & Zultanski have made the score for a complex, haunting event.' - Tim Etchells; 'Sorcerer is the emphatic magic of lived-time actions. This is a dialogue between the object body and other objects, so distended and loud as to be near silent. Where each action held might also begin to corrupt, or stain, pulling too hard, tuning in and tearing out. A politics of who we are in how we are, learnt, programmed, actioned and acted.' - Ghislaine Leung; 'In this ingenious work, Zultanski and Atkins innovatively deploy both material and human gesture to paint a sad yet almost comic scenario of contemporaneity. A group of friends conduct inane conversation about subjects like how to take off your pants (with accompanying gestures), yet these people raise serious compassion in us, for they are us. Atkins and Zultanski's brand of drolly underwrought utterance show us once more that innovative device is the sine qua non of really good art.' - Gail Scott
£10.80
Faber & Faber The History Boys Faber Drama
Book SynopsisAlan Bennett''s beloved, best-known play, with a beautiful typographic cover. The best moments in reading are when you come across something a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things that you'd thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you've never met, maybe even someone long dead.As an unruly bunch of bright, funny sixth-form boys pursue sex, sport and a place at university, adolescent anarchy and staffroom rivalry provoke insistent questions about history and education.The History Boys premiered at the National Theatre, London, 2004, winning Evening Standard, Critics' Circle, Olivier and South Bank Awards. On Broadway, it received numerous awards, including six Tonys.
£10.44
Pan Macmillan The Gardeners Son
Book SynopsisFrom the legendary Cormac McCarthy, author of Blood Meridian and winner of the Pulitzer Prize, The Gardener's Son is the tale of two families: one, owners of the local cotton mill, the other a family of mill workers beset by misfortune.'[A] memorable portrait of another place in another time' – New York TimesTwo years ago, Robert McEvoy was involved in an accident that led to the amputation of his leg. Consumed by bitterness and anger, he quit his job at the mill and fled. Now, news of his mother's terminal illness brings Robert home. What he finds on his return stokes the slow-burning rage he carries within him – a fury that may consume him . . .This taut, riveting drama was Cormac McCarthy's first written screenplay. Directed by Richard Pearce, it was produced as a two-hour film in 1976 for the PBS series Visions.Praise for Cormac McCarthy:‘McCarthy worked close to some
£9.49
Faber & Faber Trainspotting Screenplay FF Classics
Book SynopsisMark Renton is an unrepentant drug abuser, doing his level best to elude the claims and responsibilities Life throws up to him. His pals - Spud, Sick Boy, Tommy and Begbie - are devoted to much the same heroically seedy existence. Both harrowing and hilarious, Trainspotting charts the disintegration of this unlikely gang, as their appetites for intoxication and mayhem lead them unerringly into the worst kinds of trouble.Adapted by Shallow Grave screenwriter John Hodge from the novel by Irvine Welsh, Trainspotting was an international hit in 1996, directed by Danny Boyle and starring Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner and Robert Carlyle.
£9.49
Michael Wiese Productions Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies: The
Book Synopsis
£14.39
Faber & Faber Star Wars Screenplay FF Classics
Book SynopsisThe phenomenal success of George Lucas''s first Star Wars trilogy quite simply revolutionized the cinema; but what sets Lucas''s films apart from their legion of imitators is the quality of their screenplays. Lucas originally intended this trilogy to be a single film, but the epic scope of the story (combining hi-tech, sci-fi cinephilia with elements of Arthurian myth and mysticism) demanded that it be split into three.The first panel of the triptych is A New Hope. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, young Luke Skywalker leads a dull, isolated existence on his uncle''s homestead. One day, two androids, C3PO and R2D2, show up bearing a message from Princess Leia, the leader of the rebel forces engaged in a struggle against the vicious tryranny of the Empire - as personified by the rasping presence of Darth Vader. The message leads Luke to realize his heritage as a Jedi Knight. He sets out on a wild adventure across the galaxy and, together with Leia and
£8.54
Faber & Faber The Return of the Jedi Screenplay FF Classics
Book SynopsisThe most popular series of movies in the history of cinema, the Star Wars trilogy altered forever our notion of what the movies could do.Return of the Jedi is the trilogy''s concluding section. With its myriad peculiar creatures, it seems, at first, to be a lighter film than the others. However, as its subtle narrative unfolds, it becomes apparent that the centre of the trilogy is not Luke Skywalker but Darth Vader, and it is his redemption that forms the culmination of this epic story. The power of this conclusion excites curiosity about how someone who began so idealistically could have turned to the dark side of the Force - the story of which will be revealed in the next three instalments to the Star Wars saga . . .
£8.54
Faber & Faber Collected Screenplays
Book SynopsisPaul Auster's novels have earned him the reputation as one of America's most spectacularly inventive writers.' He has also brought this sense of invention to the art of screenwriting, producing Smoke, Blue in the Face, Lulu on the Bridge and The Inner Life of Martin Frost.Smoke tells the story of a novelist, a cigar store manager and a black teenager who unexpectedly cross paths. Blue in the Face is a largely improvised comedy directly inspired by Smoke. In Lulu on the Bridge, jazz musician Izzy Maurer is accidently hit with a bullet during a performance in a New York club, propelling him on a strange and frightening journey. The Inner Life of Martin Frost follows the unsettling experiences that befall a writer who borrows a friend's country house.The volume also contains production notes, as well as interviews with Paul Auster about his work in film.
£21.25
Faber & Faber Four Films
Book Synopsis
£11.69
Faber & Faber Rules of Engagement
Book Synopsis
£23.55
Taylor & Francis Embracing Neurodiverse Perspectives in Storytelling
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£37.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Character is Structure: The Insider’s Guide to
Book SynopsisThis book seeks to reshape the way that writers think about constructing their story, looking at the subject from the inside out. Often practitioners and theorists examine work through the separate lenses of character and/or structure and then bring them together. Within this book, authors Hughes and Wilkes argue that character is structure and one without the other makes for a dissatisfying narrative. Through detailed case studies on films that span all genres, from mainstream franchises like The Hunger Games (2012-2015) and Shrek (2001-2010) to art house films such as Toto Le Heros (1991) and Eraserhead (1977), the authors reveal the dramatic imperative behind the central choices or dilemmas faced by every protagonist in every classic feature length narrative. They argue there is only one of five choices that any writer must make in inventing that key transition from the protagonist’s ordinary world into the adventure that will form the heart of their story. Using the universal language of folk and fairy stories, this book gives writers and students a clear framework through which they can reference and improve their own storytelling. In doing so, it enables both the novice and experienced screenwriter to tell their story in the most authentic and impactful way, while keeping their protagonist at the heart of the narrative.Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION 1. THE BEGINNING ACT 1 – PART 1 – ONCE UPON A TIME ACT 1 – PART 2 – THE INVITATION ACT 2 – THE DARK FOREST 2. THE MIDDLE ACT 3 – PART 1 – DANGERS, ENCHANTMENTS, LOVE AND MAGIC ACT 3 – PART 2 – MONSTERS, FAILURES AND IMPOSSIBLE TASKS 3. THE END ACT 4 – THE LAST THROW OF THE DICE ACT 5 – (UN)HAPPILY EVER AFTER 4. CASE STUDIES 5. THE BEGINNING, THE MIDDLE AND THE END – BREAKING THE PARADIGM BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX
£18.99
Route Publishing Sorry We Missed You
Book Synopsis
£9.49
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Screenwriters Advice
Book SynopsisThis book looks at the most important part of the filmmaking process from the point of view of those who grind away at a keyboard or notepad trying to bring new ideas and perspectives to an increasingly diversified world. Using The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook''s tried and true Q&A style, with selected screenwriters, creating an engaging and easily digestible conversational feel, this book chronicles story theory, formatting, business issues and the creative process itself. Whether you're a seasoned scribe or an inexperienced writer, this book will give you perspectives and tips to get your creative juices flowing and make your story happen.Trade ReviewScreenwriter’s Advice is a cut-to-the-chase book that goes to the heart of professional screenwriting. This book gives the young writer an opportunity to sit at the table with professional screen and television writers as they talk about writing. Great advice based off years of professional experience on every page. I found myself nodding in agreement throughout. This is a book you will go back to again and again. * Jack Epps, Jr., Professor at the John Wells Division of Writing, University of Southern California, USA *Jolliffe and Zinnes’ love and respect for the craft shines through in this book filled with inspiring advice from the creatives in the trenches. A practical guide to the terms and tools of the industry and terrific resource for writers! * Pilar Alessandra, “On the Page” Screenwriting Instructor and Podcast Host, and author of The Coffee Break Screenwriter (2016), USA *Genevieve Jolliffe and Andrew Zinnes are two of the most supportive people in the industry. Their advice to screenwriters is actionable, tangible, and thought out. Writers would learn a lot from them! * Joey Tuccio, CEO of Roadmap Writers, USA *What a brilliant idea, to elicit the secrets of how great shows and movies are made by asking the people who do it best to describe the process in their own words. The authors pose provocative questions about the story-making process to a deep pool of top writers and showrunners, revealing vigorous disagreement about how to approach structure, characters, and dialogue. And yet, there are fascinating threads of agreement about the rock-solid necessities of connecting with the audience. This book is a wish fulfilled – asking the very questions I would like to ask of the creators of my absolute favorite shows. * Christopher Vogler, author of The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (2007), USA *Screenwriters Advice provides a unique and up-to-date view of the screen writing process from the perspective of professionals working in both feature and TV mediums. It is written in a colloquial style, structured around central questions of both craft and the nitty gritty of dealing with a rapidly changing industry. The contributions of professional writers with proven track records are frank, candid, and highly informative. Yet, it is the love of the craft that shines through, making Screenwriters Advice an invaluable resource. * Hing Tsang, Senior Lecturer in Digital Film Production, University of Suffolk, UK *Table of ContentsList of Tips Acknowledgements Legal Disclaimer An Introduction to Screenwriters Advice Contributors Chapter 1: The Idea Chapter 2: Pitching Chapter 3: Breaking Story Chapter 4: Character Chapter 5: Dialog Chapter 6: Rules? Chapter 7: Finding Your Voice Chapter 8: Screenwriting Competitions Chapter 9: Writing Teams Chapter 10: The Writer's Room & Writing on Set Chapter 11: Rewriting Chapter 12: Action & Thriller Chapter 13: Horror & Sci-Fi Chapter 14: Horror Comedy Chapter 15: Telenovelas Chapter 16: Comedy Chapter 17: Romantic Comedy & Christmas Movies Chapter 18: Drama & Adaptation Chapter 19: Animation & Family Chapter 20: The Business Chapter 21: Perspective Chapter 22: Inspiration Chapter 23: Writing Exercises References Index
£22.49
Manchester University Press Georges Melies
Book SynopsisBefore the turn of the twentieth century, before the nickelodeon, even before the first cinemas, Georges Méliès began making movies.. Directing, editing, producing, designing, and starring in over 500 films between 1896 to 1912, Méliès was also the first cinematic auteur.. This is the first study of Méliès''s films to appear in English in over twenty years and the only book to interpret his work using the tools of modern film analysis.. Locates the roots of modern narrative cinema in Méliès''s work, identifying techniques of editing and mise-en-scène previously thought to have originated with D. W. Griffith.Table of ContentsIntroduction - Narrative Attractions1. Méliès does tricks2. Fantastic realism3. The amazinf flying woman4. Imaginary voyagesConclusion
£23.84
HarperCollins Publishers Dean Spanley The Novel
Book SynopsisThe classic humorous novel about an alcohol-loving clergyman who thinks he is the reincarnation of a dog. Complete with the award-winning film screenplay that expands upon the tale.Dean Spanley is affable, conventional and prudent the very archetype of a bland churchman. Only his keen interest in the transmigration of souls and his obsession with dogs betray any shadow of eccentricity.But then, richly primed with a few glasses of Imperial Tokay, he begins to speak vividly of the joys of rabbiting, of rolling in fresh dung and of baying at the moon. Are these canine memories a drunken fancy? Or can it be that Dean Spanley must once have been a dog?This special edition includes Lord Dunsany's witty and inventive novel, My Talks With Dean Spanley, together with Alan Sharp's award-winning screenplay for the film starring Peter O'Toole and Sam Neill, which faithfully adapts and expands upon the events in the story.Trade Review‘A challengingly tall tale, but becomes as easy to swallow as a glass of fine wine.’ Daily Mail ‘There has been no more memorable tribute to the relationship between man and dog.’ Daily Mail
£9.49
Open Court Publishing Co ,U.S. Seinfeld and Philosophy
Book SynopsisDesigned for philosophers as well as readers with no particular philosophical background, the essays in this lively book are grouped into four amusing acts. Act One looks at the four Seinfeld characters through a philosophical lens and includes Jerry and Socrates: The Examined Life? Act Two examines historical philosophers from a Seinfeldian standpoint and offers Plato or Nietzsche? Time, Essence, and Eternal Recurrence in Seinfeld. Act Three, Untimely Meditations by the Water Cooler, explores philosophical issues raised by the show, such as, Is it rational for George to do the opposite? And Act Four, Is There Anything Wrong with That?, discusses ethical problems of everyday life using Seinfeld as a basis. Seinfeld and Philosophy also provides a guide to Seinfeld episodes and a chronological list of the philosophers cited in this book.Table of ContentsMonologue - Seinfeld, the Field of Being, William Irwin. Act One - The Characters, AKA the New York Four: Jerry and Socrates - the Examined Life?, William Irwin; George's Failed Quest for Happiness - an Aristotelian Analysis, Daniel Barwick; Elaine - Feminist Icon or Just One of the Boys?, Sarah Worth; Kramer and Kierkegaard - Stages on Life's Way, William Irwin. Act Two - Seinfeld and the Philosophers: Making Something Out of Nothing - Seinfeld, Sophistry, and the Tao, Eric Bronson; Plato or Nietzsche? Time, Essence, and Eternal Recurrence in Seinfeld, Mark Conard; Seinfeld, Subjectivity, and Sartre, Jennifer McMahon; Seinfeld and Wittgenstein on the Commonplace, Kelly Dean Jolley. Act Three - Untimely Meditations by the Water Cooler: The Costanza Manoeuvre - Is it Rational for George to "Do the Opposite"?, Jason Holt; Peterman and the Ideological Mind - Paradoxes of Subjectivity, Norah Martin; Comedy and the Insignificant, Jorge J.E. Gracia. Act Four - Is There Anything Wrong With That?: Seinfeld and the Moral Life, Robert Epperson; Virtue Ethics and TV's Seinfeld, Aeon J. Skoble; Ethics in the Final Episode - Is Doing Nothing Something?, Theodore J. Schick Jr. Appendices: Episode Guide; A Chronology of Philosophers.
£17.99
Oldcastle Books Ltd Reading Screenplays: How to Analyse and Evaluate
Book SynopsisScript Readers play a crucial role in the film industry, often responsible for determining whether a script is even looked at by a producer or development executive; yet those accountable for reading can be on the first rung of the industry ladder and have had little or no training for the task. This user-friendly 'how-to' guide written by one of the UK's leading script analysis specialists, lays bare the process of analysing film scripts. This is invaluable to anyone looking to work as a script reader, anyone who wants to work in development with writers, and for screenwriters themselves who are seeking guidance on how the industry might respond to their work. An essential reference tool, the book includes information on: How to write a brilliant script report Storytelling and screen genres Treatments and other short documents Writing clear and detailed analysis of the craft of storytelling for film Best practice in reading and reporting on scripts It also includes a full Resource Section listing useful print and online publications, organisations and associations.Trade Reviewit is such a worthwhile read -- Lucy V Hay * bang2write *Lucy Scher seeks to explain the skills needed to take on the vital role of script reader in the film industry -- Leo White * Kamera Film Salon *an ideal reference tool for anyone considering a career as a script reader or in film development * Moviescope *
£17.09
HarperCollins Publishers Inc Writing The Romantic Comedy 20th Anniversary
Book SynopsisTrade Review“Moving well beyond generic pronouncements and ‘rules’, Billy Mernit’s specific, well-tested exercises guide writers to create real, personal, credible characters and plots that speak to the romantic in all of us.” — Linda Venis, Director, UCLA Extension Writers' Program Mernit’s screenwriting knowledge shines through this highly readable volume. This is no “formula” book but an essential guide to finding your own voice. — Denver Rocky Mountain News “Insightful, thorough, and easy to use, this step-by-step guide expertly balances the craft and the art of writing the romantic comedy. Billy Mernit really knows his stuff, and after reading this book, you will too.” — Stephen Mazur, co-writer of Liar, Liar and The Little Rascals “Writing the Romantic Comedy is so much fun to read it could pop a champagne cork.” — Alexa Junge, writer/producer of Friends
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd Zapata
Book SynopsisA new volume which includes the original screenplay, with its copious director''s notes, and the narrative - this has followed on from a previously undiscovered manuscript by Steinbeck being found in the UCLA Research Library - the narrative treatment of the story on which he based his screenplay.
£11.69
Faber & Faber Annie HallScreenplay
Book SynopsisNew York comedian Alvy Singer reflects ruefully upon a failed relationship. When he first met Annie Hall on a tennis date, she was an insecure wallflower in trousers, vest and tie. But they shared a self-deprecating sense of humour, plus certain deep-seated neuroses, and love soon blossomed. Alvy supported Annie''s hopes for a singing career and encouraged her to broaden her talents. But ironically, her increasing self-assurance, coupled with Alvy''s obsession with death and his seeming inability to enjoy himself (''Life is divided between the horrible and the miserable''), spelt trouble for their affair.Annie Hall is a bittersweet comedic masterpiece, rich in irony, invention, romantic insights and classic Woody Allen one-liners. It won Academy Awards for Best Director, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture of 1977.
£9.49
Faber & Faber Collected Screenplays 1 The Servant Pumpkin Eater
Book SynopsisThere is no writer who excels at the art of adaptation for the screen so much as Harold Pinter. His consummate skill and unerring ear for dialogue, coupled with his sensitivity and understanding of the work of other authors, make the three volumes of his screenplays (of which this is the first) a collective masterclass in screenwriting.Included in this collection are the screenplays for The Servant, The Pumpkin Eater, The Quiller Memorandum, Accident, The Last Tycoon and Langrishe, Go Down.
£21.25
Faber & Faber The Hours
Book SynopsisThe Hours is David Hare''s screen adaptation of Michael Cunningham''s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. In Richmond, England in 1923, Virginia Woolf is setting out to write the first words of her new book. In Los Angeles in 1951, a housewife, Laura Brown, is contemplating suicide. And in present-day New York, a hostess, Clarissa Vaughan, is planning a party for her friends. In extraordinary and ingenious ways, the film shows how a single day - and the novel Mrs Dalloway - inextricably link the lives of three very different women.
£10.44
Faber & Faber In Bruges
Book SynopsisAfter a shooting in London goes hideously wrong, two hitmen, Ray and Ken, are sent to hide out in the strange, Gothic, medieval town of Bruges, Belgium, by their volatile and dangerous boss, Harry Waters.While awaiting instructions from him as to what to do next, the pair attempt to deal both with their feelings over the botched killing and their differing attitudes towards this curious, otherworldly place they''ve been dumped in (''Bruges is a shithole.'' ''Bruges is not a shithole''), until the call from Harry finally comes through, and all three men are enmeshed in a spiral of bloody violence that few will get out of alive.This jet-black comedy marks the feature-film debut of writer/director Martin McDonagh, award-winning author of such plays as The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Lieutenant of Inishmore and The Pillowman, and the film Six Shooter, which won the Academy Award for the Best Live-Action Short Film.The film stars Colin Farrel
£10.44
Faber & Faber Inside Llewyn Davis Screenplays
Book SynopsisInside Llewyn Davis chronicles a struggling young folk singer, played by Oscar Isaacs, who arrives in Manhattan in 1961 and tries to navigate the treacherous waters of the the Greenwich Village coffeehouse scene, as well as having to deal with a disaffected girlfriend, his father''s dementia, the suicide of his musical partner, and the loss of his friend''s cat . . .Suffused with the music of the time, the film is an emotional journey inside the soul of Llewyn Davis.
£11.69
Faber & Faber Dunkirk
Book SynopsisChristopher Nolan's previous films have reflected the uncertainties of the twentieth-first century. With Dunkirk, Nolan has gone back into the past and brought to life one of the momentous events of the twentieth-century the evacuation of British troops from Dunkirk, telling the tale by land, sea, and sky.Dunkirk opens as hundreds of thousands of British and Allied troops are surrounded by enemy forces. Trapped on the beach with their backs to the sea, they face an impossible situation as the enemy closes in.The film features a prestigious cast, including Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, and newcomer Fionn Whitehead, with Mark Rylance and Tom Hardy.The screenplay is accompanied by a conversation about the film between Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan,as well as selected storyboards.
£11.69
Faber & Faber Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
Book SynopsisAfter months pass without a culprit in her daughter's murder case, Mildred Hayes pays for three signs challenging the authority of William Willoughby, the town''s revered chief of police. When his second-in-command, Officer Dixon, a mother's boy with a penchant for violence, gets involved, the battle between Mildred and Ebbing''s law enforcement threatens to engulf the town.Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a darkly comedic drama from Martin McDonagh.The film won Best Motion Picture Drama and Best Screenplay at the Golden Globes 2018, and the Best Film and Best Original Screenplay awards at the 2018 BAFTAs.
£9.49
Faber & Faber The French Dispatch
Book Synopsis
£11.69
Taylor & Francis Capturing Big Ideas for Less in Feature Film
Book SynopsisThis book is an accessible guide, directed towards filmmakers with restricted resources and shortened schedules, who want to ensure their creation of riveting, fresh, and exciting projects. Whether a film is produced under a low or high budget, this text emphasizes that a small world coupled with a big idea can serve strong themes, complex characters, and powerful stories. Award-winning screenwriter David Carren suffuses this book with his own, original Narrative Synonym Process, teaching readers how to redevelop and expand a single idea or element in a story into multiple directions. Each chapter examines case studies of successful films and screenplays that are suitable to the subject. Script to Screen entries evaluate specific scenes in well-known films in relation to their dramatic intention and budgetary costs. The end of each chapter includes a review of its basic points and a bibliography citing the companies that produced the film, or the publishers of their
£34.19
Taylor & Francis Scriptwriting for Theatre and Screen
Book SynopsisScriptwriting for Theatre and Screen: A Practical Guide is an introduction designed to help readers understand the nature of dramatic scriptwriting and quickly guide them to a place where they can write, first a short play, and then a short screenplay.The book clearly points out not only the differences between writing for the stage and writing for the screen, but also the shared skills and the fundamental dramatic principles that unite them. The two sections (Theatre Writing and Screenwriting) are connected by a bridging chapter which explores similarities and differences between the two media. The chapters are arranged with a short introductory essay on topics such as generating ideas, structure, character, modes of address, empathy, status, visual writing, and revising and editing, followed by practical exercises with exemplar responses â including a sample short play and film. Two additional chapters address how to approach writing a self-reflexive commentary, explore how the skills covered can be applied to writing for television, and explain other skills a writer might need to develop when working in this industry. This complete introduction to writing dramatic scripts is intended for students of playwriting and scriptwriting but is also suitable for all writers new to these areas and interested in developing their skills.
£36.62
Taylor & Francis Crafting Short Screenplays That Connect
Crafting Short Screenplays That Connect, Sixth Edition, stands alone among screenwriting books by emphasizing that human connection, though often overlooked, is as essential to writing effective screenplays as conflict.Award-winning writer and director Claudia Hunter Johnson teaches you the all-important basics of dramatic technique and guides you through the challenging craft of writing short screenplays with carefully focused exercises of increasing length and complexity. In completing these exercises and applying Johnsonâs techniques and insights to your own work, you will learn how to think more deeply about the screenwriterâs purpose, craft effective patterns of human change, and strengthen your storytelling skills. This 25th Anniversary Edition features 11 short screenplays, including Academy Award winning Barry Jenkinsâ (Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk) luminous short film, My Josephine (now in the Criterion Collection), and an accompanying c
£41.79
Taylor & Francis PurposeDriven Documentaries
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£35.14
Picador USA Hairspray
£14.80
Bloomsbury Academic Creating the Digital Interactive Story
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£23.25
Nightboat Books The African Desperate
Book SynopsisThe acerbically funny and intimate screenplay for acclaimed visual artist Martine Syms's debut film, The African Desperate.The African Desperate follows Palace Bryant on one very long day in 2017 that starts with her MFA graduation in upstate New York and ends at a Chicago Blue Line Station. Set against the lush backdrop of late summer, Palace navigates the pitfalls of self-actualization and the fallacies of the art world. Shot through with Syms’s celebrated conceptual grit, humor, social commentary, and vivid visual language, The African Desperate leads us through picturesque landscapes and artists studios, from academic critiques to backseat hookups, and from the night of a wild graduation party to the morning of a lonely trip back home.
£11.39
Verso Books The Lenin Scenario
Book SynopsisCommissioned by Oliver Stone in 2015 to commemorate the Russian Revolution, Tariq Ali's captivating screenplay of the life and times of Vladimir Lenin puts flesh on the bones of the historical record and gets its pulse racing. From the author of The Dilemmas of Lenin, the drama captures the enigma of its central character. Ali shows Lenin in his rush from Switzerland to Petrograd by train to grasp his moment in history and the force of his personality on the tumult he found there. He made a revolution and remade a nation. Interwoven with the politics is an exploration of Lenin's personal life, especially his love for Inessa Armand.In the introduction, Ali argues that, despite the difficulties, a serious cinematic assessment of Lenin is still needed. Unfortunately, two very different attempts to film one failed. This first draft provides the basis for something on a grander scale at some stage in the future. Praise for The Dilemmas of Lenin 'Aims to rescue Lenin from both liberal caricature and Soviet hag- iography by recovering the realism and dynamism of his political thought' David Sessions, Nation'An incredibly powerful, panoramic, and insightful study of the central revolutionary figure of the twentieth century' Paul LeBlanc, author of Lenin and the Revolutionary Party Table of ContentsIntroductionThe Lenin ScenarioChronology of Lenin's Life and WorksGlossary of Names
£12.34
Oldcastle Books Ltd The Art of Script Editing: A Practical Guide
Book Synopsis'A clear, insightful and sensitive look at the work of script editors and screen writers' - Hossein Amini: writer of Drive and writer and director of The Two Faces of January The Art of Script Editing provides a comprehensive overview of this vital role, examining its responsibilities and functions during all stages of the development process, both in film and television. Detailing the nuts and bolts of the job, it looks at what's required and expected, how script editors assess a script, their approach to working with writers and producers, and their input during rewrites and pre-production, and up to a project's completion. It also examines the ways in which writers and producers can benefit from working with a professional script editor as they seek to refine and communicate their vision. The Art of Script Editing; A Practical Guide is a valuable resource for anyone developing a script no matter where they are in the process, for writers and producers interested in expanding their understanding of how a script is advanced, and for those pursuing a career in script development.Trade ReviewA clear, insightful and sensitive look at the work of script editors and screen writers -- Hossein Amini: writer of Drive and writer and director of The Two Faces of January
£17.09
Oldcastle Books Ltd Jaws In Space: Powerful Pitching for Film and TV
Book SynopsisTwo screenwriters once walked into a Hollywood producer's office and said three words 'Jaws in space.' Those three words won them the contract for the blockbuster movie Alien. The ability to pitch well is essential for all writers, directors and producers in cinema and TV. Strong pitching skills will accelerate your career - not only helping you sell your projects, but also developing them in the first place, focusing on what makes a story work, clarifying character and plot, and working more successfully with industry collaborators. This book takes you from the essentials of what makes a good pitch to advanced skills that will help you in all kinds of pitching situations. Charles Harris gives a clear-sighted view of how pitching works in the industry and a series of very practical techniques for developing a gripping and convincing pitch. Drawing on his experience, he examines the problems that can arise with both mainstream and unconventional projects - from a range of different cultures - and explains how to solve them. He also analyses the process of taking a pitch meeting and shows you how to ensure you perform at your best.Trade ReviewEverything you need to know about pitching and a whole lot more -- Nicola QuilterCharles Harris has created the perfect handbook for anyone who is a bit uncertain or scared about pitching their work * www.writesofluid.com *Charles makes the whole process of pitching seem so enjoyable -- Elinor * Lock and Load, Brides of Christ *
£15.29
Springer Nature Switzerland AG The Protagonist's Journey: An Introduction to
Book SynopsisCharacter drives plot. Based on this principle, this book walks aspiring writers through the fascinating world of character-driven screenwriting. When a writer engages their characters, they start a process which naturally leads to the story’s structure and everything else that makes for a well-written narrative. Exploring the protagonist’s journey and their “unity arc,” Myers explains how a family of characters surrounds the protagonist and influences their transformation process. This easy-to-follow guide features activities that will help writers of any level develop their stories from concept to scene-by-scene outline. Based upon a popular workshop Myers has led with over a thousand writers at all levels of experience, this book is a must-have for screenwriting students, both undergraduate and graduate, and those looking at advanced story development.Table of ContentsPart I: The Protagonist’s Journey as Narrative Imperative.- Chapter One: The Protagonist’s Journey – Due to their central role, engaging the Protagonist is the most important aspect of the story-crafting process.- Chapter Two: Character Arc – In movies, there exists a recurring variety of character arcs including the most popular: positive transformation.- Chapter Three: Disunity – The Protagonist needs to change as reflected in their initial state of disunity.- Chapter Four: Deconstruction – Entering the New World, a series of challenges and trials deconstructs the Protagonist’s old ways of being.- Chapter Five: Reconstruction – Freed from their old ways of being, the Protagonist is reconstructed by embracing heretofore untapped inner potential.-Chapter Six: Unity – The Protagonist brings together all they have learned in the story’s final struggle and in doing so achieves unity.- Chapter Seven: The Protagonist’s Place Within the Screenplay Universe – The Protagonist’s journey interweaves between the External World and the Internal World.- Part II: The Protagonist’s Journey as Family of Characters.- Chapter Eight: Primary Character Archetypes – Five narrative dynamics common to movies represented by these archetypes: Protagonist, Nemesis, Attractor, Mentor, Trickster.- Chapter Nine: Nemesis – By providing opposition to the Protagonist, the Nemesis generates sustained conflict which creates the central drama of the story.- Chapter Ten: Attractor – During their journey, the Protagonist intersects with Attractor characters who connect with the Protagonist’s emotional development.- Chapter Eleven: Mentor – The Protagonist meets another type of ally, the Mentor who provides wisdom and contributes to the Protagonist’s intellectual growth.- Chapter Twelve: Trickster – A shapeshifter tests the will of the Protagonist by switching from ally to enemy, enemy to ally, and generating complications.- Chapter Thirteen: Subplots – Each Protagonist relationship with key characters is a mini-story with its own arc, theme, and contribution to the overall narrative.- Chapter Fourteen: Character Map – There is a structure to the Protagonist’s relationships with the story’s major characters.- Part III: The Protagonist’s Journey as Screenplay.- Chapter Fifteen: Breaking the Story I – Begin the story-crafting process by engaging the story’s central character with a Protagonist Character Treatment.- Chapter Sixteen: Breaking the Story II – Use a series of brainstorming exercises to explore the story universe and develop its characters.- Chapter Seventeen: Breaking the Story III – A first pass at wrangling the plot by working with Four Primary Plotline Points.- Chapter Eighteen: Breaking the Story IV – Track the Protagonist’s transformation arc through Four Themeline Movements.- Chapter Nineteen: Breaking the Story V – Expand the framework of the plot by identifying Ten Major Plotline Points.- Chapter Twenty: Breaking the Story VI – Construct the final story structure, both Plotline and Themeline into a Narrative Throughline.- Chapter Twenty-One: Writing the First Draft – Break down the writing process into sets of scenes from one Plotline Point to another all the way through the Denouement.
£19.99
Workman Publishing You Talkin' to Me? : The Definitive Guide to
Book Synopsis"You Talkin' to Me?" is a fun, fascinating, and exhaustively reported look at all the iconic Hollywood movie quotes we know and love, from Casablanca to Dirty Harry and The Godfather to Mean Girls. Drawing on interviews, archival sleuthing, and behind-the-scenes details, the book examines the origins and deeper meanings of hundreds of film lines: how they've impacted, shaped, and reverberated through the culture, defined eras in Hollywood, and become cemented in the modern lexicon. Packed with film stills, sidebars, lists, and other fun detours throughout movie history, the book covers all genres and a diverse range of directors, writers, and audiences.
£14.44
Faber & Faber The Double
Book SynopsisInspired by Dostoyevsky''s short story, The Double tells the story of Simon, a timid man, scratching out an isolated existence in an indifferent world. He is overlooked at work, scorned by his mother, and ignored by the woman of his dreams. He feels powerless to change any of these things. The arrival of a new co-worker, James, serves to upset the balance. James is both Simon''s exact physical double and his opposite - confident, charismatic and good with women. To Simon''s horror, James slowly starts taking over his life.
£12.34
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Writing the Horror Movie
Book SynopsisTales of horror have always been with us, from Biblical times to the Gothic novel to successful modern day authors and screenwriters. Though the genre is often maligned, it is huge in popularity and its resilience is undeniable. Marc Blake and Sara Bailey offer a detailed analysis of the horror genre, including its subgenres, tropes and the specific requirements of the horror screenplay. Tracing the development of the horror film from its beginnings in German Expressionism, the authors engage in a readable style that will appeal to anyone with a genuine interest in the form and the mechanics of the genre. This book examines the success of Universal Studio's franchises of the 30s to the Serial Killer, the Slasher film, Asian Horror, the Supernatural, Horror Vérité and current developments in the field, including 3D and remakes. It also includes step-by-step writing exercises and interviews with seasoned writers/directors/ producers discussing budget restrictions, screenplay form and Trade ReviewThe truth is that the screenplay is a bastard form of literature. It is not a play nor book nor movie, and not just simply a blueprint for a film. All movies, regardless of genre, depend on the screenplay. However it is the director who makes the movie by realizing the printed words of the script on film. I have seen mediocre screenplays made into very good films. And I have seen excellent screenplays made into bad movies by incompetent directors. Again, it's important for people to understand that the screenplays essential role in film making is the same regardless of the genre of the film. --John Landis, 2012Writing the Horror Movie is written in particular for anyone interested in writing a screenplay for a horror film, and in seeing that screenplay turned into reality. But it's also full of fascinating nuggets of analysis and useful information more generally for scholars, students and fans of the genre - whether this is musing on the aesthetics of disgust, offering nifty psychological profiles of major horror monsters, or advice on how to exploit your film and turn it into a lucrative franchise. Two dismembered thumbs up for Marc Blake and Sara Bailey! -- Darryl Jones, Professor, School of English, Trinity College Dublin, IrelandA lucid, well-structured and thought-provoking introduction that ranges widely across the genre. Intelligent and perceptive throughout. Recommended for aspiring writers and critics. -- George Green, Senior Lecturer, Department of English and Creative Writing, Lancaster University, UKCo-authors Marc Blake and Sara Bailey have penned a magnum opus entitled Writing The Horror Movie, which aims to do exactly what it says on the tin. Every little piece of useful advice can be found in this book, from analysing the history of on-screen horror to defining the types of sub-genres to what tropes can usually be found in any scary movie....They seem to have put their utmost into making this book for the casual film lover and have come out shining with a witty, knowledgeable book to call their own. Quite simply, Writing The Horror Movie as written by Marc Blake and Sara Bailey is a must-read for any hardcore horror fans, and definitely worth checking out for many film fans in general. -- Jack Martin * Film Feeder *There are hundreds of books about screenwriting, but precious few aimed at the would-be horror film author; this volume is a noteworthy addition to the literature. Both Blake and Bailey have written horror films and teach the process at Southampton Solent University, UK. This volume covers horror films from the world over and is packed with examples. The breadth of the films noted makes this book almost a course in horror history. Through each chapter on structuring the screenplay, the reader is led through the succession of tropes: unease, dread, terror, horror, and finally disgust. The style is engaging, but the authors make no bones about the effort involved in all aspects of filmmaking – a fact reiterated in the appendix of interviews with writers, directors, and a producer. There are chapters on the international market; the ins and outs of the prequel, sequel, and franchise; and the trick of blending or crossing genre lines. The writing exercises are comprehensive, but beginners might profit from sharing their attmepts with a trusted reader. The volume includes a 425-item filmography and a tightly focused bibliography. A solid resource for film buffs and budding screenwriters. Summing Up: recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; two-year program students; general readers. -- D. A. Schmitt, St. Louis Community College at Meramec * CHOICE *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Welcome to the Nightmare 1. Why do we like to be scared? On the Abject and the Unknown 2. Horror history and literary/film background 3. Subgenres. The Undead. Monsters. Demons and possession. Serial Killers, Slashers, Werewolves, Bad science and Body Horror 4. Staging horror. Five tropes. Unease, dread, terror, horror & disgust 5. On creating the Nemesis: Norman, Hannibal, Freddie and Jigsaw 6. Forming the idea. Writing exercises. Fears and phobias. Notes on the screenplay. Short, visual and credible 7. The First Act: Unease and dread. Character and milieu 8. The Second Act: Modulating fear, terror and horror 9. Third Act. Resolutions. Tragic and redemptive endings 10. Writing the horror sequel/franchise 11. Adaptations. From page to screen. Short stories and novels 12. On Cross-genre. Where can you bleed into other genres? Zom-Com, Thriller/Horror, Vampire romance, Horror and comedy 13. World markets. Horror in the US, the UK and European Horror. Asian, Thai and Hong Kong horror 14. Lo-budget Horror. How Blair Witch, Colin and Paranormal Activity became box office gold 15. Case studies. Selling the scare. Interviews with Writer/directors Chris Smith (Creep, Severance), James Watkins (Eden Lake). Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, Descent, Doom), Adam Gierasch (Autopsy, Night of the Demons) Mark Ezra and more.... 16. Producer Interviews. What producers are looking for? 17. Marketing. Frightest and Sitges. Interviews with directors of the world's leading Horror festivals and conventions 18. Fifty Essential Horror movies. Synopses and analysis of each subgenre.
£36.06
Taylor & Francis Ltd Writing Women for Film Television
Book SynopsisThis book is a detailed guide to creating complex female characters for film and television. Written for screen storytellers of any level, this book will help screenwriters and filmmakers recognize complicated portrayals of women on screen and evaluate the complexity of their own characters.Author Anna Weinstein provides a thorough analysis of key female characters in film and television, illustrating how some of our greatest screenwriters have developed smart, nuanced, and intriguing characters that successfully portray the female experience. The book features in-depth discussions of women's representation both on screen and behind the scenes, including interviews with acclaimed women screenwriters and directors from around the globe. These conversations detail their perspectives on the relevance of women's screen stories, the writing and development processes of these stories, and the challenges in getting female characters to the screen. With practical suggestions, exercisTrade Review“This book has been needed for such a long time – what a pleasure now that it exists to find it’s so much better than we had any right to expect. Warm, wise, and generous, Weinstein is the screenwriting teacher we all wish we had.” –William Rabkin, author of Writing the Pilot Table of Contents1. She Is on Screen: Women’s Representation in Film & Television 2. She Comes of Age: Young Women 3. She Falls in Love: Smitten Women 4. She Climbs the Ladder: Working Women 5. She Cares for the Family: Nurturing Women 6. She Doesn’t Play by the Rules: "Mad" Women 7. She Sparks Change: Trailblazing Women 8. She Is Seen: Developing "Reel" Women
£36.99
