Synopses & Reviews
Acclaimed USC screenwriting teacher David Howard has guided hundreds of students to careers in writing for film and television. Drawing on decades of practical experience and savvy,
How to Build a Great Screenplay deconstructs the craft of screenwriting and carefully reveals how to build a good story from the ground up. Howard eschews the "system" offered by other books, emphasizing that a great screenplay requires dozens of unique decisions by the author. He offers in-depth considerations of:
* characterization
* story arc
* plotting and subplotting
* dealing with coincidence in story plotting
* classical vs. revolutionary screenplay structure
* tone, style, and atmosphere
* the use of time on screen
* the creation of drama and tension
* crucial moments in storytelling
Throughout the book, Howard clarifies his lessons through examples from some of the most successful Hollywood and international script-oriented films, including Pulp Fiction, American Beauty, Trainspotting, North by Northwest, Chinatown, and others. The end result is what could very well become the classic text in the field---a bible for the burgeoning screenwriter.
David Howard is the founding director of the graduate screenwriting program at USC, where he teaches various courses in screenwriting. His students have scripted such successful films as The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Air Force One, Permanent Midnight, and Natural Born Killers. The co-author (with Edward Mabley) of The Tools of Screenwriting, Howard lives in Los Angeles. Acclaimed USC screenwriting teacher David Howard has guided hundreds of students to careers in writing for film and television. Drawing on decades of practical experience and savvy, in How to Build a Great Screenplay Howard deconstructs the craft of screenwriting and carefully reveals how to build a good story from the ground up. He eschews the "system" offered by other books, emphasizing that a great screenplay requires dozens of unique decisions by the author.
Howard also offers in-depth considerations of characterization; story arc; plotting and subplotting; dealing with coincidence in story plotting; classical vs. revolutionary screenplay structure; tone, style, and atmosphere; the use of time on screen; the creation of drama and tension; and crucial moments in storytelling.
Throughout this readable and immediately accessible guide, Howard clarifies his lessons through examples from some of the most successful Hollywood and international script-oriented films, including Pulp Fiction, American Beauty, Trainspotting, North by Northwest, Chinatown, and others. The end result is an indispensable texta bible for the burgeoning screenwriter. "David Howard's How to Build a Great Screenplay is a raritynot merely a 'how-to' guide, but the most comprehensive and thoughtful examination of storytelling, and as close to an entire graduate writing program, as one is likely to find within the covers of a single book."Adams Belanoff, writer and producer on Cosby and Murphy Brown, and writer on Wings "David Howard's How to Build a Great Screenplay is a raritynot merely a 'how-to' guide, but the most comprehensive and thoughtful examination of storytelling, and as close to an entire graduate writing program, as one is likely to find within the covers of a single book."Adam Belanoff, writer and producer on Cosby and Murphy Brown, and writer on Wings "In this companion to The Tools of Screenwriting, Howard, founding director of the graduate screenwriting program at the University of Southern California, deals specifically with story structure, focusing on elements like connecting with an audience, creating drama and tension, and building subplots. This book [is thus] appropriate for screenwriting students; Howard's have gone on to pen the screenplays for successful films like Natural Born Killers and Permanent Midnight."Library Journal
Review
"How to Build a Great Screenplay" is insightful, riveting, clear, concise and to the point. It's a screenwriter's screenwriting book packed with practical as well as theoretical insights. If you're serious about screenwriting -- start here, and if you're a twenty-year veteran, this is the place to take a refresher course. I came away from reading this book inspired with a renewed sense of purpose on why I write screenplays. This isn't a book -- it's an education!"
--Jack Epps Jr., screenwriter Top Gun, Dick Tracy, Turner & Hooch, The Secret of My Success, and Legal Eagles.
"David Howard's How To Build A Great Screenplay is a rarity - not merely a 'how to' guide, but the most comprehensive and thoughtful examination of storytelling, and as close to an entire graduate writing program, as one is likely to find within the covers of a single book."
--Adam Belanoff, writer and producer on Cosby and Murphy Brown, and writer on Wings
Synopsis
How to Bulid a Great Screenplay is a definitive guide on the mechanics of screenwriting--filled with examples--from the author of The Tools of Screenwriting.
Acclaimed USC screenwriting teacher David Howard has guided hundreds of students to careers in writing for film and television. Drawing on decades of practical experience and savvy, How to Build a Great Screenplay deconstructs the craft of screenwriting and carefully reveals how to build a good story from the ground up. Howard eschews the system offered by other books, emphasizing that a great screenplay requires dozens of unique decisions by the author. He offers in-depth considerations of:
* characterization
* story arc
* plotting and subplotting
* dealing with coincidence in story plotting
* classical vs. revolutionary screenplay structure
* tone, style, and atmosphere
* the use of time on screen
* the creation of drama and tension
* crucial moments in storytelling
Throughout the book, Howard clarifies his lessons through examples from some of the most successful Hollywood and international script-oriented films, including Pulp Fiction, American Beauty, Trainspotting, North by Northwest, Chinatown, and others. The end result is what could very well become the classic text in the field---a bible for the burgeoning screenwriter.
Synopsis
Acclaimed USC screenwriting teacher David Howard has guided hundreds of students to careers in writing for film and television. Drawing on decades of practical experience and savvy,
How to Build a Great Screenplay deconstructs the craft of screenwriting and carefully reveals how to build a good story from the ground up. Howard eschews the "system" offered by other books, emphasizing that a great screenplay requires dozens of unique decisions by the author. He offers in-depth considerations of:
* characterization
* story arc
* plotting and subplotting
* dealing with coincidence in story plotting
* classical vs. revolutionary screenplay structure
* tone, style, and atmosphere
* the use of time on screen
* the creation of drama and tension
* crucial moments in storytelling
Throughout the book, Howard clarifies his lessons through examples from some of the most successful Hollywood and international script-oriented films, including Pulp Fiction, American Beauty, Trainspotting, North by Northwest, Chinatown, and others. The end result is what could very well become the classic text in the field---a bible for the burgeoning screenwriter.
About the Author
David Howard is the founding director of the graduate screenwriting program at USC, where he teaches various courses in screenwriting. His students have scripted such successful films as The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Air Force One, Permanent Midnight, and Natural Born Killers. The coauthor (with Edward Mabley) of
The Tools of Screenwriting, he lives in Los Angeles, California.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments Preface Story and StorytellingThe Story The Chronology of Events A Crucial Paradox Life Is What Happens The World of the Story Collisions Where's the Antagonist Characters' Baggage and Unfinished Business Lightening, Decisions, and Protagonists Character Arc What If This Story Were a Fairy Tale or Myth? The Audience's Fragile Involvement The Telling of the Story The Seamless Dream The Intended Impact Camera as Storyteller Genre, Style, and Tone Separation of Experience and Knowledge Hope Versus Fear The "Game" of Storytelling
Building StoriesThe Creation of Drama Main Character or Ensemble Story? Protagonist and the Creation of Story Worthy Antagonist Supportive and Reflective Characters Tension from First to Last Actions and Goals Character Arc Pivotal Decisions Time Compression and Intensity The Possible and the Impossible Foundations Building from the Ground Up Main Character's Passion Objective and Subjective Drama Theme Backstory What's at Stake? Six Types of Characters Carpentry and Craftsmanship Creating the Audience's Experience Immediacy and the Sense of Here and Now Exposition Rising Action Point of No Return Willing Suspension of Disbelief Demonstration versus Explanation Number of Clearly Defined Characters Character Motivations Subtext Recapitulations Dealing with Coincidence Creating Living Characters Inner Life and Character Attitude Protagonist and Antagonist Secondary Characters Underlying Motives Time and Storytelling Screen Time and Drama Time and Complexity Action Time Amount of Story and Screen time Real Time versus Screen Time versus Time Frame The Simplest Use of Time Why Alter Simple Chronology? Time and the Lives of the Characters Objective Time and Subjective Time
Basic Dramatic StructureWhat is Drama? The Three Acts The Beginning: Engaging the Audience The Middle: Elaborating and Extending the Engagement The End: Releasing the Engagement The Writer's Relationship to the Acts Sequences From Acts to Sequences The Elements of a Sequence Special Needs of the First Sequence Pretitle Sequences and Codas Crucial Moments Crucial Moments in the Main Character's Life Crucial Moments in the Telling of the Story Subplots The Role of Subplots Subplots Characters Beginning, Middle, and End Resolution of Subplots and Main Plot How to Weave in Subplots The Classical Screenplay Structure Main Character's Undisturbed Status Quo Creating the Dilemma Elaborating on the Dilemma and the World of the Story First Potential Breakthrough Main Subplot and Main Character Greatest Exertion False Resolution Final Test of Character and True Resolution Typical Placements and Proportions Relationships of Midpoint, Culmination, and Resolution Where Does "Climax" Fit In?
Beyond Classical Dramatic StructureThe Single Unbreakable Rule of Drama Anything But Classical Screenplay Structure Being Different Breaking the Form Storyteller Intentions and Priorities The Limits of Classical, the Beginnings of Revolutionary Are All "Revolutionary" Films Revolutionary? Mainstream Experiments in Storytelling A Few Lessons from Past Experiments Storytelling Myths, Legends, and Lies How to Shake Up Classical Structureand Why Why Some Stories Can't Be Classically Told The Physics of Drama How to Stir the Pot Cost-Benefit Analyses with Rule-Breaking Using the Rules to Break the Rules Clarity and Obscurity
Writing and Work StrategiesBefore the First Draft What Keeps the Audience in Their Seats Consider the Audience's Position The First Draft The Sequence Breakdown The Step Outline Writing the First Draft After the First Draft Clarifying Your Theme Rewriting Know Your Long Suit and Short Suit Dramatic Instincts
A Final Note Index About the Author