In this essential writer's guide, a professional screen-writer shares her know-how on the elements of writing for the screen, from the basics of character development and creating the structure to resolving problems and revising in only three drafts.

Published for the first time in the UK, Syd Field, acclaimed writer and director, tells you step-by-step how to identify and fix common screenwriting problems, providing the professional secrets that make films brilliant - secrets that can make your screenplay a success. He provides easily understood guidelines for writing a screenplay, from concept to finished product. The art of film-writing is made accessible to novices and helps practiced writers improve their scripts, as the author pinpoints stylistic and structural elements such as characterisation and plot. Tips and techniques on what to do after your screenplay has been completed and much more are all here. There are also practical examples from films which Syd Field has collaborated on such as Lord of the Rings, American Beauty and The Pianist. Written for all levels of screenwriters, this is an indispensable reference book for anyone who wants to make money as a great screenwriter.

Covers story concept, character development, theme, structure, and scenes, analyzes a sample screenplay, and tells how to submit a manuscript, select an agent, and market oneself.

Let’s cut to the chase:Writing a Great Movieis a practical nuts-and-bolts manual to dramatic writing for film. This hands-on course in screenwriting shows how to create, develop, and construct an original screenplay from scratch using seven essential tools for the screenwriter—(1) Dilemma, Crisis, Decision and Action, and Resolution; (2) Theme; (3) the 36 Dramatic Situations; (4) the Enneagram; (5) Research and Brainstorming; (6) the Central Proposition; and (7) Sequence, Proposition, and Plot—which break the writing process down into approachable steps and produce great results. Author Jeff Kitchen—a working screenwriter, renowned dramaturge, and teacher at the University of Southern California’s graduate film school—shares the insider secrets he has developed over years of writing and teaching.Writing a Great Movieis the complete guide to creating compelling screenplays that will sell. • State-of-the-art screenwriting theory and technique from a master • Author named one of today's top screenwriting teachers inCreative Screenwritingmagazine • Great for writers at every level, beginner to established

Writing for the stage and screen presents artistic challenges to aspiring dramatists everywhere. Through practical, proven methods, playwright and poet William Packard leads readers past personal and professional obstacles to success. This book carefully explains the mechanics of plot, conflict, structure, form, character, dialogue, film editing, and treatment. It covers the commercial side of screenwriting with sections on marketing, agents, contracts, copyright, and collaboration. The elements of technique and story are emphasized as well as script mechanics, resulting in one of the most intelligent and useful how-to books on writing for the screen.

This guide outlines time saving tools to hone your writing, so you can attract Hollywood agents and producers. You will discover how to create (and stick to) a timeline and deadline, whether writing your screenplay is a full- or part-time job. Writing and pitching a screenplay is nothing like writing a novel, and this book presents screenplay-specific information vital for any aspiring film writer. This book discusses how to write great openings and endings -- the vital elements of a successful screenplay (and eventually movie) -- and how to create characters that grow and evolve as the plot thickens. One of the hardest parts of writing a screenplay is developing a solid dialogue, and this book takes you through, step-by-step, how to fine-tune your characters' dialogue so it is not only believable but also well-written. Once your script is polished and perfect, you will need to pitch it to the public, and this book shows you how. You will grasp how to write a compelling query letter that is specifically geared to what agents are looking for, so your chances of getting represented are increased. Veteran screenwriters, television and film producers, agents, and directors have been interviewed for this book, and their experiences are showcased here, giving you their insider secrets on how to best write and sell your script. This book also contains an extensive resource section of production companies that are eager to receive and package your script, including the genre they are looking for, so you know exactly who to contact. If you are eager to jump into Hollywood as the next big thing in screenwriting, this guide will help you to get there.

Instructors from the nation's most popular writing school share their insights into how to perfect the craft of screenwriting, covering such fundamentals as plot, character, dialogue, point of view, theme, setting, voice, and more and analyzing five outstanding sample screenplays--Tootsie and The Shawshank Redemption, among others. Original.