Putting a vision on the page for creative and commercial video is harder than it seems, but author Carey Martin explains how to bring these tools to bear in the “work for hire” environment. Whilst other texts focus on writing the next award winner, this can be out of reach both logistically and financially for many. Instead, readers will learn how to write what they want the eyes of the audience to see and the ears of the audience to hear, in such a way that the Producer and Director can read the creative blueprint and bring that vision to life. The text will walk readers through a focused and practical consideration of the camera, the edit, and the sound design, in addition to a straightforward application of basic story principles. By understanding writing for video as more than creating a recorded play, readers will become more effective screenwriters and, should they wish, Producers and Directors as well. This book is ideal for students of screenwriting and those writing scripts for message-driven video for corporate, nonprofit, and commercial production.

From the Academy Award-nominated screenwriter and playwright: an exhilaratingly subversive inside look at Hollywood from a filmmaker who’s always played by his own rules. Who really reads the scripts at the film studios? How is a screenplay like a personals ad? Why are there so many producers listed in movie credits? And what on earth do those producers do anyway? Refreshingly unafraid to offend, Mamet provides hilarious, surprising, and refreshingly forthright answers to these and other questions about every aspect of filmmaking from concept to script to screen. A bracing, no-holds-barred examination of the strange contradictions of Tinseltown, Bambi vs. Godzilla dissects the movies with Mamet’s signature style and wit.

This ultimate insider's guide reveals the secrets that none dare admit, told by a show biz veteran who's proven that you can sell your script if you can save the cat!

Writing in Pictures is a refreshingly practical and entertaining guide to screenwriting that provides what is lacking in most such books: a clear, step-by-step demonstration of how to write a screenplay. Seasoned screenwriter and writing teacher Joseph McBride breaks down the process into a series of easy, approachable tasks, focusing on literary adaptation as the best way to learn the basics and avoiding the usual formulaic approach. With its wealth of useful tips, along with colorful insights from master screenwriters past and present, this book is invaluable for anyone who wants to learn the craft of screen storytelling. CONTENTS Introduction: Who Needs Another Book on Screenwriting? Part I: Storytelling 1: So Why Write Screenplays? 2: What Is Screenwriting? 3: Stories: What They Are and How to Find Them 4: Ten Tips for the Road Ahead Part II: Adaptation 5: Breaking the Back of the Book: or, The Art of Adaptation STEP 1: THE STORY OUTLINE 6: Research and Development STEP 2: THE ADAPTATION OUTLINE 7: The Elements of Screenwriting STEP 3: THE CHARACTER BIOGRAPHY 8: Exploring Your Story and How to Tell It STEP 4: THE TREATMENT Part III: Production 9: Who Needs Formatting? 10: Actors Are Your Medium 11: Dialogue as Action STEP 5: THE STEP OUTLINE 12: The Final Script 13: Epilogue: Breaking into Professional Filmmaking Appendix A: The Basic Steps in the Screenwriting Process Appendix B: “To Build A Fire” by Jack London Selected Bibliography Acknowledgments Index

Ethics in Screenwriting: New Perspectives is a book that breaks new ground by forging a link between screenwriting research and a burgeoning interest in film, media, and narrative ethics. Going beyond the orthodox discussion of morality of film and television, the collection focuses on ethics in screenwriting. Building on a new wave of screenwriting research, as well as a ‘turn to ethics’ in humanities and media studies scholarship, this title forms a bridge between these areas in a unique analysis of a key area of media practice. Each essay goes beyond the general discussion of ethics and media to engage with specific aspects of screenwriting or scripting. Written for readers interested in questions of ethics as well as screenwriting, the collection offers new perspectives on ethical questions associated with Writers and their Production Environment; Actuality and History; and Character and Narrative.

In The Tools of screenwriting, the authors illuminate the essential elements of cinematic storytelling. These elements are guideposts for the aspiring screenwriter, and they can be used in different ways to accomplish a variety of ends. Questions of dramatic structure, plot, dialogue, character development, setting, imagery, and other crucial topics are discussed as they apply to the special art of filmmaking.

The basics, the answers, the definitions, the reference, the examples, the inside jokes and the snide comments for you all, who decided despite all warnings to write a screenplay