How to Build a Great Screenplay Book by David Howard
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How to Build a Great Screenplay

How to Build a Great Screenplay


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About the Book

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.


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.


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Product Details
  • ISBN-13: 9780312352622
  • Publisher: Griffin
  • Publisher Imprint: Griffin
  • Depth: 32
  • Height: 213 mm
  • No of Pages: 464
  • Series Title: English
  • Sub Title: A Master Class in Storytelling for Film
  • Width: 140 mm
  • ISBN-10: 031235262X
  • Publisher Date: 24 Jan 2006
  • Binding: Paperback
  • Edition: Reprint
  • Language: English
  • Returnable: N
  • Spine Width: 25 mm
  • Weight: 616 gr


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    BoxerLover2 - 5 Days ago
    A Thrilling But Totally Believable Murder Mystery

    Read this in one evening. I had planned to do other things with my day, but it was impossible to put down. Every time I tried, I was drawn back to it in less than 5 minutes. I sobbed my eyes out the entire last 100 pages. Highly recommend!


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