Screenwriting category: 401 books

A good story can easily be ruined by bad dialogue. Now in its 4th edition, Rib Davis's bestselling Writing Dialogue for Scripts provides expert insight into how dialogue works, what to look out for in everyday speech and how to use dialogue effectively in scripts. Examining practical examples from...

From her BAFTA-winning television work, such as My Beautiful Son, to her big screen debut alongside Michael Caine in Educating Rita, her starring in Billy Elliot (both of which earned her Oscar nominations) and her portrayal of Mrs Weasley in the Harry Potter films, Julie Walters has worked with some...

From the award-winning science fiction author who created it, the behind-the-scenes story of one of Star Trek’s most famous episodes. Aired in 1967 as part of the second season, “The Trouble with Tribbles” was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation—though it lost...

From the Nebula Award winner who wrote the “Trouble with Tribbles” episode—a behind-the-scenes look at the classic TV show.   In The World of Star Trek, screenwriter and science fiction legend David Gerrold reveals the people, places, and events that made Star Trek one of the most popular series...

A Write Carry On - The Untold Story Of A Man In The Shadows. Imagine growing up with the Carry Ons. Getting to hobnob on a regular basis with the likes of Sid James, Barbara Windsor, Frankie Howerd, Charles Hawtrey, Jim Dale and Kenneth Williams. Well, I was that lucky guy. The catalyst for my meetings...

Anyone can make a short film, right? Just grab some friends and your handheld and you can do it in a weekend or two before being accepted to a slew of film festivals, right? Wrong. Roberta Munroe screened short film submissions at Sundance for five years, and is an award-winning short...

From the Oscar-winning screenwriter of All the President's Men, The Princess Bride, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, here is essential reading for both the aspiring screenwriter and anyone who loves going to the movies. If you want to know why a no-name like Kathy Bates was cast in Misery,...

Most movies include a love story, whether it is the central story or a subplot, and knowing how to write a believable relationship is essential to any writer's skill set. Discover the rules and laws of nature at play in a compelling love story and learn and master them. Broken into four sections,...

In one volume, the screenplays to two contemporary classics, directed by Richard Linklater, and starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, about the immediate and life-altering attraction between two strangers. On a train from Budapest to Vienna, Jesse, a young American student, at the end of a...

Comedy is serious business - and serious money. In this guide, comedian, writer, and teacher Jim Mendrinos explains the principles of comedy and how to apply them to forms from stand-up to sitcoms- including fiction, film, speeches, articles, essays, and more. He also includes exercises designed to hone the craft, break through writer's block, and tailor a piece to its intended audience.

Stop Sagging Middles from Derailing Your Story (& Your Writing Career) The middle of your story. Nightmare. And no wonder. The middle (or Act Two) is just so dang long. There’s another reason why plotting a novel or screenplay is hard: plot is based on...

The award-winning screenplay for the classic film the New York Post hailed as “overwhelming . . . a motion picture landmark.” One of the most influential works in the history of cinema, Alain Renais’s Hiroshima Mon Amour gathered international acclaim upon its release in 1959 and was...

Herein lies in written form Harlan Ellison’s Movie, the full‑length feature film Ellison created when a producer at 20th Century‑Fox said, “If we gave you the money, and no interference, what sort of movie would you write?” Well, that producer is no longer at the studio; he left the entire...

Film Genre for the Screenwriter is a practical study of how classic film genre components can be used in the construction of a screenplay. Based on Jule Selbo’s popular course, this accessible guide includes an examination of the historical origins of specific film genres, how and why these genres...