Screenplays

How to Write and Sell Them

Craig Batty

• Publisher: Creative Essentials
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9781842435038
• eBook ISBN: 9781842436431
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Creative Writing

An accessible yet comprehensive guide aimed at those with a keen interest in writing feature film screenplays

Using case studies, creative exercises, and interviews from the industry, this book will guide readers through the necessary stages of writing a screenplay, from finding and developing ideas to creating and executing characters to shaping structure and constructing scenes. It will also consider how a screenplay might be sold, or used to raise interest in the writer, looking at areas such as finding and working with an agent, networking, using competitions, and raising private production funds. The book's approach is both creative and reflective, giving readers the opportunity to learn a wealth of creative skills alongside skills that will encourage them to think about themselves as writers and the work that they are developing. As such, the book will empower readers in their own creative processes and allow them to successfully tell the stories they want to tell. Rich with analyses from classic and contemporary films; littered with practical models, paradigms, and creative tasks; and enhanced by the views of key industry figures; the book is a must for any aspiring feature film screenwriter.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• CONTENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• 1. THE NATURE OF SCREENWRITING
• 2. FINDING IDEAS
• 3. DEVELOPING IDEAS
• 4. CREATING A WORLD
• 5. SHAPING CHARACTERS
• 6. DESIGNING A STRUCTURE
• 7. WRITING VISUALLY
• 8. UNDERSTANDING GENRE
• 9. WORKING WITH THEME
• 10. CONSTRUCTING SCENES
• 11. WRITING DIALOGUE
• 12. SELLING YOUR SCREENPLAY
• 13. SELLING YOURSELF AS A SCREENWRITER
• 14. SURVIVING AS A SCREENWRITER
• CONCLUSION AND RESOURCES
• Copyright
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