The Short Screenplay: Your Short Film from Concept to Production

by Daniel Gurskis

Overview

If you're a serious photographer, you know that no other camera offers as much sophistication and versatility as the digital SLR. The drawback to this sophistication comes in the form of tedious and lengthy user manuals that can make it difficult to find the essential information you need to get started. Quick Snap Guide to Digital SLR Photography provides you with a concise introduction to the most important features of your dSLR camera. Each topic is covered in two- or four-page spreads with plenty of illustrations and images, making it easy to follow along. Eliminating the frustration of timeconsuming user manuals, this book is the ideal guide for any new dSLR owner who wants to start taking great pictures right away.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781598637830
Publisher:	Course Technology, PTR
Publication date:	01/11/2006
Sold by:	CENGAGE LEARNING
Format:	eBook
Pages:	247
Sales rank:	135,020
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Dan Gurskis has more than twenty years of writing and producing experience in film and television. He has worked on projects Columbia, Paramount, RKO, HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Comedy Central, and the USA Network with collaborators as varied as the director Nicolas Roeg and Monty Python s Graham Chapman. In all, he has written more than thirty screenplays. Gurskis has won an Emmy Award and has been a Cable Ace Nominee, a Shubert Fellow, and a MacDowell Colony Fellow. He currently chairs the Department of Film at Brooklyn College, City University of New York.

Table of Contents

Introduction     xi
Shorts     1
Key Concepts     3
The Fundamentals     5
Keep your screenplay focused     5
Limit the time frame of the action     6
Limit the number of characters     6
Visualize     6
Say more with less     7
Make it new     7
What to Avoid     7
The extensive use of special or visual effects     7
Multiple subplots     8
Resolution through death (either murder or suicide)     8
Weapons     8
Serial killing     8
Parodies and mockumentaries     8
Dreams and fantasies     9
Characters who are obviously walking contradictions     9
Film and Theater     10
The Writer's Goals     11
The Script     14
Film and Television     15
Take Two-Chapter Review     18
Character     21
Key Concepts     23
Character and Characterization     24
Why Are Character Choices Active and External?     26
Putting Your Characters in Charge of the Action     28
Objective and Need     30
Adding Depth to Your Characters     32
Outlook is the way a character views the world     32
Attitude is the way the world views a character     32
Arc is the growth or the change that a character undergoes during the course of the film's action     33
Types of Characters     34
Secondary Characters     38
Take Two-Chapter Review     40
Narrative     43
Key Concepts     45
Character vs. Character     45
Character vs. Self     46
Character vs. Society     46
Character vs. Nature     46
Character vs. Fate     46
The Three-Part Nature of the Screenplay     47
Setting     47
Backdrop     47
Tone     47
Protagonist     47
A hint of the conflict to come     48
The direction of the plot     48
The inciting incident     48
Rising Action     50
Some Additional Devices     54
Condition lock     54
Plant and payoff     54
Red herring     55
Climax     55
Resolution     57
Scenes      58
Scene-protagonist vs. Scene-antagonist     61
Creating the Scene     64
What is the dramatic point of the scene?     64
What is the major beat in the scene?     64
Which characters do I need to make the scene work?     65
Who is the scene-protagonist?     65
What does the scene-protagonist want in the scene?     65
What is the form of the conflict in the scene?     65
What is the subtext for the scene?     65
Where will the scene play?     65
At what time of day will the scene play?     65
Take Two-Chapter Review     66
Dialogue     69
Key Concepts     71
The Goals of Film Dialogue     72
Move the plot forward     72
Reveal character     72
Provide story information     72
Establish tone     72
Convey theme     72
Add to the backdrop of the story     73
The Characteristics of Film Dialogue     73
Writing Effective Dialogue     75
Write dialogue that's dynamic and progressive     75
Be concise     75
Keep lines simple     75
Keep speeches short      76
Take care in the way that you represent a dialect or an accent on the page     76
Don't turn every beat through the dialogue     76
Don't write "on the nose."     77
Avoid filler phrases     77
Avoid stammering or stuttering except when the dramatic situation absolutely demands it     77
Don't be inflexible (unless you enjoy extreme frustration)     77
Making Every Word Count     78
Keeping Dialogue Concise: A Case in Point     82
Take Two-Chapter Review     85
Development     87
Key Concepts     89
Where Do Film Ideas Come From?     90
Character     90
Plot     90
Setting     91
Theme     92
Development     93
The Stages of Development     94
Premise     94
Concept     95
Title     96
Character interview     97
Synopsis     99
Step outline     101
Scene outline     103
Sequence outline     104
Treatment     105
First draft     106
Revisions     107
Common problems in the setup      108
Common problems in the rising action     108
Common problems in the resolution     109
Principles of rewriting     109
Take Two-Chapter Review     110
Production     111
Key Concepts     113
Pitfalls and Money Pits     115
Too Many Roles     115
Critters     117
Kids     118
Stunts     119
Nudity     119
"Scenery Chewing"     120
Locations (too many)     121
Locations (too public)     122
Vehicles     123
Weapons     124
Weather     124
Clearances     125
Working with Others     128
Locking the Pages of a Script     130
A Brief Word about Rehearsal     132
Take Two-Chapter Review     133
Format     135
Key Concepts     137
Scene Headings     138
Scene Directions     139
Character Cues     142
Dialogue     142
Parenthetical Directions     142
Transitions     143
The Standard Industry Format (Traditional)      144
The Standard Industry Format (Updated)     147
The Title Page     149
Special Situations     151
Some Simple but Essential Rules of Punctuation     157
Take Two-Chapter Review     159
Genres     163
Glossary     169
Sample Screenplay: Early Draft     185
Sample Screenplay: Shooting Script     197
A Filmmaker's Dozen: Thirteen Short Films Every Filmmaker Should See     211
Index     219