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Published by Quill Driver Books
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Table of Contents
About The Book
A professional screenwriter’s master class in writing the most critical and challenging script element—the individual scene. No one comes out of a movie talking about structure. What audiences love and remember about a movie are great scenes. Marlon Brando in the back seat in On the Waterfront giving his “I could’a been a contender” speech. Meg Ryan’s fake orgasm in Katz’s Deli in When Harry Met Sally with the climactic punch line: “I’ll have what she’s having.” In Superbad, Jonah Hill professing “I love you” to his friend Michael Cera by touching his nose with a “boop.” Great scenes will elevate your script from ho-hum to extraordinary—and from the slush pile to sellable. In The Craft of Scene Writing, accomplished screenwriter and master writing teacher Jim Mercurio analyzes and systematizes the beats, conflicts, character moments, action, dialogue, and structure that create powerful scenes. Citing examples from scripts old and new, The Craft of Scene Writing breaks down how great scenes reveal character, advance the story, and emotionally connect with audiences, plus demonstrates how to use these techniques in your own scripts. This incredibly detailed exploration of screenwriting technique will help beginning writers to write great scripts and experienced writers to gain a more complete mastery of their craft.
Product Details
- Publisher: Quill Driver Books (February 1, 2019)
- Length: 336 pages
- ISBN13: 9781610353304
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Raves and Reviews
"The thing I love most about The Craft of Scene Writing is that Jim treats writers as filmmakers, urging them to consider how the script informs all of the downstream departments, painting a picture in the reader's mind for every story beat. Jim understands that scripts are just an accumulation of these story beats and it is our job as writers to obsess over each and every word and action to ensure that each beat is clear, concise, dramatic and surprising. Easier said than done, but Jim gives us the tools to chop, mold and sharpen these beats to gleaming bits of perfection." -Mike Blum, owner/creative director, Pipsqueak Films; award-winning director, writer and producer; and creator/showrunner of Get My Goat and Fifi: Cat Therapist at DreamWorksTV
"The Craft of Scene Writing breaks down the rules and how to break them, beat by beat, as a story within a story. A must read for the novice and expert filmmaker." -Brian Asingia, CEO of DreamGalaxy and DreamAfrica Consulting, author of The One Who Lives Forever and The Last Digital Frontier
"The thing I love most about The Craft of Scene Writing is that Jim treats writers as filmmakers, urging them to consider how the script informs all of the downstream departments, painting a picture in the reader's mind for every story beat. Jim understands that scripts are just an accumulation of these story beats and it is our job as writers to obsess over each and every word and action to ensure that each beat is clear, concise, dramatic and surprising. Easier said than done, but Jim gives us the tools to chop, mold and sharpen these beats to gleaming bits of perfection."
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