The Understructure of Writing for Film and Television

<p>This unique comprehensive introduction to screenwriting offers practical advice for the beginning writer whether college student or freelancer. Based on their experience as professional writers and as teachers in a large successful screenwriting program at California State University Northridge the authors provide a progression of assignments at manageable screenwriting lengths for beginners. They lead students through development of a premise treatment stepsheet and finally miniscreenplay-essential elements in writing a longer script.</p> <p>A major feature of the text is the use of many example scenes from contemporary and classic American films such as <i>On the Waterfront Kramer vs. Kramer The Godfather The Graduate Tootsie</i> and more. Other scenes are drawn from international films and dramatic literature. The criticism of these scenes invites students to develop their own comparative models while simultaneously providing exposure to the central analytical terms of good dramatic writing.</p> <p>The authors also place screenwriting within the larger tradition of dramatic writing in order to put the beginning writer in touch with the wealth of art experience and practical ideas the drama contains. They provide an up-to-date practical discussion of marketing and copywriting a screenplay with addresses of relevant professional societies. Most importantly they never offer an ill-advised shortcut or restrict students to only one way of thinking about a character situation or scene. In <i>The Understructure of Writing for Film & Television</i> the student's thought and creativity are central.</p>