A successful screenplay starts with an understanding of the fundamentals of dramatic story structure. In this practical introduction, Edward J. Fink condenses centuries of writing about dramatic theory into ten concise and readable chapters, providing the tools for building an engaging narrative and turning it into an agent-ready script. Fink devotes chapters to expanding on the six basic elements of drama from Aristotle's Poetics (plot, character, theme, dialogue, sound, and spectacle), the theory and structure of comedy, as well as the concepts of unity, metaphor, style, universality, and catharsis. Key terms and discussion questions encourage readers to think through the components of compelling stories and put them into practice, and script formatting guidelines ensure your finished product looks polished and professional. Dramatic Story Structure is an essential resource not only for aspiring screenwriters, but also for experienced practitioners in need of a refresher on the building blocks of storytelling.

'Should be made compulsory reading . . . If it were up to me this clear-sighted yet emotionally charged hymn to the NHS would be added to the curriculum in every high school from Land's End to John O'Groats with immediate effect.' i newspaper July 2018 marked the 70th anniversary of the National Health Service Act. To Provide All People is the intimate story of the NHS in British society today, written by novelist, poet and dramatist Owen Sheers. Depicting 24 hours, with a regional hospital at the centre of the action, the poem charts an emotional and philosophical map of the NHS against the personal experiences that lie at its heart; from patients to surgeons, porters to midwives. This is a world of transformative pains, triumphs, losses and celebrations and joins us all in our universal experiences of health and sickness, birth and death, regardless of race, gender or wealth. Informed by over seventy hours of interviews, the work is punctuated with the historical narrative of the birth of the NHS Act. To Provide All People was filmed by Vox Pictures/BBC Wales.

Ten short films, each based on a broken commandment, set in and around an apartment block in Warsaw. The stories are simple, describing experiences and emotions common to us all - the fractured quality of modern family life, its sadnesses and hopes. These brilliant films explore the significance of the choices we all make, every day of our lives. This edition includes an introduction by Kieslowski about his work, together with the feature-length scripts for A Short Film about Killing and A Short Film about Love.

Prewriting Your Screenplay cements all the bricks of a story's foundations together and forms a single, organic story-growing technique, starting with a blank slate. It shows writers how to design each element so that they perfectly interlock together like pieces of a puzzle, creating a stronger story foundation that does not leave gaps and holes for readers to find. This construction process is performed one piece at a time, one character at a time, building and incorporating each element into the whole. The book provides a clear-cut set of lessons that teaches how to construct that story base around concepts as individual as the writer's personal opinions, helping to foster an individual writer's voice. It also features end-of-chapter exercises that offer step-by-step guidance in applying each lesson, providing screenwriters with a concrete approach to building a strong foundation for a screenplay. This is the quintessential book for all writers taking their first steps towards developing a screenplay from nothing, getting them over that first monumental hump, resulting in a well-formulated story concept that is cohesive and professional.

In The Ways of the Word, Garrett Stewart steps aside from theory to focus on the sheer pleasure of attentive reading and the excitement of recognizing the play of syllables and words upon which the best literary writing is founded. Emerging out of teaching creative writing and a broader effort to convene writers and critics, Stewart's "episodes in verbal attention" track the means to meaning through the byways of literary wording. Through close engagement with literary passages and poetic instances whose imaginative demands are their own reward, Stewart gathers exhibits from dozens of authors: from Dickinson, Dickens, and DeLillo to Whitman, Woolf, and Colson Whitehead. In the process, idiom, tense, etymology, and other elements of expressive language and its phonetic wordplay are estranged and heard anew. The Ways of the Word fluidly and intuitively reveals a verbal alchemy that is as riveting as it is elusive and mysterious. -- Cornell University Press

'I give this as a present more than other book. I buy it for people so often that I’ve been known to give girlfriends two copies, one birthday after another’ - Dolly Alderton

Now with an introduction from Dolly Alderton, author of Everything I Know About Love, revealing how a new generation of women can take inspiration from Nora’s sharp wit and wisdom about life.

* Never marry a man you wouldn't want to be divorced from.

* If the shoe doesn't fit in the shoe store, it's never going to fit.

* When your children are teenagers, it's important to have a dog so that someone in the house is happy to see you.

* If only one third of your clothes are mistakes, you're ahead of the game.

* Anything you think is wrong with your body at the age of thirty-five you will be nostalgic for by the age of forty-five.

Immerse yourself in Julian Fellowes' multi-award-winning drama. The full scripts of Series Two include previously unseen dialogue and drama. Downton Abbey has become a national phenomenon and the most successful British drama of our time. Created by Oscar-winning writer Julian Fellowes, the two series have delighted viewers and reviewers alike with stellar performances, ravishing sets and costumes and a gripping plot. The second series of Downton Abbey opens in 1916 as the First World War rages across Europe. The Crawley family and their servants play their part on the front line and the home front, their lives intensified by the strain of war. Julian Fellowes succeeds in not only riveting his audience with cleverly woven storylines of love, loss and betrayal but also in delivering a social commentary of British life. The Series 2 scripts give readers the opportunity to read the work in more detail and study the characters, pace and themes in depth. With an introduction and commentary from Julian Fellowes, this is an invaluable insight into how he researched and crafted the world of Downton Abbey.

The official screenplay book tie-in to the highly acclaimed movie from Fox Searchlight Pictures, written by Diablo Cody (author of "Candy Girl") and directed by Jason Reitman ("Thank You for Smoking"), tells the story of a confidently frank teenage girl who calls the shots with a nonchalant cool and an effortless attitude as she journeys through an emotional nine-month adventure into adulthood.
While most girls at Dancing Elk are updating their MySpace page or shopping at the mall, Juno is a whip-smart Minnesota teen living by her own rules. A typically boring afternoon becomes anything but when Juno decides to have sex with the charmingly unassuming Bleeker (Michael Cera). Faced with an unplanned pregnancy, she and best friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby) hatch a plan to find Juno's unborn baby the perfect set of parents courtesy of the local Penny Saver. They set their sights on Mark and Vanessa Loring (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner), an affluent suburban couple who are longing to adopt their first child. Luckily, Juno has the support of her dad and stepmother (J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney). After the initial shock that their daughter has been sexually active with the unlikely "virile" Bleeker, the family bands together to help Juno. Dad Mac accompanies Juno to size up the prospective adoptive parents to make sure they are not a couple of "wing nuts" while stepmother Bren provides emotional support as Juno fights the prejudices of underage pregnancy. As Juno moves closer and closer to her due date, the veneer of Mark and Vanessa's idyllic life starts to show signs of cracking. While fall becomes winter and winter turns to spring, Juno's physical changes mirror her personal growth.With a fearless intellect far removed from the usual teen angst, Juno conquers her problems head-on, displaying a youthful exuberance both smart and unexpected.
In addition to the complete script, this Newmarket Shooting Scrip(R) book includes a foreword by director Jason Reitman, an exclusive introduction by Diablo Cody, a color photo section, and the complete cast and crew credits.

This book offers the first international look at how script development is theorised and practiced. Drawing on interviews, case studies, discourse analysis, creative practices and industry experiences, it brings together scholars and practitioners from around the world to offer critical insights into this core, but often hidden, aspect of screenwriting and screen production. Chapters speculate and reflect upon how creative, commercial and social practices - in which ideas, emotions, people and personalities combine, cohere and clash - are shaped by the practicalities, policies and rapid movements of the screen industry. Comprising two parts, the book first looks 'into' script development from a theoretical perspective, and second looks 'out from' the practice to form practitioner-led perspectives of script development. With a rising interest in screenwriting and production studies, and an increased appetite for practice-based research, the book offers a timely mapping of the terrain of script development, providing rich foundations for both study and practice.

The Palgrave Handbook of Script Development provides the first comprehensive overview of international script development practices. Across 40 unique chapters, readers are guided through the key challenges, roles and cultures of script development, from the perspectives of creators of original works, those in consultative roles and those giving broader contextual case studies. The authors take us inside the writers' room, alongside the script editor, between development conversations, and outside the mainstream and into the experimental. With authors spanning upwards of 15 countries, and occupying an array of roles - including writer, script editor, producer, script consultant, executive, teacher and scholar, this is a truly international perspective on how script development functions (or otherwise) across media and platforms. Comprising four parts, the handbook guides readers behind the scenes of script development, exploring unique contexts, alternative approaches, specific production cultures and global contexts, drawing on interviews, archives, policy, case study research and the insider track. With its broad approach to a specialised practice, the Palgrave Handbook of Script Development is for anyone who practices, teaches or studies screenwriting and screen production.

The phenomenal success of George Lucas's first Star Wars trilogy quite simply revolutionized the cinema; but what sets Lucas's films apart from their legion of imitators is the quality of their screenplays. Lucas originally intended this trilogy to be a single film, but the epic scope of the story (combining hi-tech, sci-fi cinephilia with elements of Arthurian myth and mysticism) demanded that it be split into three. The first panel of the triptych is A New Hope. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, young Luke Skywalker leads a dull, isolated existence on his uncle's homestead. One day, two androids, C3PO and R2D2, show up bearing a message from Princess Leia, the leader of the rebel forces engaged in a struggle against the vicious tryranny of the Empire - as personified by the rasping presence of Darth Vader. The message leads Luke to realize his heritage as a Jedi Knight. He sets out on a wild adventure across the galaxy and, together with Leia and rogue pilot Han Solo, attempts to thwart the Empire by destroying its menacing base of operations: the Death Star.

Woody Allen, who first became famous as a stand up comedian and a writer of comedy routines, has also had a distinguished career as a playwright and screenwriter/director. Allen owes his celebrity status primarily to his critically acclaimed films, such as Manhattan, Hannah and her Sisters, and Crimes and Misdemeanors. In Woody Allen: A Casebook, Kimball King, has selected major plays and films by Woody Allen and has chosen well-known scholars to examine their complexities in detail. Allen's sophisticated movie musical scores as well as his thoughtful studies of American character and life are analyzed by contemporary critics, such as William Hutchings, Tom Sahy, and King himself. The result is a volume that surveys artistic highpoints of the Allen canon and illustrates the creative impact of Allen's works on audiences and readers.

This book examines the processes of adaptation across a number of intriguing case studies and media. Turning its attention from the 'what' to the 'how' of adaptation, it serves to re-situate the discourse of adaptation studies, moving away from the hypotheses that used to haunt it, such as fidelity, to questions of how texts, authors and other creative practitioners (always understood as a plurality) engage in dialogue with one another across cultures, media, languages, genders and time itself. With fifteen chapters across fields including fine art and theory, drama and theatre, and television, this interdisciplinary volume considers adaptation across the creative and performance arts, with a single focus on the collaborative.

Exploring one of the most dynamic and contested regions of the world, this series includes works on political, economic, cultural, and social changes in modern and contemporary Asia and the Pacific.

Exploring one of the most dynamic and contested regions of the world, this series includes works on political, economic, cultural, and social changes in modern and contemporary Asia and the Pacific.

This book offers the first international look at how script development is theorised and practiced. Drawing on interviews, case studies, discourse analysis, creative practices and industry experiences, it brings together scholars and practitioners from around the world to offer critical insights into this core, but often hidden, aspect of screenwriting and screen production. Chapters speculate and reflect upon how creative, commercial and social practices - in which ideas, emotions, people and personalities combine, cohere and clash - are shaped by the practicalities, policies and rapid movements of the screen industry. Comprising two parts, the book first looks 'into' script development from a theoretical perspective, and second looks 'out from' the practice to form practitioner-led perspectives of script development. With a rising interest in screenwriting and production studies, and an increased appetite for practice-based research, the book offers a timely mapping of the terrain of script development, providing rich foundations for both study and practice.

March 1978 saw the first ever transmission of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on BBC Radio 4; the beginning of a cult phenomenon. March 2020 marks the 42nd anniversary of that first transmission - 42 being the answer, of course, to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. To mark the occasion, Pan Macmillan are bringing back into print The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Original Radio Scripts with an introduction from Simon Jones. The collection also includes the previously 'lost' Hitchhiker script from the 25th anniversary edition, 'Sheila's Ear' and the original introductions by producer Geoffrey Perkins and Douglas Adams. This collection, which is a faithful reproduction of the text as it was first published in 1985, features all twelve original radio scripts - Hitchhiker as it was written and exactly as it was broadcast for the very first time. They include amendments and additions made during recordings and original notes on the writing and producing of the series by Douglas Adams and Geoffrey Perkins. For those who have always loved Douglas Adams, as well as for his new generation of fans, these scripts are essential reading and a must-have piece of Adams memorabilia. This special anniversary edition will accompany reissued eye-catching editions of the five individual Hitchhiker books coming in March 2020: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Life, the Universe and Everything, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish and Mostly Harmless.

'Joyous, wise, reassuring and laugh-out-loud funny. I love these two women so much.' Elizabeth Day 'The two funniest women on planet earth right now.' Dolly Alderton 'I want to be Fi and Jane when I grow up.' Clare Balding 'A book like no other. Honest and very, very funny. Some bits made me want to cheer.' Sara Cox 'If you loved the late, great Victoria Wood, then you'll love Fi and Jane too.' Red magazine Award-winning broadcasters Fi Glover and Jane Garvey don't claim to have all the answers (what was the question?), but in these hilarious and perceptive essays they take modern life by its elasticated waist and give it a brisk going over with a stiff brush. They riff together on the chuff of life, from pet deaths to broadcasting hierarchies, via the importance of hair dye, the perils and pleasures of judging other women, and the perplexing overconfidence of chino-wearing middle-aged white men named Roger. Did I Say That Out Loud? covers essential life skills (never buy an acrylic jumper, always decline the offer of a limoncello), ponders the prudence of orgasm merchandise and suggests the disconcerting possibility that Christmas is a hereditary disease, passed down the maternal line. At a time of constant uncertainty, what we all need is the wisdom of two women who haven't got a clue what's going on either.

This handbook is an essential creative, critical and practical guide for students and educators of screen production internationally. It covers all aspects of screen production-from conceptualizing ideas and developing them, to realizing and then distributing them-across all forms and formats, including fiction and non-fiction for cinema, television, gallery spaces and the web. With chapters by practitioners, scholars and educators from around the world, the book provides a comprehensive collection of approaches for those studying and teaching the development and production of screen content. With college and university students in mind, the volume purposely combines theory and practice to offer a critically informed and intellectually rich guide to screen production, shaped by the needs of those working in education environments where 'doing' and 'thinking' must co-exist. The Palgrave Handbook of Screen Production fills an important gap in creative-critical knowledge of screen production, while also providing practical tools and approaches for future practitioners.

TV Writing On Demand: Creating Great Content in the Digital Era takes a deep dive into writing for today's audiences, against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving TV ecosystem. Amazon, Hulu and Netflix were just the beginning. The proliferation of everything digital has led to an ever-expanding array of the most authentic and engaging programming that we've ever seen. No longer is there a distinction between broadcast, cable and streaming. It's all content. Regardless of what new platforms and channels will emerge in the coming years, for creators and writers, the future of entertainment has never looked brighter. This book goes beyond an analysis of what makes great programming work. It is a master course in the creation of entertainment that does more than meet the standards of modern audiences-it challenges their expectations. Among other essentials, readers will discover how to: Satisfy the binge viewer: analysis of the new genres, trends and how to make smart initial decisions for strong, sustainable story. Plus, learn from the rebel who reinvented an entire format. Develop iconic characters: how to foster audience alignment and allegiance, from empathy and dialogue to throwing characters off their game, all through the lens of authenticity and relatability. Create a lasting, meaningful career in the evolving TV marketplace: how to overcome trips, traps and tropes, the pros and cons of I.P.; use the Show Bible as a sales tool and make the most of the plethora of new opportunities out there. A companion website offers additional content including script excerpts, show bible samples, interviews with television content creators, and more.

You've got an idea for the next great screenplay. Maybe you're just getting started or perhaps you've spent time with other screenwriting books, and you have your hero's journey, plot twists, reversals, and cat-saving scenes all worked out. Either way, what stands between you and an outstanding finished screenplay are the blank pages that you must fill with cinematic life, energy, conflict, and emotion. So how on Earth do you do that? The secret is scenewriting. This thorough and effective guide will help the beginner and the professional master the most critical and overlooked part of the screenwriting process: the art and craft of writing scenes. With step-by-step instruction, and numerous exercises, you will learn how to transform an outline into a fully-developed script. Learn how to prepare scenes for writing, construct sparkling, naturalistic dialogue, utilize scene description and the unique structure of the screenplay format to maximum advantage, and polish your scenes so that your idea becomes the script you always imagined it could be. Through scenewriting, great ideas become brilliant scripts.

Described by Stuart Hall as "one of the most riveting and important films produced by a black writer in recent years," "My Beautiful Laundrette" was a significant production for its director Stephen Frears and its writer Hanif Kureshi. Christine Geraghty considers it a crossover film: between television and cinema, realism and fantasy, and as an independent film targeting a popular audience. She deftly shows how it has remained an important and timely film in the 1990s and early 2000s, and her exploration of the film itself is an original and entertaining achievement.

Regarded by many critics as Britain's best sitcom, Porridge is set to become even more popular following the sad death of Ronnie Barker in October 2005. His portrayal of Fletch, the experienced, cynical old lag, won the nation's heart when the series first hit our screens in 1973. This complete companion is the only book to tell the behind-the-scenes story of how the series came to be made and is packed full of never-before-published photographs and interviews with the cast and crew. It is also the only book to bring together the original scripts from all three series, making this the essential souvenir for all the millions of Porridge fans.