The Short Screenplay Your Short Film from Concept to Production,9781598633382

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The Short Screenplay Your Short Film from Concept to Production

by Gurskis, Daniel

Edition:

1st

ISBN13:

9781598633382

ISBN10:

1598633384

Format:

Paperback

Pub. Date:

11/20/2006

Publisher(s):

Cengage Learning PTR

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Summary

With the growth of film festivals, cable networks, specialty home video, and the Internet, there are more outlets and opportunities for screening short films now than at any time in the last 100 years. But before you can screen your short film, you need to shoot it. And before you can shoot it, you need to write it. The Short Screenplay provides both beginning and experienced screenwriters with all the guidance they need to write compelling, filmable short screenplays. Explore how to develop characters that an audience can identify with. How to create a narrative structure that fits a short time frame but still engages the audience. How to write dialogue that's concise and memorable. How to develop story ideas from concept through final draft. All this and much more is covered in a unique conversational style that reads more like a novel than a "how-to" book. The book wraps up with a discussion of the role of the screenplay in the production process and with some helpful (and entertaining) sample scripts. This is the only guide you'll ever need to make your short film a reality!

Author Biography

Dan Gurskis he currently chairs the Department of Film at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Introduction

Chapter 1 Shorts

(20)

Key Concepts

(2)

The Fundamentals

(2)

Keep your screenplay focused

(1)

Limit the time frame of the action

(1)

Limit the number of characters

(1)

Visualize

(1)

Say more with less

(1)

Make it new

(1)

What to Avoid

(3)

The extensive use of special or visual effects

(1)

Multiple subplots

(1)

Resolution through death (either murder or suicide)

(1)

Weapons

(1)

Serial killing

(1)

Parodies and mockumentaries

(1)

Dreams and fantasies

(1)

Characters who are obviously walking contradictions

(1)

Film and Theater

(1)

The Writer's Goals

(3)

The Script

(1)

Film and Television

(3)

Chapter One, Take Two—Chapter Review

(3)

Chapter 2 Character

(22)

Key Concepts

(1)

Character and Characterization

(2)

Why Are Character Choices Active and External?

(2)

Putting Your Characters in Charge of the Action

(2)

Objective and Need

(2)

Adding Depth to Your Characters

(2)

Outlook is the way a character views the world

(1)

Attitude is the way the world views a character

(1)

Arc is the growth or the change that a character undergoes during the course of the film's action

(1)

Types of Characters

(4)

Secondary Characters

(2)

Chapter Two, Take Two—Chapter Review

(3)

Chapter 3 Narrative

(26)

Key Concepts

(2)

Character vs Character

(1)

Character vs Self

(1)

Character vs Society

(1)

Character vs Nature

(1)

Character vs Fate

(1)

The Three-Part Nature of the Screenplay

(3)

Setting

(1)

Backdrop

(1)

Tone

(1)

Protagonist

(1)

A hint of the conflict to come

(1)

The direction of the plot

(1)

The inciting incident

(2)

Rising Action

(4)

Some Additional Devices

(1)

Condition lock

(1)

Plant and payoff

(1)

Red herring

(1)

Climax

(2)

Resolution

(1)

Scenes

(6)

Scene-protagonist vs Scene-antagonist

(3)

Creating the Scene

(2)

What is the dramatic point of the scene?

(1)

What is the major beat in the scene?

(1)

Which characters do I need to make the scene work?

(1)

Who is the scene-protagonist?

(1)

What does the scene-protagonist want in the scene?

(1)

What is the form of the conflict in the scene?

(1)

What is the subtext for the scene?

(1)

Where will the scene play?

(1)

At what time of day will the scene play?

(1)

Chapter Three, Take Two—Chapter Review

(3)

Chapter 4 Dialogue

(18)

Key Concepts

(1)

The Goals of Film Dialogue

(1)

Move the plot forward

(1)

Reveal character

(1)

Provide story information

(1)

Establish tone

(1)

Convey theme

(1)

Add to the backdrop of the story

(1)

The Characteristics of Film Dialogue

(2)

Writing Effective Dialogue

(3)

Write dialogue that's dynamic and progressive

(1)

Be concise

(1)

Keep lines simple

(1)

Keep speeches short

(1)

Take care in the way that you represent a dialect or an accent on the page

(1)

Don't turn every beat through the dialogue

(1)

Don't write "on the nose"

(1)

Avoid filler phrases

(1)

Avoid stammering or stuttering except when the dramatic situation absolutely demands it

(1)

Don't be inflexible (unless you enjoy extreme frustration)

(1)

Making Every Word Count

(4)

Keeping Dialogue Concise: A Case in Point

(3)

Chapter Four, Take Two—Chapter Review

(2)

Chapter 5 Development

(24)

Key Concepts

(1)

Where Do Film Ideas Come From,

(3)

Character

(1)

Plot

(1)

Setting

(1)

Theme

(1)

Development

(1)

The Stages of Development

(16)

Premise

(1)

Concept

(1)

Title

(1)

Character interview

(2)

Synopsis

(2)

Step outline

101

(2)

Scene outline

103

(1)

Sequence outline

104

(1)

Treatment

105

(1)

First draft

106

(1)

Revisions

107

(1)

Common problems in the setup

108

(1)

Common problems in the rising action

108

(1)

Common problems in the resolution

109

(1)

Principles of rewriting

109

(1)

Chapter Five, Take Two—Chapter Review

110

(1)

Chapter 6 Production

111

(24)

Key Concepts

113

(2)

Pitfalls and Money Pits

115

(13)

Too Many Roles

115

(2)

Critters

117

(1)

Kids

118

(1)

Stunts

119

(1)

Nudity

119

(1)

"Scenery Chewing"

120

(1)

Locations (too many)

121

(1)

Locations (too public)

122

(1)

Vehicles

123

(1)

Weapons

124

(1)

Weather

124

(1)

Clearances

125

(3)

Working with Others

128

(5)

Locking the Pages of a Script

130

(2)

A Brief Word about Rehearsal

132

(1)

Chapter Six, Take Two—Chapter Review

133

(2)

Chapter 7 Format

135

(28)

Key Concepts

137

(1)

Scene Headings

138

(6)

Scene Directions

139

(3)

Character Cues

142

(1)

Dialogue

142

(1)

Parenthetical Directions

142

(1)

Transitions

143

(1)

The Standard Industry Format (Traditional)

144

(3)

The Standard Industry Format (Updated)

147

(2)

The Title Page

149

(2)

Special Situations

151

(6)

Some Simple but Essential Rules of Punctuation

157

(2)

Chapter Seven, Take Two—Chapter Review

159

(4)

Appendix A Genres

163

(6)

Appendix B Glossary

169

(16)

Appendix C Sample Screenplay: Early Draft

185

(12)

Appendix D Sample Screenplay: Shooting Script

197

(14)

Appendix E A Filmmaker's Dozen: Thirteen Short Films Every Filmmaker Should See

211

(8)

Index

219

The Short Screenplay Your Short Film from Concept to Production

9781598633382

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Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents