The Short Screenplay Your Short Film from Concept to Production

by Gurskis, Daniel

• ISBN13: 9781598633382
• ISBN10: 1598633384
• Additional ISBN(s): 9781592001170, FP
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-11-20
• Publisher: Cengage Learning PTR
• More Book Details

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

Table of Contents

Introduction	xi
Chapter 1 Shorts	1	(20)
Key Concepts	3	(2)
The Fundamentals	5	(2)
Keep your screenplay focused	5	(1)
Limit the time frame of the action	6	(1)
Limit the number of characters	6	(1)
Visualize	6	(1)
Say more with less	7	(1)
Make it new	7	(1)
What to Avoid	7	(3)
The extensive use of special or visual effects	7	(1)
Multiple subplots	8	(1)
Resolution through death (either murder or suicide)	8	(1)
Weapons	8	(1)
Serial killing	8	(1)
Parodies and mockumentaries	8	(1)
Dreams and fantasies	9	(1)
Characters who are obviously walking contradictions	9	(1)
Film and Theater	10	(1)
The Writer's Goals	11	(3)
The Script	14	(1)
Film and Television	15	(3)
Chapter One, Take Two—Chapter Review	18	(3)
Chapter 2 Character	21	(22)
Key Concepts	23	(1)
Character and Characterization	24	(2)
Why Are Character Choices Active and External?	26	(2)
Putting Your Characters in Charge of the Action	28	(2)
Objective and Need	30	(2)
Adding Depth to Your Characters	32	(2)
Outlook is the way a character views the world	32	(1)
Attitude is the way the world views a character	32	(1)
Arc is the growth or the change that a character undergoes during the course of the film's action	33	(1)
Types of Characters	34	(4)
Secondary Characters	38	(2)
Chapter Two, Take Two—Chapter Review	40	(3)
Chapter 3 Narrative	43	(26)
Key Concepts	45	(2)
Character vs Character	45	(1)
Character vs Self	46	(1)
Character vs Society	46	(1)
Character vs Nature	46	(1)
Character vs Fate	46	(1)
The Three-Part Nature of the Screenplay	47	(3)
Setting	47	(1)
Backdrop	47	(1)
Tone	47	(1)
Protagonist	47	(1)
A hint of the conflict to come	48	(1)
The direction of the plot	48	(1)
The inciting incident	48	(2)
Rising Action	50	(4)
Some Additional Devices	54	(1)
Condition lock	54	(1)
Plant and payoff	54	(1)
Red herring	55	(1)
Climax	55	(2)
Resolution	57	(1)
Scenes	58	(6)
Scene-protagonist vs Scene-antagonist	61	(3)
Creating the Scene	64	(2)
What is the dramatic point of the scene?	64	(1)
What is the major beat in the scene?	64	(1)
Which characters do I need to make the scene work?	65	(1)
Who is the scene-protagonist?	65	(1)
What does the scene-protagonist want in the scene?	65	(1)
What is the form of the conflict in the scene?	65	(1)
What is the subtext for the scene?	65	(1)
Where will the scene play?	65	(1)
At what time of day will the scene play?	65	(1)
Chapter Three, Take Two—Chapter Review	66	(3)
Chapter 4 Dialogue	69	(18)
Key Concepts	71	(1)
The Goals of Film Dialogue	72	(1)
Move the plot forward	72	(1)
Reveal character	72	(1)
Provide story information	72	(1)
Establish tone	72	(1)
Convey theme	72	(1)
Add to the backdrop of the story	73	(1)
The Characteristics of Film Dialogue	73	(2)
Writing Effective Dialogue	75	(3)
Write dialogue that's dynamic and progressive	75	(1)
Be concise	75	(1)
Keep lines simple	75	(1)
Keep speeches short	76	(1)
Take care in the way that you represent a dialect or an accent on the page	76	(1)
Don't turn every beat through the dialogue	76	(1)
Don't write "on the nose"	77	(1)
Avoid filler phrases	77	(1)
Avoid stammering or stuttering except when the dramatic situation absolutely demands it	77	(1)
Don't be inflexible (unless you enjoy extreme frustration)	77	(1)
Making Every Word Count	78	(4)
Keeping Dialogue Concise: A Case in Point	82	(3)
Chapter Four, Take Two—Chapter Review	85	(2)
Chapter 5 Development	87	(24)
Key Concepts	89	(1)
Where Do Film Ideas Come From,	90	(3)
Character	90	(1)
Plot	90	(1)
Setting	91	(1)
Theme	92	(1)
Development	93	(1)
The Stages of Development	94	(16)
Premise	94	(1)
Concept	95	(1)
Title	96	(1)
Character interview	97	(2)
Synopsis	99	(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