The 90 Day Screenplay

The 90-Day Screenplay is a day-by-day guide through the process of outlining, writing, and polishing a screenplay in three months.

"In this day-by-day guide through the process of outlining and writing the first draft of your novel in 90 days, [the author] will show you: How to structure your novel without losing connection to your voice; Why you are uniquely qualified to write your story; The dilemma at the heart of your story; How your fears are a portal into your characters; The connection between your life themes and story themes; Why you kept getting stuck, and how to break through."--Back cover.

In this classic bestselling screenwriting guide—now revised and updated—author and film consultant Viki King helps screenwriters go from blank page to completed manuscript through a series of clever and simple questions, ingenious writing exercises, and easy, effective new skills. Viki King's Inner Movie Method is a specific step-by-step process designed to get the story in your heart onto the page. This method doesn’t just show how to craft a classic three-act story but also delves into how to clarify the idea you don't quite have yet, how to tell if your idea is really a movie, and how to stop getting ready and start. Once you know what to write, the Inner Movie Method will show you how to write it. This ultimate scriptwriting survival guide also addresses common issues such as: how to pay the rent while paying your dues, what to say to your partner when you can't come to bed, and how to keep going when you think you can't. How to Write a Movie in 21 Days, first published in 1987, has been translated in many languages around the world and has become an industry-standard guide for filmmakers both in Hollywood and internationally. For accomplished screenwriters honing their craft, as well as those who have never before brought their ideas to paper, How to Write a Movie in 21 Days is an indispensable guide. And Viki King's upbeat, friendly style is like having a first-rate writing partner every step of the way.

From concept to finished draft-a nuts-and-bolts approach to adaptations Aspiring and established screenwriters everywhere, take note! This down-to-earth guide is the first to clearly articulate the craft of adaptation. Drawing on his own experience and on fourteen years of teaching, screenwriter Richard Krevolin presents his proven five-step process for adapting anything-from novels and short stories to newspaper articles and poems-into a screenplay. Used by thousands of novelists, playwrights, poets, and journalists around the country, this can't-miss process features practical advice on how to break down a story into its essential components, as well as utilizes case studies of successful adaptations. Krevolin also provides an insider's view of working and surviving within the Hollywood system-covering the legal issues, interviewing studio insiders on what they are looking for, and offering tips from established screenwriters who specialize in adaptations. * Outlines a series of stages that help you structure your story to fit the needs of a 120-page screenplay * Explains how to adapt anything for Hollywood, from a single sentence story idea all the way to a thousand-page novel * Advises on the tricky subject of just how faithful your adaptation should be * Features helpful hints from Hollywood bigwigs-award-winning television writer Larry Brody; screenwriter and script reader Henry Jones; screenwriter and author Robin Russin; screenwriter and author Simon Rose; and more

Providing examples from well-known movies, Field explains the structural and stylistic elements as well as writing techniques basic to the creation of a successful film script.

This updated text attempts to provide a definitive work on the character-based screenplay. It surveys the New Hollywood, where Fargo, Shakespeare in Love and The Truman Show are able to succeed alongside the perennial special effects extravaganzas.

The 90-Day Screenplay was workshopped at L.A. Writers' Lab over the course of ten years and has helped hundreds of screenwriters complete their work. Many graduates of the Lab have gone on to major careers as screenwriters and producers in TV and film. The 90-Day Screenplay method of structuring your story is organic, involving a rigorous inquiry into the dilemma besetting your characters. This inside-out approach avoids the distractions that frequently occur when one's focus is placed squarely on plot. Screenwriting is often taught by Hollywood story analysts who confuse story structure with "plotting," thus leading to a formulaic, one-size-fits-all style of writing. By focusing on the dilemma, and exploring its resolution, the plot emerges naturally in surprising and dynamic ways. The 90-Day Screenplay will guide you through the process of outlining your screenplay, writing a first draft, and completing a rewrite, all in three months. In this day-by-day guide you will: * Uncover the dilemma at the heart of your screenplay * Learn how to write from your subconscious * Rewrite your work efficiently * Discover your story's structure as an experiential model * Develop a process of getting the story from your imagination to the page

To survive and thrive in the fantasyland that is show business, you need to know the realities of writing and selling. J. Michael Straczynski learned these realities the hard way. With his help, you'll learn them the easy way. Here the writer/producer of Murder, She Wrote and creator of Babylon 5 tells you how it really is - and how you can really succeed writing scripts. Straczynski shows you the importance of distinguishing yourself, through professionalism and discipline, from the wannabes. He helps you strengthen your writing technique while urging you to bring your own vision to your work, avoid formula, and create from passion. And he takes you in for a close look at every entertainment medium hungry for good scriptwriters.

The screenplay is currently the focus of extensive critical re-evaluation, however, as yet there has been no comprehensive study of its historical development. International in scope and placing emphasis on the development and variety of screenplay texts themselves, this book will be an important and innovative addition to the current literature.

On successful screenplays