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Book Description

The short film is a unique narrative art form that, while lending itself to experimentation, requires tremendous discipline in following traditional filmic considerations. This book takes the student and novice screenwriter through the storytelling process- from conception, to visualization, to dramatization, to characterization and dialogue- and teaches them how to create a dramatic narrative that is at once short (approximately half an hour in length) and complete. Exercises, new examples of short screenplays, and an examination of various genres round out the discussion.

NEW TO THE THIRD EDITION: new screenplays, a chapter on rewriting your script, and a chapter on the future of short films

Table of Contents

  1. Cover
  2. Halftitle
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. Introduction
  9. PART I. Fundamentals: Breaking Ground
    1. 1. Storytelling in General
    2. 2. Telling a Story in Images
    3. 3. Using Sound to Tell the Story
    4. 4. Discovering and Exploring a Main Character
    5. 5. Telling the Dramatic Story
    6. 6. Writing an Original Short Screenplay
    7. 7. On Revision: Substance and Style
  10. PART 2. Moving Forward: Writing Strategies
    1. 8. The Need for Storytelling
    2. 9. Visualization Strategies
    3. 10. Dramatic Strategies
    4. 11. Characterization Strategies
    5. 12. More on Dialogue Strategies
  11. PART 3. Genres: Forming the Story
    1. 13. The Melodrama
    2. 14. The Docudrama
    3. 15. The Hyperdrama
    4. 16. The Experimental Narrative
  12. PART 4. New Directions
    1. 17. The Opportunity for Renewal
  13. Appendix A Short Short Screenplays
    1. Vincent, by Gert Embrechts
    2. Sob Story, by Matthew E. Goldenberg and Michael Slavens
    3. Pigeon, by Anthony Green
  14. Appendix B Short Screenplays
    1. Another Story, by Lisa Wood Shapiro
    2. The Lady in Waiting, by Christian Taylor
    3. Sleeping Beauties, by Karyn Kusama
    4. The Wounding, by Susan Emerling
    5. Dead Letters Don’t Die, by Anais Granofsky and Michael Swanhaus
  15. Index