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May 1996, Week 4

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From:
Bob Arnett <[log in to unmask]>
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Date:
Fri, 24 May 1996 11:31:20 GMT+6
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I'm sure Matt will get responses to questions about getting started in
screenwriting that will suggest one of the many good books on the subject.
I'm not saying do not get an instructional book, I'm just emphasizing
something that doesn't get much attention from research:  reading actual
screenplays.  Get a couple from films you admire, and study them.  Notice the
narrative construction, the writing style of the description, the purpose of the
dialogue, and how the writer builds up themes.
 
Too often critics talk about strengths and weaknesses of a screenwriter without
having read any of their screenplays.  References, even in some screenwriting
books, are to the films.  To really see what a screenwriter is all about, their
screenplays must be read.  Often you'll find a very different product than the
resulting film, and, in some cases, something much more interesting.  For
example, Tarantino's TRUE ROMANCE is much better than the film.
 
There is a super-basic logic here:  if you want to learn about screenwriting --
read screenplays.  Getting a hold of them can sometimes be difficult.  Try a
university library.  A large bookstore (Tower, etc.) should have some
published screenplays.  And there are also Hollywood Scripts and Script City in
LA, which sell copies of screenplays in their original format (about $20 a pop).
 
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