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February 1997, Week 2

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Subject:
From:
Dan Carroll <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 12 Feb 1997 19:11:36 -0500
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Re: screenplay books.
 
My personal favourite is Syd Field's "Screenplay"; he's also done a
fascinating study of four modern American films (Thelma and Louise, Silence
of the Lambs, Dances with Wolves and Terminator 2), called "Four
Screenplays". It critiques the films, and has interviews with the
screenwriters responsible, and because it's a concrete study of actual films,
it's a great tonic to the abstract style of the "How To..." books.
 
In terms of film scripts, "Chinatown" is the script usually held up as being
the best (or at least the most analysed in film courses). It's not always
readily available though, whereas modern popular scripts like Tarantino's and
Woody Allen's are on sale pretty much everywhere.
 
Two other non-film-specific books are Aristotle's "Poetics", which is
amazing; the fact that it was written thousands of years ago and is still
relevant suggests the guy must have got something right; and "The Art of
Dramatic Writing" by Lajos Egri, which deals specifically with character and
motivation - if you're writing anything more advanced than a Hollywood action
flick, it's essential reading.
 
Finally, I like "The Uses of Enchantment" by Bruno Bettelheim, which is a
little off the beaten track; it's a study of fairy tales from a
psychoanalytical point of view, and explains the importance of storytelling
to human development. The writer was a concentration camp survivor, who was
also a trained psychotherapist. His insight is illuminating.
 
Hope it goes well.
 
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