Screenwriting for Film

Horror Screenwriting: The Nature of Fear
Devin Watson
Horror has, among all of the narrative genres, one of the longest, most distinguished, and often misunderstood bloodlines in history. It is often overlooked by critics who don't see anything more than blood and guts on the screen, or a collection of cheap scares -- but there is far more to this rich genre than superficial thrills. This unique screenwriting guide will teach you all of the secrets to writing in this powerful and enduring form. Softcover, 167 pp. $29.95.

Reflections of the Shadow
Jeffrey Hirschberg
Select any movie or book on a Top 100 list and you'll discover they all have something in common: compelling stories driven by brilliant characters -- both good and bad. This powerful book will show you how to write a great screenplay, teleplay, or novel by helping you to create one-of-a-kind heroes and villains that audiences will never forget. Softcover, 261 pp. $33.95.

What Happens Next
Marc Norman
In this truly fresh take on the movies, veteran Oscar-winning screenwriter Marc Norman gives us the first comprehensive history of the men and women who penned some if the greatest movies of all time. Impeccably researched, erudite, and filled with unforgettable stories of the stars and scribes, amateurs and uteurs, directors, producers, and legendary moguls, What Happens Next is a unique and engrossing narrative of the quintessential art form of our time. Softcover, 552 pp. $21.00.

Screenwriting: The Sequence Approach
Paul Joseph Gulino
The great challenge in writing a feature-length screenplay is sustaining audinece involvement from page one through 120. Screenwriting: The Sequence Approach explores an often overlooked tool that can be key in solving this problem. A screenplay can be understood as being built of sequences of about fifteen pages each, and by focusing on solving the dramatic aspects of each of these sequences in detail, a writer can more easily conquer the challenges posed by the script as a whole. Softcover, 230 pp. $21.95.

And the Best Screenplay Goes To...
Linda Seger
This intensive look at what makes an Academy Award-winning screenplay is an insightful study of the details and nuances of three scripts by one of Hollywood's most respected screenwriting gurus. Dr. Seger's keen eye and vast experience shed light on the challenges that these screenwriters had to overcome on the road to becoming an Oscar winner. Includes fascinating script analysis of each film and never-before-published interviews with the writers/directors who've won the big award. Softcover, 283 pp. $29.95.

Me And You And Memento And Fargo: How Independent Screenplays Work
J.J. Murphy
In this study, J.J. Murphy argues that the independent feature film from the 1980s to the present has developed a distinct approach of its own, centering on new and different conceptions of cinematic storytelling. The film script is the heart of the creative originality to be found in the independent movement. By studying the principles underlying the independent screenplay, one gains a direct sense of the originality of this new trend in American cinema. Softcover, 290 pp. $24.95.

Writing Movies
Alexander Steele
To break into the screenwriting game, you need a screenplay that is not just good, but great. In Writing Movies, you'll find everything you need to know to reach this level. And, like the very best teachers, Writing Movies is always practical, accessible, and entertaining. Written by Gotham Writers' Workshop expert instructors and edited by Dean of Faculty Alexander Steele, this book offers the same methods and exercises that have earned the school international acclaim. Softcover, 387 pp. $19.95.

I Could've Written a Better Movie Than That!
Derek Rydall
This book will teach you how to: analyze stories in any form, write "coverage", doctor scripts, create contracts, negotiate deals, build an action plan, market your skills, bulletproof your script from Hollywood readers, and much more. Softcover, 307 pp. $35.95.

Brokeback Mountain: Story to Screenplay
Annie Proulx, Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana
Published together in Story to Screenplay are Annie Proulx's haunting story about the difficult, dangerous love affair between a ranch hand and a rodeo cowboy, as well as the celebrated screenplay for the major motion picture Brokeback Mountain, written by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana. All three writers have contributed essays on the process of adapting this critically acclaimed story for film. Also included are several photographs from the film. Softcover, 166 pp. $22.00.

Backstory 4
Patrick McGilligan
Continuing Patrick McGilligan's highly acclaimed series on Hollywood screenwriters, these engrossing, informative, provocative interviews give wonderfully detailed and personal stories from veteran writers of the seventies and eighties focusing on their craft, their lives, and their profession. Backstory 4 is a riveting insider's look at how movies get made; a rich perspective on many of the great films, directors, and actors, and an articulate, forthright commentary on the art and business of screenwriting. Softcover, 424 pp. $34.95.

Could It Be A Movie?
Christina Hamlett
Is there a movie inside of you that's been yearning to get out but you don't know where to begin? This detailed book will teach you how to: determine whether your plot packs enough punch to be a hit movie, acquire and adapt pre-existing material for a feature-length screenplay, find today's hot markets for the kinds of films you want to write, find an agent, and much more! Softcover, 269 pp. $37.95.

Writing the Fantasy Film: Heroes and Journeys in Alternate Realities
Sable Jak
Fantasy is not bound by a specific formula. It spans all genres, times, and settings, and has contributed to the folklore and literature of every culture around the world; in the world of film, it encompasses everything from It's a Wonderful Life to The Matrix. This book will teach you the storytelling principles that have allowed this genre to endure through the ages, and it will help you to write a saleable screenplay in this highly competitive category. Softcover, 197 pp. $37.95.

Story and Character: Interviews with British Screenwriters
Alastair Owen
Praised by dramatist David Hare as "the most purely likeable book about cinema that I have ever read," Story and Character is the first-ever anthology of interviews with British screenwriters. Lively and funny, challenging and revealing, this series of exclusive interviews with the unsung heroes of contemporary British cinema provides a unique behind-the-scenes look at the movie business. Softcover, 310 pp. $31.95.

Guy Debord: Complete Cinematic Works: Scripts, Stills, Documents
Guy Debord
Guy Debord, founder of the Situationist International and formenter of the May 1968 revolt in France, was also the creator of six tantalizingly inaccessible films. This new translation of Debord's complete film scripts accompanies the long-awaited rerelease of these astonishing works, which are like nothing else in cinema history. Softcover, 258 pp. $46.50.

Anita Loos Rediscovered: Film Treatments and Fiction by Anita Loos
Cari Beauchamp and Mary Anita Loos
Anita Loos was one of Hollywood's most respected and prolific screenwriters, as well as an acclaimed novelist and playwright. This unique collection of previously unpublished film treatments, short stories, and one-act plays spans fifty years of her creative writing and showcases the breadth and depth of her talent. Hardcover, 310 pp.

Screencraft: Screenwriting
Declan McGrath & Felim McDermott
An inside look at the art of writing for film through intimate interviews with 13 of the world's best screenwriters. Screenwriters interviewed include: Paul Schrader, George Axelrod, Steven Zallian, Robert Towne, and Atom Egoyan. Several rare photographs supplement the text. Softcover, 176 pp. $53.95.

Teaching Scriptwriting, Screenplays and Storyboards for Film and TV Production
Mark Readman
With everything from a glossary of fundamental term and concepts, right up to detailed formatting information, this practical guide provides everything that you need to introduce scriptwriting to your students, and establishes the basis for a high standard of coursework for Film and Media Studies. Softcover, 77 pp. $37.95.

Writing the Comedy Film
Stuart Voytilla/Scott Petri
This book takes you into the world of comedy, and helps you discover the essential elements in writing for comedy. Using concise examples from the masters of the trade -- from Preston Sturges to the Farrelly Brothers -- Voytilla and Petri show you how to apply the time-proven "tenets of laughter" to your comedy screenplay. Softcover 213 pp. $23.95.

Is There Life After Film School?
Julie MacLuskey
For film students who dread the daunting task of infiltrating the film industry after they graduate, Is There Life After Film School? shows that there are more options available to students than they may think. Through a series of interviews, the book reveals a range of career paths taken by accomplished scriptwriters, production designers, producers and marketers. Softcover 216 pp. $29.95.

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Creative Writing

Comedy

Creativity & Writing

Dictionaries & Guides

Playwrighting

Prose by Playwrights

Screenwriting

Screenwriting for Film

Screenwriting for Television

Screenwriting Software

Screenwriting: The Business

See also:

Film > Screenplays

Television > Screenplays

Theatre > Playwrights

Script Partners
Claudia Johnson/Matt Stevens
Some of the greatest movies and television series have been written by script partners. From Billy Wilder's legendary collaborations with Charles Brackett and I.A.L. Diamond to the work of the Coen Brothers, writing teams and their secrets of success are as intriging as the scripts themselves. This book brings together the experience, knowledge, and winning techniques of Hollywood's most productive partnerships. Softcover 298 pp. $39.95.


Crafty Screenwriting: Writing Movies That Get Made
Alex Epstein
Seasoned Development Executive, Alex Epstein shows the reader how to write a script that will make a producer think, "This is a movie!" Fresh, provocative, and funny, this book answers questions other books don't even ask and cheerfully slaughters the sacred cows of how-to screenwriting. Softcover, 274 pp., $21.95.

Raindance Writers' Lab: Write and Sell the Hot Screenplay
Elliot Grove
In this practical guide to screenwriting, the reader will learn everything from the basics of developing an idea, to making that all important sale. The included CD-ROM contains interviews with screenwriters, sample screenplays, writing exercises and much more. Softcover, 239 pp. $41.99.

Writing the Thriller Film: The Terror Within
Neill D. Hicks
Writing the Thriller Film concentrates on the Cosmos of Credibility, those not-so-obvious elements of screenwriting that contribute the essential meaning to a script. To do so, this book traces the thematic commonalities that actually define the genre, and offers corroboration from a number of screenplays, including such classics as North by Northwest, Marathon Man and 3 Days of the Condor. Softcover, 151 pp. $23.95.

Scenario: The Craft of Screenwriting
Tudor Gates
In Scenario, all of the essential building blocks of a film are discussed in depth: the need for a strong premise; the roles of protagonist and antagonist; the orchestration of plot, characters and dialogue leading to a clear resolution. This well-written, clear book, which will both instruct first -time writers, serve as a valuable check-list for established authors, and will help actors, teachers & directors in their task of deconstructing and assessing scripts. Softcover, $27.99.

Aristotle's Poetics for Screenwriters
Michael Tierno
In this book, Tierno examines the fundamentals of screenwriting, using techniques outlined in Poetics. He then applies these concepts to modern movie classics, including Citizen Kane, Rocky and Pulp Fiction. Tierno shows the reader how Aristotle's classic work can be invaluable to screenwriters and to anyone interested in plot structure. Softcover, $19.95.

Which Lie Did I Tell? More Adventures in the Screen Trade
William Goldman
William Goldman tells it like it is...again. Funny, tough and honest, Hollywood may never be the same again. Hardcover, $39.95; softcover, $23.00

Writing the Killer Treatment: Selling Your Story Without A Script
Michael Halperin
As Executive Story Consultant for 20th Century Fox, the author has the experience required to write the only book that takes the reader through the completre process of creating teatments that sell. $21.95.

My Movie Business: A Memoir
John Irving
After two producers, four directors, thirteen years and uncounted rewrites, the movie version of John Irving's acclaimed novel The Cider House Rules at last made it to the big screen, winning two Academy Awards (including one to John Irving for Best Adapted Screenplay). Here is the author's account of the novel-to-film process. Anecdotal, affectionate and delightfully candid, My Movie Business dazzles with Irving's incomparable wit and style. $19.95

The First Time I Got Paid for It... Writer's Tales from the Hollywood Trenches
Edited by Peter Lefcourt and Laura J. Shapiro
with a foreward by William Goldman
This unprecedented collection of essays, gathered for the Writers Guild Foundation, investigates what it takes to succeed in Hollywood and what it takes to write well. There are over 50 contributors, including Steven Bochco, Eric Bogosian, Cameron Crowe, Delia Ephron, Larry Gelbart, Lawrence Kasdan, Carl Reiner, Alan Alda, Peter Casey and Amy Holden Jones. Hardcover, $36.50; softcover $22.95.

Smoking In Bed: Conversations With Bruce Robinson
edited by Alistair Owen
The director of the cult classic Withnail & I and award winning writer of The Killing Fields reveals his thirty year addiction to turning fact into fiction in this new collection of interviews. The fascinating result is an explanation of how to get behind the camera and in front of the typewriter and stay there. Softcover, $18.50.

Television and Screen Writing: From Concept to Contract
Fourth Edition
Richard A Blum
Now in its fourth edition, Television and Screen Writing: From Concept to Contract is a classic resource for students and professionals in screenwriting and television writing. This book will teach you how to become a creative and marketable writer in every professional arena -- including major studios, production companies, networks, cable and pay TV, animation, and interactive programs. Specific techniques and script samples for writing high-quality and producible ìspecî scripts for theatrical motion pictures, the sitcom series, one-hour dramatic series, longform television, soaps, talk show, variety, animation, interactive and new media are provided. Television and Screen Writing: From Concept to Contract, Fourth Edition also offers a fully detailed examination of the current marketplace, and distinct strategies for marketing your scripts, from registering and copyrighting the script to signing with an agent. $49.95.

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Last modified July 18, 2012.
Please note that all prices are in Canadian dollars. All prices are subject to change without notice.