Alternative Scriptwriting, Fourth Edition: Successfully Breaking the Rules

✍ Scribed by Ken Dancyger, Jeff Rush

• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 424
• Edition: 4
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Alternative Scriptwriting 4E is an insightful and inspiring book on screenwriting concerned with challenging you to take creative risks with genre, tone, character, and structure. Concerned with exploring alternative approaches beyond the traditional three-act structure, Alternative Scriptwriting first defines conventional approach, suggests alternatives, then provides case studies. These contemporary examples and case studies demonstrate what works, what doesn't, and why. Because the film industry as well as the public demand greater and greater creativity, one must go beyond the traditional three-act restorative and predictable plot to test your limits and break new creative ground. Rather than teaching writing in a tired formulaic manner, this book elevates the subject and provides inspiration to reach new creative heights. Alternative Scriptwriting 4E covers: The melodrama and the thriller Adaptations from contemporary literature Writing non-fictional narratives for the feature documentary An in-depth exploration of point-of-view and perspective as expressive of the film writer's voice Voice-oriented genres--docudrama, the fable and experimental narrative Non-linear storytelling-the narrative strategies that are necessary to make an open-architecture story work* Considerations for writing for DV that speak to the flexibility and improvisation this medium allows

✦ Table of Contents

Title page......Page 4
Copyright page......Page 5
Table of contents......Page 8
Introduction to the Fourth Edition......Page 10
Acknowledgments for the Fourth Edition......Page 12
Acknowledgments......Page 14
1 Beyond the Rules......Page 16
Conventions......Page 17
Going Against Structure......Page 22
Character Alternatives......Page 24
Dialogue Alternatives......Page 25
Foreground and Background Story Alternatives......Page 27
Rising Action Alternatives......Page 28
Developing Narrative Strategies......Page 29
References......Page 30
2 Structure......Page 31
The Restorative Three-Act Structure......Page 32
Working It Out: Restorative Three-Act Structure......Page 40
Conclusion......Page 42
References......Page 43
3 Critique of Restorative Three-Act Form......Page 44
Story Over Texture......Page 45
Consistency of Tone......Page 46
Understanding Motivation......Page 47
Binary Character Psychology......Page 48
History as Backdrop......Page 49
Motives Outweigh Events......Page 50
The Effaced Narrator......Page 51
References......Page 52
Structure in the Foreground......Page 53
Documentary Randomness......Page 57
Mixed Modes......Page 60
Some Brief Additional Examples......Page 61
References......Page 62
A Little Context about the Three-Act Discussion......Page 63
Reframing the Three-Act Discussion......Page 65
Summary......Page 71
References......Page 72
6 Narrative and Anti-Narrative: The Case of the Two Stevens......Page 73
Steven Spielberg: The Approach to Character......Page 74
Steven Soderbergh: The Approach to Character......Page 82
References......Page 90
Genre and the Audience......Page 91
Genres......Page 92
References......Page 111
The Classic Melodrama......Page 112
The Classic Thriller......Page 120
Recent Trends in Melodrama......Page 127
Recent Trends in the Thriller......Page 129
Different Reading, Different Genre......Page 133
9 Working Against Genre......Page 135
Changing a Motif......Page 136
Mixing Genres......Page 143
Conclusion......Page 155
References......Page 156
10 Genres of Voice......Page 157
The Satire......Page 160
The Fable......Page 161
The Docudrama......Page 164
The Experimental Narrative......Page 166
References......Page 168
Linear Storytelling......Page 169
The Non-Linear Narrative......Page 171
Issues for the Non-Linear Screenplay......Page 175
References......Page 178
12 Reframing the Active/Passive Character Distinction......Page 179
Conventional Notions of Character......Page 180
Real Life and Dramatic Life......Page 181
Real Life as Drama......Page 183
The Problem of Passivity......Page 184
Conclusion......Page 191
Sympathy, Empathy, and Antipathy......Page 192
Identification vs. Voyeurism......Page 194
Self-Revelation......Page 195
Heroism......Page 196
The Tragic Flaw......Page 197
Case Studies......Page 199
References......Page 204
Classic Example: On the Waterfront......Page 205
Case Studies......Page 207
Conclusion......Page 213
References......Page 214
Foreground and Background......Page 215
The Balance between Foreground and Background......Page 219
Case Studies......Page 221
“The Moment” and Subtext......Page 225
Conclusion......Page 227
The Rationale......Page 228
Classical European and Asian Film......Page 229
The Success of Old-Fashioned Storytelling: The Australian Case......Page 231
Success of Personal Storytelling: German, French, and Hungarian Examples......Page 233
Case Studies......Page 234
Conclusion......Page 241
Shots and Scenes......Page 242
Shooting Scripts and Screenplays......Page 243
The Basics of Screenplay Form......Page 247
Scene Sequences and Transitions......Page 250
Language......Page 251
Who Is Seeing?......Page 253
Dramatic Action......Page 255
Alternatives to Screenplay Form......Page 260
References......Page 261
Agency and the Other......Page 262
Character Agency—An In-depth Exploration......Page 264
Withheld Agency......Page 275
Patterns of Agency......Page 276
Otherness is More Complex Than We Can Fairly Treat Here......Page 281
References......Page 282
19 Character, History, and Politics......Page 283
Filling in, Rhythmic Articulation, and Personalization......Page 285
Using Narrative Distance to Suggest the Impersonality of History......Page 297
References......Page 303
20 Tone: The Inescapability of Irony......Page 304
Dialogue......Page 305
Atmosphere......Page 306
Narrative Structure......Page 307
The Ironic Touch......Page 308
The Ironic Character......Page 309
Irony and Dialogue......Page 312
Irony and Atmosphere......Page 318
Irony and Genre......Page 319
Three-Act Structure......Page 321
Satire......Page 324
References......Page 325
21 Dramatic Voice/Narrative Voice......Page 326
Voice and Structure......Page 329
Conclusion......Page 332
References......Page 333
22 Digital Features......Page 334
Intertextuality vs. Formalism......Page 336
Mixed Media......Page 337
Four Frames at a Time......Page 343
Voice in Digital Features......Page 345
Conclusion......Page 348
References......Page 349
Openings......Page 350
Development......Page 353
Closure......Page 355
References......Page 358
24 Rewriting......Page 359
Taking Suggestions......Page 361
Sample Exercises......Page 362
Conclusion......Page 365
References......Page 366
25 Adaptations from Contemporary Literature......Page 367
Successful Adaptations......Page 368
Conclusion......Page 378
References......Page 379
26 Personal Scriptwriting: The Edge......Page 380
Your Story......Page 381
Approaches to Structure......Page 382
Approaches to Character......Page 384
Character Versus Plot......Page 386
Character Types......Page 387
Seduction and Scriptwriting......Page 389
How to Make Your Script Your Own......Page 393
Screenwriters and the Market......Page 394
References......Page 395
27 Personal Scriptwriting: Beyond the Edge......Page 396
Seeing Oneself......Page 397
The Intensely Personal: A Few Short Films......Page 398
Summary......Page 404
References......Page 405
Index......Page 406