Screenwriting : How to write a screenplay by Gregory Gochtovtt

Would you recommend any other book (even one you can't afford?)

Thank you Laura.

If I can't afford to buy it, my other go to place is the library. I've found lots of resources there.

The Hollywood Standard by Christopher Riley is the best book on formatting screenplays that I've seen or owned.

Save The Cat is a good resource.

It all goes back to the expectations of the audience as to the dramatic structure inherent in Western literature and theatre. What we think of as three act and five act structure is derived from Greek and Roman plays and later French and Elizabethan theatre. The summary in ancient Greek interpretation of the world is Thesis (the world view as it is), Antithesis (a challenge to that world view) and synthesis (the world view that derives out of the argument between Thesis and Antithesis) but informed by the morality of the character inherent to his or her initial thesis.

Our expectation out of theatre and film in Western culture is that the established World View presented at the outset of a story will be challenged and that some form of growth (in character or world view) will result when that world view is challenged, culminating in an epiphany for the character and for the audience by the end.

When structuring a script and the scenes that build it, I suggest looking at each moment as an opportunity to challenge the world view of the character and force a reaction that builds toward Synthesis of the world view the character held at the beginning and the world view the challenge represents to lead to a more mature world view that accepts aspects of both but still reflects the moral stance asserted by your character at the beginning.

You can Google pretty much everything these days. I believe the very best thing you can do is shoot a short. You'll see how your work translates.

Very well said, David Trotti.

One of the best ways to learn how to structure a script is to get a DVD of a relevant comp, watch it, hit the pause button, and outline/breakdown that comp. Learn from relevant movies in your genre. If you're really quite new, you will probably need to read a book like Robert McKee's Story to understand the component parts before and/or at the same time that you're doing your own breakdown exercises. Check this out, even though it relates to half-hour TV - https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/12/cracking-the-s...

STC is a good starting point... then take the effing cat, tie it to a cinder block, and drop it off a pier. There are other ways to tell a story than those dictated by Western drama theorists.

Truby's "Anatomy of Story" - also McKee's "STORY." Vogler's "The Writer's Journey." And watch films, read scripts, read scripts, read scripts! Take from them all and find your own unique voice and style.

One of the best pieces of advice that I have ever received was from member Regina Lee who suggested a simple method to help break down story, or break down a specific style of storytelling and/or approach, or to observe commonalities in any given genre, or just as a way to study a specific film that may help inform a screenplay you are currently writing. The suggested simple method: sit down and watch (study) a film with pen and paper in hand, and jot down all major and minor turns as they occur. You can pause, back up, take notes on what worked and what you felt didn't work. Make note of pacing, exposition, etc. It's a great technique, if say... you are new to a genre. Me, I'm thinking about writing a horror script, something I've never done. And this method has been very helpful. ;) Hope that helps!

Too funny... Whoops. Sorry, Regina, I was in a hurry and distracted when I commented earlier and didn't scroll up to read previous suggestions. I see you already gave your great advice: that simple breakdown tip. Well it's a good one. Certainly worth mentioning twice! Lol! ;)

Beth, you gave your time to explain it far better than I did!