Screenwriter's compass : character as true North / Guy Gallo.

Includes index.

First Things. Screenwriter's compass ; Big deal: you're writing a screenplay ; Gear up ; Screenwriting is writing ; Craftsmanship. Groundwork. Reading theory ; Upsetting Aristotle ; Putting Aristotle to work ; Character-drive versus plot-driven ; Fable and construct ; Turning theory to task. -- Getting Ready. Master shot screenplay ; Reading screenplays ; Compostition creates story ; On outlines ; On character histories ; On treatments ; On adaptation. -- First Draft. The blank page ; Scence and action description ; Being God ; Hearing voices ; Empathy ; Thinking of structure ; Breaking a block. -- Revision. First reader ; Looking again for logic ; Questions ; Challenges and pitfalls ; On expectation. -- Finishing. Writing a screenplay ; Screenplay format ; Proofreading ; Submission. -- Getting Ready Again. Passion and purpose ; Happy accident ; Intuition and analysis ; Lessons.

Ever watch a movie, and despite great production value, fantastic action sequences, a great cast, etc, you come away thinking, I just didn't buy it. Chances are it was because you didn't care about the characters. This work presents a new way of approaching screenwriting, examining how effective screen storytelling must be grounded in the vivid imagining and presentation of character. It does not offer formulas to follow but instead provides the tools needed to chart your own path to screenwriting success. It details useful ways of thinking about writing, as well as practical ideas and concepts to help you discover the unique geography of your own imagination and navigate the problems posed by the struggle to express vision, agenda, and story. It teaches how to root your writing in motivation and voice, to create screenplays that seduce and make your reader lean forward, and, most importantly, identify with your characters. The author shows screenwriters not just how to create characters, but how a screenplay emerges from these strong characters. Readers grow their understanding of their screenplays through the author's fresh interpretation of screenwriting.