There is no prescribed reading for the module. Guidance on books and other resources will be offered as appropriate by the module leader and specialist supervisors in the course of students’ research, development and writing of their screenplay.
Your Screenplay Sucks! by
A lifetime member of the Writer's Guild of America who has had three feature films produced from his screenplays, Akers offers beginning writers the tools they need to get their screenplay noticed.
The 21st Century Screenplay: A Comprehensive Guide to Writing Tomorrow's Films by
The 21st-Century Screenplay is a comprehensive and highly practical screenwriting manual. An eagerly anticipated successor to the authors internationally acclaimed book Scriptwriting Updated, it covers classic to avant-garde scripts, from The African Queen and Tootsie to 21 Grams, Pulp Fiction, Memento, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Whether you want to write features, shorts, adaptations, genre films, ensemble films, blockbusters, or art house movies, this book is your road map, it takes you all the way from choosing a brilliant idea to plotting, writing, and rewriting a successful script. Featuring a range of insider survival tips on creativity under pressure, time-effective writing, and rising to the challenge of international competitions, The 21st-Century Screenplay is essential reading for newcomers and veterans alike.
A Writer's Toolbox for Stage, Screen and Radio by
The calling card script is the script that expresses your voice, gets you noticed and helps you reach commission and production. Written by Paul Ashton, Development Manager of the BBC writersroom, and born out of his wide experience of reading scripts, working with writers, and as an industry 'gatekeeper', this is a guide to the key writing tools you need to know and understand to write a truly original script. As many professionals need to switch mediums and genres in order to survive and thrive, the book uniquely draws together the universal principles of dramatic storytelling for screen, stage, and radio. With a focus on the script as a blue print for performance, sections and chapters break down into bite-sized practical insights and the book mirrors both the journey of the story and process of writing it. The Calling Card Script shows how to tell a great story in script form and offers valuable professional development insight for all writers, whether established or just starting out, who wish to hone their craft and speak their voice.
The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by
This work provides a 12-week course that guides the reader through the process of recovering their creative self. It aims to dispel the "I'm not talented enough" conditioning that tends to hamper the creativity of many people.
Writing for Radio by
Writing for Radio -- A Practical Guide offers advice and inspiration for anyone thinking of writing or beginning to write for radio. The book focuses mainly on radio drama techniques, with advice from producers and experienced writers, but also covers documentary writing, radio soaps, radio comedy and essential advice on how to begin and maintain a career. Topics covered include: Dialogues and monologues Using sound Scenery and action Adaptations, abridgements and biographies
Alternative Scriptwriting by
Learn the rules of scriptwriting, and then how to successfully break them! Unlike other screenwriting books, this unique guide pushes you to challenge yourself and break free of tired, formulaic writing--bending or breaking the rules of storytelling as we know them. Like the best-selling previous editions, seasoned authors Dancyger and Rush explore alternative approaches to the traditional three-act story structure, going beyond teaching you "how to tell a story" by teaching you how to write against conventional formulas to produce original, exciting material. The pages are filled with an international range of contemporary and classic cinema examples to inspire and instruct.　 New to this edition: New chapter on the newly popular genres of feature documentary, long-form television serials, non-linear stories, satire, fable, and docudrama New chapter on multiple-threaded long form, serial television scripts New chapter on genre and a new chapter on how genre's very form is flexible to a narrative New chapter on character development New case studies, including an in-depth case study of the dark side of the fable, focusing on The Wizard of Oz and Pan's Labyrinth
Writing the TV Drama Series by
This revised and updated edition is a complete resource for anyone who wants to write and produce for television drama series or create an original series, as well as for teachers in screenwriting classes and workshops. It leads the reader step-by-step through every stage of the development and writing process, offering practical industry information and artistic inspiration.The Fourth Edition leads readers into the future and engages provocative issues about the interface between traditional TV and emerging technologies. It's also the single most comprehensive source on what is happening in original television drama around the world, with surveys of 15 countries.
Four Screenplays by
In a field being transformed by technology, Sydnbsp;nbsp;Field shows you what works and why and how to findnbsp;nbsp;new ways to create a truly outstanding film usingnbsp;nbsp;four extraordinary examples: Thelma nbsp;Louise, Terminator 2: Judgementnbsp;nbsp;Day, The Silence Of Thenbsp;nbsp;Lambs, and Dances Withnbsp;nbsp;Wolves.
Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting by
A thoroughly revised and updated edition of the classic screenplay guide, from the "most-sought-after screenwriting teacher in the world."* *The Hollywood Reporter
The Insider's Guide to Writing for Television by
aking budding scriptwriters step-by-step through the entire scriptwriting process, including how to make money from TV scriptwriting. Authored by two industry experts, from both the scriptwriting and agency side, this book reveals insider tips and strategies; from how to structure scripts to preparing your pitch and finding an agent.
Writing for Television: Series, Serials and Soaps by
Written in an engaging, anecdotal tone, Yvonne Grace gives advice on: getting an agent; the type of writer television is looking for; the tool kit a television writer needs; the writer/script editor relationship; how to structure a storyline; how to write good treatments and outlines; what a long running format teaches writers. Packed full of useful insights, links and information, the book includes interviews with successful television writers working today, pointers on how to work collaboratively in the industry and how to make good contacts.
Raindance writer's lab write + sell the hot screenplay by
If you're looking for a straightforward, practical, no-nonsense guide to scriptwriting that will hold your hand right the way through the process, read on! The Raindance Writers' Lab guides you through the tools that enable you to execute a strong treatment for a feature and be well on the way to the first draft of your script.
Written by the creator of the Raindance Film Festival himself, Elliot Grove uses a hands-on approach to screenwriting based on his many years of experience teaching the subject for Raindance training. He uses step-by-step processes illustrated with diagrams and charts to lend a visual structure to the teaching. Techniques are related to real-life examples throughout, from low budget to blockbuster films.
The Companion Website contains interviews with British writers and directors as well as a handy series of legal contracts, video clips and writing exercises.
In this brand new 2nd edition, Grove expands on his story structure theory, as well as how to write for the internet and short films.
The website also contains sample scripts and legal contracts, a writing exercise illustrated with a video clip, a folder full of useful hyperlinks for research, and a demo version of Final Draft screenwriting software.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by
In 1999, Stephen King began to write about his craft -- and his life. By midyear, a widely reported accident jeopardized the survival of both. And in his months of recovery, the link between writing and living became more crucial than ever. Rarely has a book on writing been so clear, so useful, and so revealing. On Writing begins with a mesmerizing account of King's childhood and his uncannily early focus on writing to tell a story. A series of vivid memories from adolescence, college, and the struggling years that led up to his first novel, Carrie, will afford readers a fresh and often very funny perspective on the formation of a writer. King next turns to the basic tools of his trade - how to sharpen and multiply them through use, and how the writer must always have them close at hand. He takes the reader through crucial aspects of the writer's art and life, offering practical and inspiring advice on everything from plot and character development to work habits and rejection. Serialized in the New Yorker to vivid acclaim, On Writing culminates with a profoundly moving account of how King's overwhelming need to write spurred him toward recovery, and brought him back to his life. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower - and entertain - everyone who reads it.
Writing for Radio: How to write plays, feature and short stories that get you on air. by
This guide offers advice and tips on successfully writing plays, short stories and features for radio. The book covers the structure of a play, the use of language for a non-visual medium, sound effects and music, and aspects of producing.
Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting. by
Robert McKee presents his powerful and much sought-after knowledge in a comprehensive guide to the essentials of screenwriting and storytelling. Using hundreds of films as examples, McKee takes the writer through all the critical points which allows him/her to write a screenplay which both works and sells.
Writing for Radio by
Writing for radio brings together theoretical and practical aspects of radio writing. It deals with writing for all principal radio genres - short stories, plays, documentaries/drama documentaries, talks and features, adaptations/dramatisations, poems, and advertisements. It contains historical overviews of the genesis and development of each of these categories and attempts an analysis of the nature of radio itself. For the first time there is an attempt to isolate a 'radio language', a syntax and vocabulary guaranteed to produce pictures in the mind of the listener. This means radio can be taught as an academic subject as all writing - prose, drama and verse, can be tested as radio and examples for analysis are used from both broadcast and non-broadcast work.
The Art and Science of Screenwriting by
In an age where many see screenwriters as the storytellers of the new century and everyone appears to be trying to write a screenplay, this book provides the framework for you to write a great screenplay. It goes beyond the concerns of act structure and the merits of story-driven ? as opposed to character-driven ? screenplays to tackle the real complexities of writing a compelling screenplay.
Writing the Pilot: Creating the Series by 
Writing Subtext: What Lies Beneath by 
The Anatomy of Story by
"If you're ready to graduate from the boy-meets-girl league of screenwriting, meet John Truby . . . [his lessons inspire] epiphanies that make you see the contours of your psyche as sharply as your script." --LA Weekly John Truby is one of the most respected and sought-after story consultants in the film industry, and his students have gone on to pen some of Hollywood's most successful films, includingSleepless in Seattle,Scream, andShrek.The Anatomy of Storyis his long-awaited first book, and it shares all his secrets for writing a compelling script. Based on the lessons in his award-winning class, Great Screenwriting,The Anatomy of Storydraws on a broad range of philosophy and mythology, offering fresh techniques and insightful anecdotes alongside Truby's own unique approach to building an effective, multifaceted narrative.
The Writer's Journey by
The udated and revised third edition provides new insights and observations from Vogler's ongoing work on mythology's influence on stories, movies, and man himself. The previous two editons of this book have sold over 180,000 units, making this book a 'classic' for screenwriters, writers, and novelists.
