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Screenplay (book)
''Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting'' is a non-fiction book and filmmaking guide written by Syd Field. First published in 1979, ''Screenplay'' covers the art and craft of screenwriting. Considered a bestseller shortly after its release, to date it has sold millions of copies. It has served as a reference for Judd Apatow, James Cameron, Frank Darabont, Tina Fey and many other professional screenwriters. Now translated into more than a dozen languages, ''Screenplay'' is considered the "bible" of the screenwriting craft. Overview ''Screenplay'' is noted as the first book to identify the ''three-act screenplay model''. At the heart of Field's explanation of how his screenplay model worked was ''the paradigm''. The Paradigm In the book, Field outlines the paradigm to which he says most successful screenplays adhere. In Field's view, successful screenplays are made up of three distinct divisions. He calls these ''setup'', ''confrontation'', and ''resolution'', and eac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Syd Field
Sydney Alvin Field (December 19, 1935November 17, 2013) was an American author and speaker who wrote several books on screenwriting, the first being '' Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting'' (Dell Publishing, 1979). He led workshops and seminars about producing salable screenplays. Hollywood film producers use Field's ideas on structure to measure the potential of screenplays. He was inducted into American Screenwriters Association's Screenwriting Hall of Fame. Early life Syd Field was born on December 19, 1935 in Hollywood, California. His uncle, Sol Halprin, was the head of the camera department at 20th Century Fox, and his neighbor was a talent agent who got him minor screen time in ''Gone with the Wind'' (1939) which was cut from the final film. He also played the trumpet in ''State of the Union'' (1948). He attended Hollywood High School where he met Frank Mazzola, the "gang consultant" on ''Rebel Without a Cause (1955)'', who encouraged him to pursue acting. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Judd Apatow
Judd Apatow (; born December 6, 1967) is an American comedian, director, producer, and screenwriter, best known for his work in comedy and drama films. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he produced and directed the films ''The 40-Year-Old Virgin'' (2005), ''Knocked Up'' (2007), ''Funny People'' (2009), ''This Is 40'' (2012), '' Trainwreck'' (2015), ''The King of Staten Island'' (2020), and '' The Bubble'' (2022). Additionally through Apatow Productions, he produced and developed the television series ''Freaks and Geeks'' (1999–2000), ''Undeclared'' (2001–2002), ''Funny or Die Presents'' (2010–2011), ''Girls'' (2012–2017), ''Love'' (2016–2018), and '' Crashing'' (2017–2019). Apatow also produced the films ''The Cable Guy'' (1996), '' Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy'' (2004), '' Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby'' (2006), '' Superbad'' (2007), ''Pineapple Express'' (2008), ''Forgetting Sarah Marshall'' (2008), ''Get Him to the Gree ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Cameron
James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability with his use of novel technologies. He first gained recognition for writing and directing '' The Terminator'' (1984) and found further success with ''Aliens'' (1986), ''The Abyss'' (1989), '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991), and the action comedy ''True Lies'' (1994). He wrote and directed ''Titanic'' (1997) and ''Avatar'' (2009), with ''Titanic'' earning him Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Film Editing. A recipient of various other industry accolades, two of his films have been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. Cameron co-founded the production companies Lightstorm Entertainment, Digital Domain, and Earthship Productions. In addition to filmmaking, he is a Na ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank Darabont
Frank Árpád Darabont (born Ferenc Árpád Darabont, January 28, 1959) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. In his early career, he was primarily a screenwriter for such horror films as ''A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors'' (1987), ''The Blob (1988 film), The Blob'' (1988) and ''The Fly II'' (1989). As a director, he is known for his film adaptations of Stephen King novellas and novels, such as ''The Shawshank Redemption'' (1994), ''The Green Mile (film), The Green Mile'' (1999), and ''The Mist (film), The Mist'' (2007). Darabont also developed and executive-produced the The Walking Dead (season 1), first season and first half of the The Walking Dead (season 2), second season of the AMC (TV channel), AMC horror series ''The Walking Dead (TV series), The Walking Dead'' (2010–2011). Early life Darabont was born in a refugee camp in 1959 in Montbéliard, France. His parents ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1997–2006) and for creating the comedy series ''30 Rock'' (2006–2013) and ''Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'' (2015–2020). Fey is also known for her work in film, including ''Mean Girls'' (2004), ''Baby Mama'' (2008), ''Date Night'' (2010), ''Megamind'' (2010), ''Muppets Most Wanted'' (2014), ''Sisters'' (2015), '' Whiskey Tango Foxtrot'' (2016), ''Wine Country'' (2019), and ''Soul'' (2020). Fey broke into comedy as a featured player in the Chicago-based improvisational comedy group The Second City. She joined ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') as a writer, later becoming head writer and a performer, appearing as co-anchor in the ''Weekend Update'' segment and, later, developing a satirical portrayal of 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in subsequent ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paradigm
In science and philosophy, a paradigm () is a distinct set of concepts or thought patterns, including theories, research methods, postulates, and standards for what constitute legitimate contributions to a field. Etymology ''Paradigm'' comes from Greek παράδειγμα (''paradeigma''), "pattern, example, sample" from the verb παραδείκνυμι (''paradeiknumi''), "exhibit, represent, expose" and that from παρά (''para''), "beside, beyond" and δείκνυμι (''deiknumi''), "to show, to point out". In classical (Greek-based) rhetoric, a paradeigma aims to provide an audience with an illustration of a similar occurrence. This illustration is not meant to take the audience to a conclusion, however it is used to help guide them get there. One way of how a ''paradeigma'' is meant to guide an audience would be exemplified by the role of a personal accountant. It is not the job of a personal accountant to tell a client exactly what (and what not) to spend money on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a story contains a subplot, or is a narrative made up of several stories, then each subplot may have its own protagonist. The protagonist is the character whose fate is most closely followed by the reader or audience, and who is opposed by the antagonist. The antagonist provides obstacles and complications and creates conflicts that test the protagonist, revealing the strengths and weaknesses of the protagonist's character, and having the protagonist develop as a result. Etymology The term ''protagonist'' comes , combined of (, 'first') and (, 'actor, competitor'), which stems from (, 'contest') via (, 'I contend for a prize'). Ancient Greece The earliest known examples of a protagonist are found in Ancient Greece. At first, dramatic pe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plot Point
In television and film, a plot point is any incident, episode, or event that "hooks" into the action and spins it around into another direction. Noted screenwriting teacher Syd Field discusses plot points in his paradigm, popularized in his book '' Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting.'' He proposes that a well-structured movie has two main plot points within a three-act structure. The first major plot point occurs 20 to 30 minutes into the film (assuming a standard 120-minute running time), and the second major one occurs 80 to 90 minutes into the film. Plot point I ends Act I and propels the story into Act II; likewise, plot point II ends Act II and propels the story into Act III. Discussion Plot points serve an essential purpose in the screenplay. They are a major story progression and keep the story line anchored in place. Plot points do not have to be big, dynamic scenes or sequences. They can be quiet scenes in which a decision is made. A plot point is whatever the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dramatic Structure
Dramatic structure (also known as dramaturgical structure) is the structure of a dramatic work such as a book, play, or film. There are different kinds of dramatic structures worldwide which have been hypothesized by critics, writers and scholars alike over time. This article covers the range of dramatic structures from around the world. How the acts are structured, what the center of the story is supposed to be about widely varies by region and time period. Africa and African diaspora Karibbean Kwik Kwak The structure is: #Tell riddles to test the audience. #Audience becomes a chorus and comments on the story. Usually there is a ritual ending. West Africa Griot A story structure commonly found in West Africa told by Griot storytellers, who tell their stories orally. Famous stories from this tradition include Anansi folktales. This storytelling type had influence on later African American, Creole, and Caribbean African diaspora stories. The story structure is as foll ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Books About Film
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arrangement is '' codex'' (plural, ''codices''). In the history of hand-held physical supports for extended written compositions or records, the codex replaces its predecessor, the scroll. A single sheet in a codex is a leaf and each side of a leaf is a page. As an intellectual object, a book is prototypically a composition of such great length that it takes a considerable investment of time to compose and still considered as an investment of time to read. In a restricted sense, a book is a self-sufficient section or part of a longer composition, a usage reflecting that, in antiquity, long works had to be written on several scrolls and each scroll had to be identified by the book it contained. Each part of Aristotle's ''Physics'' is called ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
