Writing Great Screenplays AFI
Posted by adminOct 29
Product Description
The American Film Institutes bestselling sreenwriting guide is now updated!Only the American Film Institute — the countrys most prestigious film organization — could offer this level of screenwriting expertise! Specially created by a top television programming executive and former instructor at the AFI film school, this bestselling screenwriting guide is now revised and updated to cover the latest techniques for crafting first-rate screenplays for film and TV. Pro… More >>
Writing Great Screenplays AFI
I agree with pretty much everything already written by others. This is a great book – not really a how-to by any means, but certainly a must-read. IMHO this is one of those underrated finds that you can comes across now & again… only to then wonder what would have happened if you’d stumbled across it years ago.
Excellent insight and a no-nonsense approach to plot & characters – but more than that though, he elaborates on the unique types of protags and antags and gives examples of movies in which the various combinations appear. Cooper goes into the emotional needs of the reader (of your SP) and what you (the writer) need to do to satisfy those needs. Later there is a breakdown of the seven approaches to building tension.
Rating: 5 / 5
I have about 20 books in my room and this one is one of them and it’s seriously the best I’ve ever read, regardless of genre.
I don’t even write much screenplays these days but sometimes I still re-read some chapters and sitting there nodding “yup, that’s so true”.
The examples are so good, I thought that probebly a book like this would just make examples from boring drama movies and discard action as garbage, but the examples vary from Robocop to Beverly hills cop.
My favrouite chapter is about the Hero, finally I can explain for real why I don’t like Harry Potter, becouse for me he is not a hero, and this chapter analyses what a hero is so I can make sure that in my screenplays ppl will actually hope that the hero will sucseed unlike in movies like Harry Potter where I’m hoping the evil wizard will kill his ass.
Rating: 5 / 5
Dana Cooper has has not written a “how to” book, or a book that gives you a formula for writing, and that’s exactly what is so fantastic about it. It gives you much more freedom with your writing than screenplay books have in the past, but it still gives you the direction necessary for a begining writer. But it’s not just for a begining writer. Even the best in the buisness could learn form this masterpiece. Through a unique style of looking at the screenplay, this book helps you find the story inside you, and helps you to convey bhow that story makes you feel to the audiance. Speeking of the audiance, this book will help you develop the writers relationship with the viewers. It also helps to show you what they, the audiance, are looking for. On top of that, at the end of each chapter, there are 12 or so questions that you can answer for yourself to see if you feel stable with the topic that you just read about. Overall, this book goes far beyond any other screenwriting book, and also helps you to go further that you ever have with your writing. It’s well worth your money, so put it in your shoping cart immediately!
Rating: 5 / 5
“Writing Great Screenplays…” has tremendous value for those who desire to reach beyond the “How To” books. It assumes that the reader already has some understanding of the form and function of a screenplay. Importantly, the begining writer would stand to benefit from the pointers and advice on the psychology of the writer and the audience. Each chapter proposes important questions to the creative process and does not give simplistic answers. Excellent!
Rating: 5 / 5
This book is amazing… I have Dona Cooper for class at the North Carolina School of the Arts and she is amazing. What a wealth of knowledge she has to share, and has shared in this text. A+++ Read!!!! A Must-Have for any screenwriter…
Rating: 5 / 5