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Imperial Library
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Index
Cover
Copyright
Dedication
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Start strong.
Chapter 2: Start late.
Chapter 3: Show, don’t tell.
Chapter 4: Three stages of filmmaking
Chapter 5: Filmspeak
Chapter 6: Above-the-line versus below-the-line costs
Chapter 7: Follow the action.
Chapter 8: Conceal the action.
Chapter 9: Discover the action.
Chapter 10: Make psychology visual.
Chapter 11: Control the back-story.
Chapter 12: A flawed protagonist is more compelling than a perfect protagonist.
Chapter 13: The antagonist subverts the truth.
Chapter 14: Beginning, middle, end.
Chapter 15: 1 screenplay page = 1 minute of screen time.
Chapter 16: What’s at stake?
Chapter 17: Create tangible objects of desire.
Chapter 18: Practice perfect pitch.
Chapter 19: A high concept movie can be explained in one sentence.
Chapter 20: Have a strong but.
Chapter 21: A good title says what a movie is.
Chapter 22: Plot is physical events; story is emotional events.
Chapter 23: Story concerns the specific characters in a film; theme concerns the universal human condition.
Chapter 24: Whose story is it?
Chapter 25: Create memorable entrances.
Chapter 26
Chapter 27: Tell a story at different scales.
Chapter 28: Beware the passive protagonist.
Chapter 29: Props reveal character.
Chapter 30: The human eye can distinctly process about 20 images per second.
Chapter 31: Act 2 is where a poorly structured film goes to die.
Chapter 32: The best story structure is invisible.
Chapter 33: Every scene must reveal new information.
Chapter 34: Every scene must contain conflict.
Chapter 35: In fantasy stories, set the rules early, clearly, and simply.
Chapter 36: Animation provides an opportunity to think expansively, not expensively.
Chapter 37: Make setting a character.
Chapter 38: In film noir, everyone is corrupt.
Chapter 39: The fourth wall
Chapter 40: Dialogue is not real speech.
Chapter 41: Give your characters the anonymity test.
Chapter 42: Mise-en-scène
Chapter 43: Beware children, animals, and liquids!
Chapter 44: Save time—and money.
Chapter 45: Studio or remote?
Chapter 46: Lighting
Chapter 47: Clear the eye line.
Chapter 48: Call “Action” in the mood of the scene.
Chapter 49: Shoot it again.
Chapter 50: Have a plan, but enjoy the detours.
Chapter 51
Chapter 52: Signs of a novice filmmaker
Chapter 53: The 180-degree rule
Chapter 54: The rule of thirds
Chapter 55: Leave breathing room.
Chapter 56: Place figures in uncomfortable proximity.
Chapter 57: Film is three-dimensional.
Chapter 58: Make sure everyone is making the same movie.
Chapter 59: Have some showstoppers.
Chapter 60: Every movie is a suspense movie.
Chapter 61: Random hypothesis
Chapter 62: Make the conflict existential.
Chapter 63: Help the audience keep track of your characters.
Chapter 64: Dig deeper.
Chapter 65: Film, novel, television, or stage?
Chapter 66: Film is a director’s medium; television is a writer’s medium.
Chapter 67: A movie is a novel turned inside out.
Chapter 68: A comedy isn’t just about jokes.
Chapter 69: Good writing is good rewriting.
Chapter 70: Make rejection a process.
Chapter 71: Who is the intersection?
Chapter 72: Montage
Chapter 73: Different lenses tell different stories.
Chapter 74: The plotlines of ensemble movies share a single theme.
Chapter 75: Make visual motifs specific.
Chapter 76: Rhythm and tempo
Chapter 77: Tell the story in the cut.
Chapter 78: Augment action scenes with clean cutaways.
Chapter 79: The music you hear in your head during filming is probably not the right music for the film.
Chapter 80: Burn your characters’ bridges.
Chapter 81
Chapter 82: Set the clock ticking.
Chapter 83: Read it aloud.
Chapter 84: Don’t cast solely by looks.
Chapter 85: Rehearsal isn’t just for the actors.
Chapter 86: Give actors something to do.
Chapter 87: Acting speaks louder than words.
Chapter 88: If you want to write, read. If you want to make films, see films.
Chapter 89: Work in the trenches.
Chapter 90: Let it go, already.
Chapter 91: Play well with others.
Chapter 92: Make it shorter.
Chapter 93
Chapter 94: Convenient versus inconvenient coincidences
Chapter 95: Hang a lantern.
Chapter 96: Don’t overtax an audience’s good will.
Chapter 97: Deus ex machina
Chapter 98: The climax is the truth.
Chapter 99: After the climax, get out fast.
Chapter 100: Catharsis
Chapter 101: You are your protagonist.
About the Author
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