A Poetics for Screenwriters

by Lance Lee

Writing successful screenplays that capture the public imagination and richly reward the screenwriter requires more than simply following the formulas prescribed by the dozens of screenwriting manuals currently in print. Learning the "how-tos" is important, but understanding the dramatic elements that make up a good screenplay is equally crucial for writing a memorable movie. In A Poetics for Screenwriters, veteran writer and teacher Lance...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0292747195
• ISBN13: 9780292747197
• Release Date: March 2001
• Publisher: University of Texas Press
• Length: 157 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

An incredibly thorough, coherent, sometimes dense book. A fantastic read for the aspiring screenwrit

First of all, understand going into it that this book is an attempt at updating Aristotle for a modern, cinema-savvy audience of serious screenwriters. That being the case, the first third of the book is a bit dense, sometimes distractingly so. But it is necessary to introduce the reader to the themes it is going to explore in more detail, and in a more easily consumed manner, beyond. This initial density is the only thing that keeps me from giving it a 5-star rating, and the only thing that could potentially stop someone from picking the thing up and reading it straight through in a couple hours. In contrast to the common "bibles" of screenplay manuals - Syd Field's "Screenplay" and Robert McKee's "Story" - this book does not attempt to teach one how to write a screenplay. It does not have a single mention of formatting or suggestion for outlining save for a very brief, seemingly requisite blurb at the end. Instead, this book attempts to modernize Aristotle's timeless theories on the nature of drama and use them to help screenplay authors understand how to write better movies. Structure, sub-structure, sub-sub-structure, character development, thematic exploration - all of these are emphasized, their relative importances weighed. Countless examples from popular film are used alongside Shakespeare, Euripides, Izben, and more. It is very effective and very thought provoking. I read Aristotle in college just like everyone else who ever took a writing course, or any other type of course for that matter. I got far more out of this book than I did out of the original because it was targeted directly at the form I was writing. For me, the book's greatest value came not in helping me write my first screenplay, but in revising my first screenplay. I read this book in the lull between completing the initial draft of my first script and embarking on my first major revision. To be able to read through the various structures, the pros and cons of using certain devices, etc. and to be able to directly relate my own script to what was being described helped me form a very solid idea of what my movie was about and how/why it was structured the way it was. Anyone who has ever attempted a substantial literary endeavor knows how invaluable this "bird's eye" view of their work can be when going back to perfect it. If you want to learn how to write a movie, buy "Screenplay." If you want to learn how to write an effective, professional, powerful, relatable, GREAT movie, buy "Screenplay" and "A Poetics for Screenwriters."