ABSTRACT

Thinking in pictures is a gift; transferring them to words on paper is a craft. Put them together, and that's the screenwriter's art.

Big Screen, Small Screen is a complete guide to writing for film and television for beginners as well as more experienced writers. It covers all aspects of screenwriting from changing a film genre to picking a television timeslot.

Big Screen, Small Screen takes you through the basics of screenwriting with step by step guides to structure, character and the first draft script, and valuable tips and exercises. It also shows you how to find and agent, deal with producers, market your script and apply for funding.

part 1|30 pages

Preparation: Before the writing begins

chapter 1|9 pages

Big Screen, Small Screen

chapter 2|12 pages

Changing genres for the market

chapter 3|7 pages

Who wants what— and who gets it?

part 2|85 pages

The writing process: Getting it down on paper

chapter 4|9 pages

Character function

chapter 5|16 pages

Creating characters and back stories

chapter 6|17 pages

Structure

chapter 7|6 pages

Adapting the structure

chapter 8|11 pages

Dialogue and scene construction

chapter 9|7 pages

Subtext and visual subtext

chapter 10|6 pages

The range of formats

chapter 11|11 pages

Formatting the first draft

part 3|41 pages

The completed script: Now the fun really starts

chapter 12|10 pages

Revising the first draft

chapter 13|10 pages

Pre-production relationships

chapter 14|8 pages

The television serial

chapter 15|11 pages

Selling your script