ABSTRACT

The three-act structure is so last century! Unlike other screenwriting books, this unique storytelling guide pushes you to break free of tired, formulaic writing by bending or breaking the rules of storytelling as we know them. This new edition dives into all the key aspects of scriptwriting, including structure, genre, character, form, and tone.

Authors Ken Dancyger, Jessie Keyt, and Jeff Rush explore myriad alternatives to the traditional three-act story structure, going beyond teaching you "how to tell a story" by teaching you how to write against conventional formulas to produce original, exciting material. Fully revised and updated, the book includes new examples from contemporary and classic cinema and episodic series, as well as additional content on strategies for plot, character, and genre; an exploration of theatrical devices in film; and approaches to scriptwriting with case studies of prolific storytellers such as Billy Wilder, Kelly Reichardt, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Kathryn Bigelow.

Ideal for students of screenwriting and professional screenwriters wishing to develop their craft and write original scripts.

chapter 1|14 pages

Beyond the Rules

chapter 2|18 pages

Structure

chapter 3|8 pages

Critique of Restorative Three-Act Form

chapter 4|11 pages

Counter-Structure

chapter 5|9 pages

The Three-Act Spectrum

chapter 8|10 pages

Why Genre?

chapter 9|20 pages

Working with Genre

chapter 12|18 pages

Working Against Genre

chapter 13|13 pages

The Flexibility of Genre

chapter 14|12 pages

Genres of Voice

chapter 15|8 pages

The Nonlinear Film

chapter 19|8 pages

Main and Secondary Characters

chapter 20|11 pages

Subtext, Action, and Character

chapter 23|17 pages

Theatricality on Screen

chapter 24|21 pages

Tone: The Inescapability of Irony

chapter 25|8 pages

Dramatic Voice/Narrative Voice

chapter 26|10 pages

Writing the Narrative Voice

chapter 28|11 pages

Adaptations from Literature

chapter 29|7 pages

Rewriting

chapter 30|15 pages

Personal Scriptwriting: The Edge

chapter 31|10 pages

Personal Scriptwriting: The Short Film