ABSTRACT

Most movies include a love story, whether it is the central story or a subplot, and knowing how to write a believable relationship is essential to any writer's skill set. Discover the rules and laws of nature at play in a compelling love story and learn and master them. Broken into four sections, The Heart of the Film identifies the critical features of love story development, and explores every variation of this structure as well as a diverse array of relationships and types of love. Author Cynthia Whitcomb has sold over 70 feature-length screenplays and shares the keys to her success in The Heart of the Film, drawing on classic and modern films as well as her own extensive experience.

chapter |2 pages

Introduction

Love Story Anatomy

part I|19 pages

The Meet (Cute and Otherwise)

chapter 1|3 pages

Romantic Comedy Cute Meets

chapter 2|4 pages

Other Meets

chapter 3|5 pages

Old Flames Re-Ignited

chapter 4|5 pages

Married Love Stories

part II|26 pages

The Crack

chapter 5|3 pages

Breaking Through the Shell

chapter 6|2 pages

The Wounded Knight

chapter 7|3 pages

The Emotional Crack

chapter 8|2 pages

Humiliation and Low Self-Esteem

chapter 9|2 pages

Nakedness

chapter 10|3 pages

Kids and Families and Friends

chapter 11|4 pages

Honesty

chapter 12|3 pages

Drugs and Alcohol

chapter 13|2 pages

Dental Floss

part III|52 pages

Why You?

chapter 14|2 pages

Matchmaking in Movies

chapter 15|3 pages

Twins

chapter 16|3 pages

Opposites

chapter 17|10 pages

Life Force and Sleepwalker

chapter 18|4 pages

Soul Mates

chapter 19|5 pages

The Pressure Cooker Effect

chapter 20|10 pages

Specificity: One of a Kind

chapter 21|4 pages

Baby Love: Underage Love Stories

chapter 22|6 pages

Old Love

chapter 23|3 pages

Gender Change/Orientation

part IV|39 pages

The Obstacle

chapter 24|3 pages

The Essential Obstacle

chapter 25|2 pages

Animosity, Feuds, and War

chapter 26|5 pages

He/She is Married or Engaged

chapter 27|2 pages

Misunderstandings

chapter 28|8 pages

Unavailability

chapter 29|9 pages

Other Obstacles

chapter 30|8 pages

Levels of Character Evolution

part V|11 pages

Putting it All Together

chapter 31|4 pages

Multi-Tasking

chapter 32|5 pages

You’ve Got Mail

part VI|32 pages

Styles and Miscellany

chapter 33|3 pages

Platonic Love Stories

chapter 34|5 pages

The Throwdown

chapter 35|3 pages

Sex Scenes

chapter 36|3 pages

The Alternative is Impossible

chapter 37|3 pages

Symbols of Love

chapter 38|4 pages

The First Golden Age: 1938–1942

chapter 39|6 pages

The Second Golden Age: 1980s and 1990s

chapter 40|3 pages

Endings