Alternative Scriptwriting, Fourth Edition: Rewriting the Hollywood Formula [Paperback]

Ken Dancyger (Author), Jeff Rush (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 26, 2006

Alternative Scriptwriting 4E is an insightful and inspiring book on screenwriting concerned with challenging you to take creative risks with genre, tone, character, and structure. Concerned with exploring alternative approaches beyond the traditional three-act structure, Alternative Scriptwriting first defines conventional approach, suggests alternatives, then provides case studies. These contemporary examples and case studies demonstrate what works, what doesn't, and why.

Because the film industry as well as the public demand greater and greater creativity, one must go beyond the traditional three-act restorative and predictable plot to test your limits and break new creative ground. Rather than teaching writing in a tired formulaic manner, this book elevates the subject and provides inspiration to reach new creative heights.

Alternative Scriptwriting 4E covers:
* The melodrama and the thriller
* Adaptations from contemporary literature
* Writing non-fictional narratives for the feature documentary
* An in-depth exploration of point-of-view and perspective as expressive of the film writer's voice
* Voice-oriented genres--docudrama, the fable and experimental narrative
* Non-linear storytelling-the narrative strategies that are necessary to make an open-architecture story work
* Considerations for writing for DV that speak to the flexibility and improvisation this medium allows

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for the fifth edition:
"Screenwriting is about making choices. What Dancyger and Rush reveal so effectively in Alternative Screenwriting is just how many options are possible, how the various available choices work and how different decisions will impact screen storytelling. This book substantially broadens every screenwriters' -creative horizons."
-David Howard, USC screenwriting professor and author of The Tools of Screenwriting and How to Build a Great Screenplay."


"Alternative Scriptwriting is invaluable to anyone interested in screenwriting or in directing fiction. Using plain language it demystifies storytelling for the screen, and opens up myriad possibilities for using the cinema with invention, freshness, and imagination." - Michael Rabiger, Professor Emeritus, Film/Video Department, Columbia College Chicago.


"Just as Aristotle's "Poetics" and André Bazin's "What is Cinema" are an inseparable part of a Screenwriting reading list, Ken Dancyger and Jeff Rush's "Alternative Scriptwriting" is an absolute must read for a deeper understanding of the structure of Screenwriting. -Dr. John Bernstein, Director, Graduate Program in Screenwriting, Department of Film and Television, Boston University

"Alternative Scriptwriting," by Ken Dancyger and Jeff Rush, is one of the few books on the subject that doesn't make you feel stupid while you're reading it.
Instead of the usual boring list of "tricks of the trade" that replaces a real table of content in so many "How To Write A Screenplay And Sell It For A Lot Of Money To An Even Bigger Lot Of Talentless Hopeful People" Dancyger & Rush offer real insight for those who take their screenwriting seriously and are not afraid to venture a little bit "beyond the rules". Both as a filmmaker and as a teacher I have found this volume very precious because what the authors do best is mix American craftsmanship with European sensibility.
An excellent cocktail, if you ask me. And you did."
-Marc Didden - Head Of Screenwriting at St. Lukas Hogeschool, Brussels , Writer/Director ( "Brussels By Night", "Istanbul", "Sailors Don't Cry" )


Praise for the third edition:
"An insightful alternative to mainstream narrative and character analysis that presents the reader with a clear dissection of the mainstream before revealing the alternatives."
-- Script Factory

"[Alternative Scriptwriting] aims to challenge its readers to create writing that is exceptional. While no book can possibly replace your own creative vision, as a resource it's thorough and is a good way to help yourself consider alternative ideas."
-- Plugin Cinema

Book Description

Learn to safely break the rules!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 424 pages
• Publisher: Focal Press; 4 edition (September 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0240808495
• ISBN-13: 978-0240808499
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #169,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fresh look at screenwriting., August 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Alternative Scriptwriting, Second Edition: Writing Beyond the Rules (Paperback)

If you have already read the "how-to" books from Syd Field, Linda Seger, and others, then you must know that the three most important things you should be doing to enhance your craft are: reading screenplays, watching movies, and writing screenplays. After that, if you still need some motivation to write, then reading an exceptional book such as "Alternative Screenwriting" might be just the kick in the pants you need to keep you going. It's presentation is clear and fresh. And it does not just emphasise "alternative" approaches, either. In fact, it presents some of the most useful and succinct summaries of "mainstream" dramatic screenplay structure I have ever seen. This is not just another "how-to" book.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I bought it twice., January 12, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alternative Scriptwriting, Second Edition: Writing Beyond the Rules (Paperback)

I already had the earlier edition of this book, but bought the update, thinking that it could even help my writing by osmosis. My god, I was right. This is not a book to be taken lightly, nor is it a "new" edition by virtue of adding a couple of new words, an updated comment here and there. These authors take their task very seiously, including taking to heart comments they'd received about the first edition, and making sweeping and important changes for this new version. Buy this book. It couldn't hurt. It could change your life. At the very least, it will give you a new list of rentals for the video store. And you'll understand why you like them.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough and Insightful, February 16, 2006

By 

A. Davis (Orange, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alternative Scriptwriting, Third Edition: Successfully Breaking the Rules (Paperback)

As a screenwriting instructor who's been looking a long time for a good book on the craft, I can heartily recommend this book for an in-depth discussion of advanced screenwriting principles. The academic perspective provides concrete methods for successful deviation from conventional form, and chapters on genre and structure are a must-read for any serious screenwriter.