Customer Reviews

Crafting Short Screenplays That Connect, Second Edition

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
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Ms. Johnson has some terrific, if not-quite-revolutionary, insights and ideas on screenwriting. Her central idea is that connection is more important than conflict, and she eloquently presents and defends this approach. I really appreciated the inclusion of the DVD, which shows the results of her exercises and approach with some good (not great) student films.

On the down side, the good-not-great-ness of these films reveals quite clearly the greatest weakness of her approach. The resulting films are warm and fuzzy and "work" on the level of human connection, but consistently lack exactly those elements of drama that she says aren't important--namely the tension and conflict that make you care what happens next when actually watching a film. Her ideas are so good it saddened me that the films seemed to prove the most obvious and naive argument against her central premise: Won't films that emphasize connection at the expense of what is traditionally called "conflict" come across as BORING and predictable? Sorry to say it, but yes these films are just that and I was left more than a bit skeptical that her approach as presented would really generate films that didn't share the same flaw.

Bottom line: As a filmmaking teacher, I'm very glad I bought this book. It opened my mind to some great new ideas and practical approaches to teaching. On the other hand, I would not show any of the films from this book as examples for my students to emulate and learn from, and I would be very cautious about taking the approach presented in this book too far when writing either student or commercial screenplays.

Buy it despite its limitations--it's really worth a read!

I stumbled on it recently when I was at the Samuel French bookstore on Sunset Blvd. In the heart of Hell-A (oops, scratch that - L.A. has no heart!) Anyway, there are tons of screenwriting books in that store. Tons. But I happened to pick this one up and start reading the Introduction. Very insightful. So I bought it (should've bought it here, though - it's cheaper), and I ended up devouring it pretty damn quickly. The writing is terrific - very conversational, accessible, smart, and at times bust-a-gut funny. But most impressive, the author sheds light on the importance of "connection" in the storytelling process. It made me think back about how many times in writing classes CONFLICT CONFLICT CONFLICT had been shoved down my throat. Okay, okay, I got it already! But, she points out, it's only half the story (the yin to the yang, or ya know, vice-versa...) - as she goes on to wonderfully illustrate and illuminate. Also, the sample student scripts are great additions. I especially got a big laugh out of "The Making of 'Killer Kite.'" I may have to spring for the companion video just to see how that film turned out.

Yeah, yeah, the book has "short screenplays" in the title, but the points she makes are applicable to scripts of any length. You can bet that even this jaded L.A. feature film writer will be incorporating a lot of her insights in his own creative process.

I'm looking forward to any follow-ups from this author, because she's finally brought something new - and important -- to the endless discussions (and how-to books) on screenwriting.

What I liked most about this book was its conversational style. Very down-to-earth, but it maintains a sense of professionalism as well. Claudia really knows what she's talking about - not only book knowledge, but also life experience. Of course, that isn't all there is to like about this book. Her insights are well-thought-out and well-defined. It's good to see something in the genre that doesn't focus on Conflict as the sole driving force in the narrative form. And, finally, on a practical level, I believe the book is well-ordered and well put together. And the length of the chapters is inviting, rather than daunting. You can read a chapter easily in one sitting; because so much of the learning process is not *reading*, but *doing*, I feel that the brief chapters allow much more time to get to the 'doing' portion of learning, the really meaningful stuff. In short, I wish all text-books were this accessible and enjoyable.

Unique, groundbreaking, witty, and extremely educational, which is why I've adopted it for all my screenwriting classes. More than any other writing book I've required -- and trust me, I've tried a lot -- Crafting Short Screenplays inspires my students to dig deeper -- to create richer stories, more complex characters, more deeply felt films. That probably explains why it's the only screenwriting book on AFI's general recommended reading list. No slouches they.

After using the second edition for years, I was eager to read this revised version. I'm happy to report that the best keeps getting better! Dr. Johnson has expanded several sections and added a very helpful chapter about character. She's also included a new short script/film and a webisode script, which I was glad to see, since more and more of my students want to write for the internet.

The screenplays here range from thirty seconds to thirty minutes, but the book has great practical application for features as well -- and offers invaluable insights that will vastly improve, even revolutionize, the work of any newbie or established writer. Yep, it's that good.

This wonderful little book is for you, the student of screenwriting. How do I know? I had the good fortune of being in Dr. Claudia Hunter Johnson's screenwriting class at Florida State University. We used the methods described in her book and they work! If you are disciplined enough to follow her process, you will amaze yourself. You will begin with Le Menu (your very own personal autobiography) and finish with a well-crafted script. Although you will not have her direct feedback, you will have the benefit of a script coach who has helped launch a thousand careers. Tom.

As a student filmmaker at Florida State University's School of Motion Picture, Television, and Recording Arts, I have been exposed to numerous books written for the young screenwriter. No other book I have read both focuses entirely on the short screenplay and includes several complete examples of successful student scripts (all of them award-winning, including a recent Student Academy Award). Taking it a step further, the actual films described in the book are available as a supplement, so that students can compare the written word to what was actually captured during production-- fascinating! And unique. Claudia Johnson, a Screenwriter-in-Residence at FSU's film school, includes a clear and focused plan for the young writer that guides them through the creation of five films-- taken directly from the syllabus of her classes at FSU. Johnson's ideas and methods have been tested and have evolved over years of professional and teaching experience, and her words are among the most articulate and inspirational I have read in any book on film. Both informal and sincere, witty and focused, "Crafting Short Screenplays That Connect" will undoubtedly connect with thousands of students eager to learn the art of screenwriting. Claudia Johnson has been an unbelievable teacher to me during my journey through film school, and I am confident that her book will be the same to many more.

I teach screenwriting in Los Angeles, and am using Claudia Johnson's book for my "Short Film Screenplay" class. This is an amazing book with an original take on screenwriting -- most books tell you story is all about "conflict," but this book explains that story is also about "connection." It's a wonderful and useful writing theory. The book is smartly organized, and presents 5 short screenplay assignments -- each new assignment helps students to build on their writing "craft" and skills. I highly recommend this book for aspiring screenwriters looking for a "how to" book (even though this is geared towards short film screenplays, the principles and lessons apply to feature length scripts too), and for screenwriting instructors looking for a fun, fresh take on the art and craft of screenwriting. Bravo, Claudia.

Don't think for a second that Claudia Hunter Johnson's approach leads to sappy emo films. Far from it. I know because I watched it work.

We teach students the three-act 120-page paradigm, but we ask them to shoot 3- to 10-minute shorts. All too often they end up with pedestrian comedy sketches or twist-at-the-end `gotchas' or creaky attempts at a cut-down genre piece (how much blood and special effects can you cram into 10 minutes?). It frustrated both me and my students.

But Johnson's Discovery-Deliberation-Decision-Action approach showed just what we were missing: the drama of human connection and disconnection. Because...

...discovery is always rife with conflict because it means someone has to make a choice between action or no action, and connection/disconnection always leads to consequences of some sort. Of course there are beginnings, middles and ends in shorts... Aristotle isn't spinning in his grave. But taking Johnson's 4-step approach lets us drop into the world of the short at any number of Aristotelian places to explore whatever creates the most impact on either the character or the audience, or both.

Once we realized this, my students started turning out some wonderfully gutsy scripts and subsequent films. Some were still firmly within specific genres, especially horror. Some were experimental. Some were gentle. Some still functioned with a twist at the end. But the journey through them was more engaging and more powerful because it was more human.

As for the DVD, it's true most of the films have a 'moral' of some kind. But 'My Josephine' is determinedly unsentimental and edges toward the experimental, and the mockumentary at the end is, well, just silly fun.

If you want to try your hand at a script, or at a short, this is the only book to give you the right tools.

Very detailed book on the many aspects of screenwriting. Johnson goes through not just the contruction and process of screenplays, but how to approach and think about writing. Althought the tile is specific to short screenplays, this book has the fundementals of writing freature lengths as well. The best!

This is an interesting book which offers some fresh thoughts about screenwriting. It suggests that conflict is about a half of what makes a good story, whereas all good stories don't only have conflict but have connection in them, human connection. This is an interesting and thought-provoking approach that can definitely contribute to the process of learning to write well.

However, it has some flaws - first, I think all the excercises are pretty much meaningless unless you do them in a group, with other students and a teacher. And this book is all about the excercises, so I found it unuseful.
Also, this book doesn't really explore all the aspects of screenwriting that are in a way essential to writing a short screenplay. It's more like an introduction with some excercises to get you going.

The only real advantage here is the DVD with the short films and their scripts that are included in the book. It is interesting and can certainly give you a direction of writing, but again it's very limited. All these films are pretty much the same, there isn't a variety of short films that can really give you a view of the infinite possibilities.