The Short Screenplay: Your Short Film from Concept to Production (Aspiring Filmmaker's Library) [Paperback]

Daniel Gurskis (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1598633384 | ISBN-13: 978-1598633382 | Publication Date: November 20, 2006 | Edition: 1

With the growth of film festivals, cable networks, specialty home video, and the Internet, there are more outlets and opportunities for screening short films now than at any time in the last 100 years. But before you can screen your short film, you need to shoot it. And before you can shoot it, you need to write it. The Short Screenplay provides both beginning and experienced screenwriters with all the guidance they need to write compelling, filmable short screenplays. Explore how to develop characters that an audience can identify with. How to create a narrative structure that fits a short time frame but still engages the audience. How to write dialogue that's concise and memorable. How to develop story ideas from concept through final draft. All this and much more is covered in a unique conversational style that reads more like a novel than a "how-to" book. The book wraps up with a discussion of the role of the screenplay in the production process and with some helpful (and entertaining) sample scripts. This is the only guide you'll ever need to make your short film a reality!

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Course Technology PTR; 1 edition (November 20, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598633384
• ISBN-13: 978-1598633382
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #96 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Television

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gurskis' strikes a cord with new-age business people, December 20, 2006

By 

Paul T. Van Valkenburg (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Short Screenplay: Your Short Film from Concept to Production (Aspiring Filmmaker's Library) (Paperback)

With YouTube and the global adoption of the internet delivered marketing messages, WE have become the screen writers of the 21st century. Gurskis provides a straight forward Help Guide on How To create the core story and successfully deliver the message to this new and exploding audience. Clearly Gurskis with 20+ years of experience both professionally as an Emmy Award winner but also academically as Chair of the Department of Film Studies at Brooklyn College walks the novice screen writer through this process. I rate this an entrepreneurs' five star, must-read.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best screenplay textbook, June 20, 2007

By 

Michael F. Nolin "mfnprod" (Savannah, Ga) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Short Screenplay: Your Short Film from Concept to Production (Aspiring Filmmaker's Library) (Paperback)

I use this book for all my screenwriting and production classes at the Savannah College of Art and Design. For clarity and readablity, it is unmatched, and all my students agree. If you buy just one book about screenplay writing, this should be it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Just For Short Scripts, July 7, 2011

By 

Mark Martino - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Short Screenplay: Your Short Film from Concept to Production (Aspiring Filmmaker's Library) (Paperback)

heuristic - enabling a person to discover or learn something for themselves. That's what "The Short Screenplay" provides for screenwriters. Like a good script, it uses short sentences, active accurate verbs and a minimum of modifiers. Gurskis includes useful examples without dropping names or reminiscing. By doing so, he provides a screenwriting reference that supports your own writing process and emotional connection to the work. Though it's about short screenplays, I use it for all of my screenwriting. If I were going to teach a screenwriting class, this would be the text.