Writing Great Characters : The Psychology of Character Development in Screenplays [Paperback]

Michael Halperin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 25, 1996

The author has developed an easy to understand, logical system which gives all screen writers a foolproof and failproof method of developing great characters.

Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Lone Eagle Publishing Company; 1st edition (January 25, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0943728797
• ISBN-13: 978-0943728797
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #676,950 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Halperin escaped New Jersey and came west with his parents while battling his brother all the way to Los Angeles. His early success selling a short story to a magazine when he was fifteen put him on the road as a writer. Little did he know it wasn't always going to be that easy. Once out of college he became a documentary filmmaker and then entered the world of television. His scripts caught the eye of a TV producer and he became a Story Editor for Universal Television and then Executive Story Consultant at 20th Century-Fox. He wrote numerous episodes for long-running television series and created a popular animated series, "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe". His novels include the Young Adult book "Black Wheels", chosen by the National Education Assn. for its prestigious African American Booklist 2005 through 2010 and the best-selling award-winning novel for children "Jacob's Rescue: A Holocaust Story", Random House. Non-fiction: "Writing Great Characters", Lone Eagle; "Writing the Second Act", MWP; and "Writing the Killer Treatment", MWP. Halperin edited the anthology "Judaism: Embracing the Seeker", KTAV Publishing, 2010. Celebrity Staged Reading Series debuted Halperin's comedy "Freedom, Texas" JAC Publications, in October 2009 in Los Angeles. His one-character play, "Mela", was performed as a staged reading in Santa Monica, 2009 and in August 2004 in Jerusalem commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of Yad Vashem. "The Spark of Reason" (Dorothy Silver Playwriting Finalist), JAC Publications, had a series of staged readings at the Promenade Playhouse, Santa Monica, California in 2008. "Dancing With William Blake" was chosen by the Eileen Heckert Playwriting Competition for inclusion in the Lawrence and Lee Archives of the Ohio State University Libraries. "All Steps Necessary", commissioned and produced by Inkwell Theater, premiered April 2006 in Los Angeles. "Freud at Sinai" and "Poor Timing", one-act plays, have been produced on both the east and west coasts. His newest play commission is "Hidden Wisdom", four one-act plays adapted from short stories. Halperin teaches writing, broadcasting and communications in the School of Film and Television at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. He has a BA Degree in Communications from the University of Southern California Annenberg School of Communications and a Ph.D. in Film Studies.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good information, but not the best reference on the subject, September 5, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Writing Great Characters : The Psychology of Character Development in Screenplays (Paperback)

With all the screenwriting books on format and career success on the market it seems odd that there are only a handful of books devoted to the most important element of any good story--the CHARACTERS. Halperin's book is a welcome text on the subject, but it lacks the depth of Linda Seger's "Creating Unforgettable Characters. The chapters touch on essential elements found in successful stories such as myth, culture, and interior lives, but the examples and in-depth analysis are minimul. Many exercise questions at the end of each chapter fail to get the mind to develop the skills and ideas presented previously. The final chapter details what the author considers great characters from Citizen Kane to Forrest Gump, but I would have preferred more intense study of these characters within the subjects of each chapter.
While I like this book for its contribution to a little written about subject I finished it feeling a bit shortchanged.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Do NOT buy this awful book., June 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Writing Great Characters : The Psychology of Character Development in Screenplays (Paperback)

As an aspiring screenwriter, I have devoured most of the commonly read texts currently available on the topic. Halperin's book does _not_ stand up favorably. In fact, not only is his writing style stilted and vague (e.g., non-specific use of "it" and "they", and more dumped quotes than you can shake your mouse at), his ideas are nothing more than lame banalities. For more info on writing pick up any of Syd Field's books, and for info on psychology any basic primer will do. His examples are not illustrative and his film analysis is at the middle-school level. Don't waste your money on this book like I did.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't bother, October 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Writing Great Characters : The Psychology of Character Development in Screenplays (Paperback)

You might find this book interesting if you've never read another book on screenwriting or human behavior. If you've read any of the other books in the field you will find this one inferior. Linda Seger's books on characterization are much better. I'm only glad I bought this title used from Amazon.com -- and I waited to sell it before I posted this review.