Aristotle's Poetics for Screenwriters: Storytelling Secrets From the Greatest Mind in Western Civilization (Paperback)

by Michael Tierno (Author) "This quote from the Poetics has led to the common misconception held by many screenwriters that the Poetics preaches a three-act structure as the be-all,..." (more)
Key Phrases: one complete action, central dramatic question, tragic deed, American Beauty, Angel Heart, The Blair Witch Project (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This earnest how-to puts a new spin on Aristotle as the master of philosophy, calling him not only the "greatest mind in western civilization," but also the "world's first movie story analyst." Asserting that Aristotle's Poetics has become a standard for constructing movies that reach audiences (and studio heads), Tierno, a director and Miramax story analyst, shows how to apply the basics of the great work to one's own screenplay. He introduces the "Action-Idea" as the way to understand the demands of the story, and debunks the belief that, in Poetics, Aristotle mandates a three-act structure. He also lays bare how people misread Aristotle's advice to employ the "imitation of a serious action." Tierno stresses the importance of ditching subplots for a story featuring "one complete action" and constantly supports his points with examples of successful films, such as Titanic and Rosemary's Baby. The frequent capsule plot summaries of favorites including The Godfather and Gladiator make Aristotle's instructions concrete, and Tierno helpfully breaks the movies down into plot essentials. Throughout, he is respectful but informal toward Aristotle. Tierno praises Aristotle for representing "beautiful truth," although the breeziness and the eager tone he takes may, at times, put off more serious readers. Still, screenwriters looking beyond the "three-act structure" mantra will find applicable strategies, and those who dismiss Aristotle as old hat will find their perceptions set straight with Tierno's modern movie examples.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review
"A clever approach to screenwriting." -- Library Journal

"Makes the precepts accessible with easy comparisons to contemporary hits." -- Variety.com

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1st edition (August 21, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786887400
• ISBN-13: 978-0786887408
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #31,291 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A real find! Inspiring and practical, too, August 2, 2003

By A Customer

Many screenwriting gurus say "Everything you need to know about how to write good drama is in Aristotle's Poetics," but then they never explain what's actually in that work! I've tried reading Aristotle's original text, but it is really tough going. Tierno's book is a real find - it boils down a rambling, classics text into concise concepts, tips and techniques that I could understand and use. Tierno provides examples of how all this stuff really works in a variety of films, too. This book is not only practical, but pretty inspiring, too. It gets to the "heart" and "roots" of good drama, something you can forget about when you get bogged down with a script. After reading this, I was excited and motivated to return to my own work.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Concise dramatic instruction, March 27, 2006

By	D. Rahmel "Dan Rahmel" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is useful for fiction writers as well as screenwriters. The author interprets Aristotle's ideas and suggestions and then renders them with examples into language applicable to modern drama. Many of Aristotle's original ideas are quoted and have timeless power. For example: "Beginners succeed earlier with Diction and Characters than with the construction of a story."

Tierno relates how the parts of a modern script evaluation (Log Line, Brief, Plot Summary, Comments, Idea, Story, Character, Dialogue, and Production Values) mirror Aristotle's examination of the same elements. I especially liked how the film "Gladiator" was used for the example of "the mistake in a hero's reasoning, leading to the hero's subsequent related misfortunes."

The short length makes the book a fast but powerful read.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great way to introduce Aristotle's Poetics., August 9, 2006

By	Paulo Leite (Lisbon, Portugal) - See all my reviews

If you are (or want to be) a serious screenwriter, you probably already know names like Robert McKee, Syd Field, Linda Seger, David Trottier and even David Bordwell...

The good thing about Mr. Tierno's book is that it goes back to the one fundamental text who, 2300 years before the birth of Cinema, already thought about many of the things all other screenwriting authors still talk about - what do we do in order to achieve higher drama?

And it is surprising how fresh Aristotle still sounds today, according to Mr Tierno's reading. Even if we consider that the object of Aristotle's thought was not the Cinema, but the Classical Greek Theatre - or the mimetic form of representation.

In fact, there is nothing new about Aristotle (or Cinema, or narrative, or screenwriting) here besides the fact that Mr. Tierno does an accurate reading of the great greek thinker and explains many of his key concepts.

In a nutshell, this book is an excelent reminder of how important, necessary and universal, good drama can be. Also it is a great reminder that screenwriting is a natural heir of most of storytelling's past traditions.

It is also a proof that screenwriting is an art form by itself.