The Soul of Screenwriting
On Writing, Dramatic Truth, and Knowing Yourself
Published on 15. November 2008
Book
Paperback/Softback
496 pages
978-0-8264-2869-1 (ISBN)
Description
Uniquely inspired by the work of mythologist Joseph Campbell and psychologist Jean Houston, "The Soul of Screenwriting" demonstrates how the "screenwriting by numbers" approach that offers templates into which the writer may mechanically drop his or her story idea is fundamentally incomplete. Keith Cunningham maintains that in doing so, one ignores the process of writing. Screenwriting is a long journey and even the most gifted screenwriters get lost along the way. Getting lost, too, is part of the process.What the writer experiences in the act of writing has never been taken into account, yet this is where the screenplay comes from: the writer's here-and-now experience while working on the story. Information - left-brain concepts and techniques about plot structure, character development and orchestration, the dynamics of scenes and sequences - is all necessary. But it is what one does with the information that makes a truly great screenplay. In this book Cunningham demonstrates that good screenwriting is more than hitting the big plot points with exciting action. Good screenwriting also has integrity and authenticity. It has a voice, and because of this it speaks to the audience.To gain a voice, the writer needs the heat of creative imagination: passion, commitment, enthusiasm, a drive to know the truth of the characters and an urge to get to the core of the dramatic conflict without resorting to escapism.
These are qualities of the heart, and as Cunningham argues, screenwriting can indeed be a path with heart.
These are qualities of the heart, and as Cunningham argues, screenwriting can indeed be a path with heart.
Reviews / Votes
"[This book] demonstrates that good screenwriting is more than hitting the big plot points with exciting action" Writers Forum, November 2008 "Keith Cunningham's The Soul of Screenwriting: On Writing, Dramatic Truth, and Knowing Yourself...offers an unusual survey inspired by the mythic approach of Joseph Campbell and tinged by the psychology background of Jean Jouston, providing a survey of the act of screenwriting and how the writer's brain and experience juxtaposes to influence technique, character development, scene dynamics and results. It's a scholarly analysis recommended for any film or drama collection." -Midwest Book Review, (The Bookwatch), December 2008 "US script-writing guru Keith Cunningham's hefty self-help guide" Total film, 1 May 2009 -- Carmen Gray Mention -Book News, November 2008 "Writing in a clear, evocative style, screenwriter/consultant Cunningham melds the business side of screenwriting with the craft of screenwriting in an attempt to help writers navigate the often-unwieldy terrain between what an artist needs to create and what the film industry demands as product....In demonstrating the symbiotic relationship between the writer and the world the writer creates, Cunningham offers writers an unique way to view their craft. And he extols the value of truthful writing, as opposed to formulaic writing, and provides a means to remain faithful to one's art while still producing a viable Hollywood product. More than a tool book, this book teaches writers how to persevere as artists. SUMMING UP: Recommended - Choice * Choice *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
25
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
737 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8264-2869-1 (9780826428691)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Keith Cunningham is a screenwriter and consultant based in Chicago, Illinois and Munich, Germany.
Content
Part One: The Living Story; Introduction: The Night of the King Coho; Chapter One: Mirrored in the Story; Chapter Two: The Mythic Dimension of Screenwriting; Chapter Three: Need vs. Mode, The Core of Conflict; Chapter Four: The Story Molecule; Chapter Five: Orchestrating Character and Style; Part Two: Plot and the Dynamics of Creation; Chapter Six: The Soul of Screenplay Structure; Chapter Seven: The Journey in Four Movements; Chapter Eight: Act, Sequence, Scene, Beat: The Dramatic Present; Chapter Nine: The Sixteen Story Steps; Chapter Ten: The Creative Journey of Story Development.