Story CD: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting

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Recommended by son, to mom and now you

A must read book

There is only one way and that is McKee's way because he says so

Write the truth...

THE book for understanding story

Story CD: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting

Manufacturer: HarperAudio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 0060856181
Release Date: 2006-01-03

Amazon.com

Writing for the screen is quirky business. A writer must labor meticulously over his or her prose, yet very little of that prose is ever heard by filmgoers. The few words that do reach the audience, in the form of the characters' dialogue, are, according to Robert McKee, best left to last in the writing process. ("As Alfred Hitchcock once remarked, 'When the screenplay has been written and the dialogue has been added, we're ready to shoot.' ") In Story, McKee puts into book form what he has been teaching screenwriters for years in his seminar on story structure, which is considered by many to be a prerequisite to the film biz. (The long list of film and television projects that McKee's students have written, directed, or produced includes Air Force One, The Deer Hunter, E.R., A Fish Called Wanda, Forrest Gump, NYPD Blue, and Sleepless in Seattle.) Legions of writers flock to Hollywood in search of easy money, calculating the best way to get rich quick. This book is not for them. McKee is passionate about the art of screenwriting. "No one needs yet another recipe book on how to reheat Hollywood leftovers," he writes. "We need a rediscovery of the underlying tenets of our art, the guiding principles that liberate talent." Story is a true path to just such a rediscovery. In it, McKee offers so much sound advice, drawing from sources as wide ranging as Aristotle and Casablanca, Stanislavski and Chinatown, that it is impossible not to come away feeling immeasurably better equipped to write a screenplay and infinitely more inspired to write a brilliant one.--Jane Steinberg

Book Description

For more than 15 years, Robert McKee's students have been taking Hollywood's top honors. His “Story Seminar” is the world's ultimate seminar for screenwriters, filmmakers, and novelists. Now, Robert McKee's Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting reveals the award-winning methods of the man universally regarded as the world's premier teacher on screenwriting and story. With Hollywood and publishing companies paying record sums for great stories, and audiences clamoring for originality, McKee's Story gives you the strategies you need to win the war on clichés.

Story is about form, not formula. McKee's insights cut to the hidden sources of storytelling, the decisive differences between mediocrity and excellence.

This audio goes well beyond the essential mechanics of screenwriting and is packed with examples from such film classics as “Casablanca” and “Chinatown.” Then, scene by sequence by act, he illuminates the principles of story design that take a writer's vision to brilliant realization. Story elevates the craft of screenwriting to an art form.

Take it from the pros; if you're serious about your writing, this is the audio that will help you to get your story from page to screen.

Customer Reviews:

Recommended by son, to mom and now you.......2007-09-23

Transforming a lifetime of short stories to screenplays has become my focus. Struggling with story, my son told me he had a teacher in film school suggest this book. It helped him. Now its helping me. Hopefully, you'll be next. Screenplays are perplexing if you've always written in short story or book form. McKee assists in making the necessary thought revisions you must in order to succeed.

A must read book.......2007-08-02

I bought this book three years ago, I keep referring to it whenever I am stuck in a script problem.I like the scene structure part very much, it is very focused, easy and helpful.

This is not a kind of book that you would read in the bus station or in one session.It is a lifetime friend once you decided to be a screenwriter.I am strongly convinced that "Story"is most useful for film and TV writers and not for any other writing genre.

Buy it, read it, re-read it and start writing knowing that it is a long journey.

There is only one way and that is McKee's way because he says so.......2007-07-30

If you can look past the contradictions, McKee's enormous ego, and writing as coherent and clear as that in Dianetics, you will occasionally find a helpful insight in this book.

Write the truth..........2007-06-26

In my experience books tested and proven before being written tend to be the best. A prime example - Angela's Ashes, won the Pulitzer Prize, fine tuned by the author McCourt doing a one man show talking about his wicked cruel childhood, growing up in Limerick, Ireland.

In the same way, Story evolved out of McKee giving lectures, and now, he continues to spread the word.

McKee is definitely an antagonist as opposed to a protagonist, and in person a funny and engaging fellow, and an excellent teacher. As you might expect, he does know how to tell a funny story, and he had a little fun at the expense of some of the sacred cows in the industry. I particularly liked his rant about Roger Ebert, who took his name in vain once but never again.

Anyway, the book shines a bright light on the elements of story. Conflict is to story what sound is to music. Story trumps dialogue in importance. Setups, payoffs, turning points, structure, inciting incident, protagonist vs antagonist, resonating and contrasting subplot, negation of the negation. Emotional value of scenes. Arc of the character. Act structure, rhythm and pacing. Text and subtext, beats, exposition. Character, dimension, step outline. All this and so much more.

Perhaps the most important single thing I learned from McKee is..treatment. The character treatment may be twice as long as the screenplay. This is the key difference between aspiring screenwriters, and successful ones.

I open my book, and look at his personal inscription to me, which I am sure he has written to many others... "Write the truth." I will, Mr McKee, I will.

If you were to find this review helpful, please click yes.

THE book for understanding story.......2007-06-24

If one were to read Joseph Campbell's, A Hero With a Thousand Faces, and Story, you would have the foundations (not formula) for understanding why story telling is such a powerful medium for communicating eternal truths. McKee says all people have an insatiable appetite for story. We can't get enough of them.

Story CD: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting

Average customer rating:

Story CD: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting
Robert; Robert, McKee McKee
Manufacturer: HarperAudio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEOLMA

Book Description

Even in Beethoven's day everyone was talking about the "Moonlight" Sonata. This is a comprehensive introduction to Beethoven's most popular piano sonata, together with the four other sonatas in Op. 27 and Op. 31. Aimed at pianists, students and music lovers, it gives an account of the sonatas' historical background, their changing performance styles, and offers an accessible critical introduction to the music.

Download Description

Even in Beethoven's day the 'Moonlight' Sonata was a popular favourite. This book provides an accessible introduction to the Sonatas Opp. 27 and 31 (including The 'Moonlight' and 'The Tempest'), aimed at pianists, students, and music lovers. It begins with the works' historical background - the emergence of a 'piano culture' at the end of the eighteenth century, Beethoven's aristocratic milieu in Vienna, and his oft-quoted intention to follow a new compositional path. An account of the sonatas' genesis is followed by a discussion of their reception history, including a survey of changing performing styles since the mid-nineteenth century. The concept of the Sonata quasi una Fantasia is examined in relation to the cult of artistic sensibility in early-nineteenth-century Vienna. And the study concludes with a critical introduction to each sonata.

Book Description

Chronicling Shirley Temple Black's various careers, this work spans the years from her childhood at the studio and at home through her waning success during adolescence, to her diplomatic and political pursuits. An anomaly among child stars, Shirley Temple Black's successful adaptation to life outside the traditional Hollywood social life is explored against the backdrop of the child-star phenomenon in American entertainment. Facts about her childhood, her parental influences, and her political beliefs present Shirley Temple Black as a unique individual rather than as a child star icon. Scholars researching American popular culture will find information on child stars in general through this exploration of Shirley Temple Black's significance within that role. Current attitudes toward racial stereotyping in early films are examined. Research sources for radio broadcasts during the late 1930s and early 1940s are also valuable. The changing American political climate can be viewed through the filter of the economic depression, during which the public embraced Shirley Temple's sense of hope and optimism, and through her, revealed political activism.

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behind the scenes
Candid and thought provoking
I thought I knew Shirley Temple
only half a biography
Just like me

Child Star: An Autobiography
Shirley Temple Black
Manufacturer: Mcgraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0070055327

Customer Reviews:

behind the scenes.......2007-08-17

This book provides a rare and fascinating look behind the scenes of the Hollywood motion picture industry, including the haphazard way in which "discoveries" were made, the almost ludicrous way decisions were made, etc. Shirley also relates how she was grossly cheated by Twentieth Century Fox by being nailed down to a five-year contract at $150.00 a week when a few weeks later Paramount offered to borrow her from Fox at a salary of $1000.00 per week. She goes on to quote dollars-and-cents amounts to demonstrate how she (or her mother) was repeatedly cheated, how false announcements were issued to the press as to her salary. The careful detail she goes into indicates that she (or some assistant) has done considerable "homework."

Shirley cycles from intra- and inter-studio political maneuvering to financial dealings, to candid details of other stars, to her schooling and her home life, thus keeping the story interesting and appealing to a number of different tastes. Among these are extraordinary events like two assassination attempts, visits to the White House, the governor of Massachusetts carelessly slamming a car door on her hand, etc.

The story gets more horrendous during her adolescent career. While her contract negotiations were going on at MGM, the fourteen-year-old Shirley was treated to sexual advances by the producer of "Wizard of Oz" with promises of stardom if she put out and threats of being washed up if she didn't. Her mother, meanwhile, was being subjected to the same treatment by Louis B. Mayer, the studio boss. Four years later, David O. Selznick pulled the same carrot-and-stick ploy during contract negations with his studio and on another occasion locked his office door and literally chased her around his office. Shirley relates in detail how she escaped from each of these sexual harassments with one glaring exception: a train ride to location shooting of one of her "grown-up" movies. In this case, the producer of "Wizard," now employed by Selznick, tried to r*pe her. This coy ducking of the incident is infuriating. If the r*pe didn't succeed, why does she not recount in detail how she got out of it, the way she does with all the other incidents? He tried to r*pe her again at his home some weeks later and she describes what she did to him to get out of that one.

She recounts how her own father ignored the court order under the Coogan Act and did not deposit any of her earnings in her trust account during her adolescent years (the pictures she made between age 14 and age 20). He had also kept all her childhood earnings (before the Coogan Act). Her father was uneducated but fancied himself a financier and lost all Shirley's money in one way or another. Consequently, out of over three million dollars earned in 19 years of stardom, Shirley Temple was left with only eighty thousand.

At twenty and married for the second time, she relates how she was induced to have a Caesarian at Bethesda Naval Hospital with promises of especially good medical care, how the surgeon botched the operation, then did not call in other physicians for consultation but kept trying to treat the consequences of one mistake after another in order to cover up his mistakes. Shirley almost died. Fortunately, other physicians intervened in time to save her life. On another occasion, a physician misdiagnosed a stomach ache for appendicitis and performed surgery, removing a perfectly healthy appendix.

Candid and thought provoking.......2007-01-19

I borrowed this book from the library because I was reaserching Shirley Temple's background in tap dance. By the time I finished it I had to purchase it and add it to my private research library. There is just so much more in this biography than I ever expected. I guess it's obvious if you think about it, Shirley Temple is a very intelligent person. Part of her talent as a child came from the fact that she has a very high IQ. So the writing in the book displays humor, wisdom, and candor I just had not anticipated. Her ability to memorize lines and deliver them correctly in one take was legendary when she was a child. What maybe less well known is that she is on every top ten list of great tap dancers and she gave the practice up, at least publicly, when she was 20, a time when most dancers are just getting started. I found this autobiography unusual on several fronts: Mrs. Black is very introspective about her parents and grand parents and their relationship to who she became. This is common in biographies, but much less so in autobiographies. She is also candid about unorthodox techniques used to direct her in her early movies, and her likes and dislikes of her various directors and co-stars. As a child she had an unusual capacity for concentration which she brings to bear on her work as a writer and the details of what she recalls. Any child growing up under similar circumstances would find their egos hardboiled. Mrs. Black turns acute perception on the problems of her personality and her use of her own power that are not always complimentary. This is a true expose of what becomes of someone who is both manipulated and praised beyond their own self image. I can only think that it was her unique intelligence that got her through. The National Enquirer is filled with similar stories of the less intelligent. I'm very much looking forward to part II of these chronicles.

I thought I knew Shirley Temple.......2006-02-22

Like many of us, I grew up watching Shirley Temple movies, mostly on television -- no longer in theaters, they were classics in the 50s and early sixties.

I found Ms. Black to be a good writer, clear and concise, and as classy as I expected her to be. No "Mommie Dearest" here, although toward the end she is honest, but not bitter, about how the money she earned for the many, many movies (far more movies than I realized) had never made it to her adulthood as they were legally supposed to. Rather than add bitterness to an already difficult situation, though, she chose to let it go, and move on. Way to go, Shirley. Not sure I could have been so considerate -- but then again, ever the optimist and considering everyone's feelings, she had a family she was not willing to lose, and children who needed their grandparents, and uncles. Nothing was done with malice, at least not by her family. Any greed by the studio and/or government is also allowed to slide as water under the bridge. She worked her heart out, and she loved it, she considered that payment enough. At the time she was able to take that approach, she was in a good place in her life, and felt rich beyond words. Good for her, she earned the right to move forward.

I was appalled at how studio executives treated her as she moved forward in her adult career, as a woman in general, and indeed, as who she was -- an American icon! Sometimes I think there is no level low enough that some men won't stoop to... Again, she mentions it as an annoyance, but "part of the business" she had to learn to deal with. No sexual harassment claims for her -- though she certainly would have been justified!

And how sad I was to read the story of her first marriage, and how she is also able to rise above that without the recriminations of so many others who have lived with the nightmares she describes. Angelic is the only way to describe her.

But the accomplishments! I can't wait to read the second part of this autobiography, that I see listed in amazon.com's catalog. I had no idea what an accomplished woman Shirley Temple Black is -- probably the most accomplished woman in American history! The "About the Author" piece in the back of the book just blew me away! And in all my years of feminist study, nobody mentions Shirley Temple Black...I wonder why? Because she was a movie star (with a filmography that apologizes to no one!)? Because she took her husband's name? Because she loved being a homemaker and taking care of her children? Fal-de-ral and fiddle-dee-dee!

Yes, she was appointed as Ambassador to Ghana by President Gerald R. Ford in 1974, and many people know that; but among many, many other accomplishments in this arena she was later appointed Ambassador and U.S. Chief of Protocol, the first woman in U.S. history to hold this position. Where is her work? I want to read her work!

I am astounded at our ignorance about this woman who traveled the journey from the depression through Word War II and beyond spreading grace, charm and joy everywhere she went. I wish she had said more about the war, and her take on the holocaust and the Nazis, but I'm not surprised she didn't bring it up. It's not in her nature to focus on the negative. Leave that to women like me.

Shirley Temple, I salute you!

only half a biography.......2004-06-09

I read this book because I was interested in learning about Shirley's political and ambasodorial roles. I read the entire book only to find the story finishing in 1954. The notes at the end said that shirley was working on the second instalment of her biography, and seeing as that was in 1988, I can only guess that she would have completed it by now - but it appears never have made it to publication. I was very disappointed that the biography only covered her life as a childhood star and then as a wife and mother. So I would hesitate to recommend the book as it is only half a biography, and would suit fans of the silver screen only.

Just like me.......2003-03-20

When I first read the book from our local library I thought it was going to be another boring life story like all the others I have read, little did I know that this one was going to be something special.
After I read it, I sank back on my bed and said out loud "THIS IS JUST LIKE MY LIFE".
I was also a younge star on stage as a child and then one moment it was taken away from me because I was no longer cute or babyish.
This is why I had buy the book to remind me of who I am and never give up.
Thank you Shirley Temple Black for a real outlook on life.

The Story of Shirley Temple Black: Hollywood's Youngest Star (Famous Lives)

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Useful
Excellent - Simple
Pretty good for younger children

The Story of Shirley Temple Black: Hollywood's Youngest Star (Famous Lives)
Carlo Fiori
Manufacturer: Gareth Stevens Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

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ASIN: 0836814819

Customer Reviews:

Useful.......2004-03-24

I reccomend this book to many people who enjoy Shirley Temple. I found it very useful and quiet enjoyable.If children want to read about Shirley Temple or learn more about her you should definitly read this because it is on a steady reading level.

Excellent - Simple.......2004-03-12

This is a very simple and somewhat brief biography of Shirley Temple's life and career. It is a good source of information and I highly recommed it to anyone who is looking for their first biography of the biggest little star of Hollywood. It is an easy read!

Pretty good for younger children.......2002-03-27

I had to do a report a few years ago on shirley, and I would recomend this book for children who want to do a report on shirley, or just learn interesting facts about her and her career. so i would definitley look over the book, it is really heplful!!!!

Average customer rating:

"Book Sets Facts Straight"
It was ok
I've read it twice
Child Star my Favorite book
To long , but over all , she had a very amazing life .

Child Star
Shirley Temple Black
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Child Star: An Autobiography

ASIN: 0446357928

Customer Reviews:

"Book Sets Facts Straight".......2007-09-16

This fine, well written book by Ms.Black sets the facts of her life straight, and reveals the truth of her life as it was lived by her. For example, other books state that her mother tried and tried to get her into the "Little Rascals/Our Gang" comedy shorts produced at the Hal Roach Studios. Shirley states that she recalls no such ploy on her mother's part. Usually, the best books about famous folk, especially movie stars, are those written either by the star themselves ("Child Star", by Shirley Temple Black, "Shelly", and "Shelly 2" by Shelly Winters)or by members of that person's family, such as the books on Sinatra written his daughters Tina and Nancy (I'm still waiting for one by Frank Jr.) for, they're penned by those who lived the life being written about, or by those who lived with the one who's story they're writing.

It was ok.......2007-01-25

I thought this book would be an interesting read, and I was a little disappointed.
The writing style was only mediocre - readable but not fabulous.
Plus for a famous person she had no controversy so that made it a little dull - there were some interesting bits, for example, when she suspected another famous personality of leaking her opinions of her movies to the press. Plus a few others including her difficult times at school and financial abuse by her father...but

This book was another skillful dodge of controversy by Shirley Temple Black, I think this book would've been better if she had written from the heart and given her opinions instead of just reciting events chronologically. You know - the dirt, maybe the book she is currently working on will have more of that sort of stuff ;)

I've read it twice.......2000-02-19

I've always loved and admired Shirley Temple. Her life is fascinating and I especially enjoyed reading about her days as a child in the studio. This is a must-read book for Shirley Temple fans.

Child Star my Favorite book.......2000-02-02

I think this was a wonderful book, it is great for Shirley Temple fans and for those who know nothing about her! It is filled with facinating stories that will be interesting to all! Some say it is long and, yes I guess thats true but, after reading it most people still want to know more!

To long , but over all , she had a very amazing life ........1999-10-09

I am now reading this book for a report , and some horrible things have happened to her , but I thought her life was very interesting . But then again I admire Shirley Temple Black for everything she has done .

Average customer rating:

Child Star
Black Shirley Temple
Manufacturer: McGraw Hill Book Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LAXJKM

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Child Star
Shirley Temple Black
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000P0LN10

Child Star an Autobiography (ISCN|Near Fine

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Child Star an Autobiography (ISCN|Near Fine
Shirley Temple Black
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OFBANC

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Child Star, An Autobiography
Shirley Temple BLACK
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RJF5VI

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Child Star: An Autobiography
Shirley Temple Black
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O7V28I

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Good Housekeeping (November 1957)
Herbert R. (editor); Shirley Temple Black Mayes
Manufacturer: Hearst Corp.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000TACNZQ

Book Description

Information on 2000 sources and archives of film and television collections have been collected at first hand by teams of experts in over 40 countries ensuring a comprehensive and authoritative volume. Aimed at professional users - TV producers, librarians, picture researchers, advertisers and archivists - who need to make use of stock footage of moving images in their productions.

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