Elements of Style for Screenwriters: The Essential Manual for Writers of Screenplays

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For many first-time screenwriters, the most daunting aspect of getting underway is learning the proper format. Paul Argentini lends a helping hand with Elements of Style for Screenwriters. It's a good nuts-and-bolts introduction to the terminology of filmmaking and a step-by-step guide to making sure your opus is properly formatted. Argentini starts with a short sample screenplay as a concrete example, peppered with annotations as simple as "use plain Arabic numbers" and as complex as "(continuing) not needed here--LUDVINNIA (O.S.) and LUDVINNIA are separate elements." Don't worry, when it's all laid out on the script it makes a lot of sense. Most of the book is set up as a glossary of film terms, though Argentini does not stop at mere definitions, also filling the book with practical advice. He explains that a "talking heads" scene refers to one that is all dialogue and no action and points out that it will doom your script. The second portion of the book--considerably smaller--lays out the elements of style for playwriting in a similar sample and glossary fashion. Argentini also helpfully explains the broader differences between writing for the stage and writing for the screen (in a nutshell, the playwright can get away with those talking-head scenes.) A good, practical manual that should take a lot of the fear out of diving into that first script. --Ali Davis

Book Description

How to design and format manuscripts to impress any film school professor, story editor, agent, producer or studio executive.

Customer Reviews:

The author can't write, and I am pretty sure has never had a screenplay produced.......2007-09-10

This book is so incoherently and terribly written that I only got through the 3rd page of the intorduction out of morbid fascination. Consider a sentence from the author's biography that illustrates, simultaneously, his lack of grammatical ability and credits:

"Awarded a Playwriting Fellowship by the Massachusetts Artists Foundation, he is a former Boston and Washington D.C. editor, reporter and photographer."

That is, by the way, the most specific sentence of his four-sentence bio, besides "He graduated from Boston University".

A few sentences from the introduction:

"There will be some repetitious information on these pages. But, there are no wrong examples to remember. The Elements of Style for Screenwriters was not written to teach screenwriting, or to give you an insight into the dramatic art, although it might come close and I beg your forgiveness."

I accidentally bent the cover, but I am sure Barnes and Noble will take it back out of shame.

As Essential to Screenwriters as Strunk & White is to All Writers.......2007-02-11

Yes, you'll use this book fewer times as you keep writing screenplays simply because you'll commit more of it to memory. Yes, you'll want one for your shelves, one for your briefcase, and one for your office. Yes, they'll all be well used. And yes, this will be as invaluable a tool to you as your best loved dictionary and thesaurus. I require it of all my screenwriting students who are discouraged from ever selling it back to the bookstore, especially if they plan to take an advanced class with me. I also recommend this to all my workshop participants.

Get this book, read it through cover to cover once, and then flip through the alphabetized screenwriting terms when you need to refresh yourself as you write your script. Good luck with your project!

Look at me! Look at my cap........2005-10-04

This book is basically an extensive glossary of screenwriting terms, and will help the beginning (and the experienced) screenwriter make sure that his or her screenplay is formatted correctly and that it uses the correct terms. The book is arranged alphabetically, so if you need to look up "Fade In" or "Margins," you can turn right to the correct pages.
The book lists a lot of terms, however, that you should never use in a spec script that you just want to show to producers and investors. Use this in conjuction with other screenwriting books to get a better idea of this.
The book is not always perfectly written either--and don't let its title fool you into thinking it has anything to do with Strunk and White--but it is helpful, and when I'm writing a screenplay, I use it often.

THE Screenplay Writer's Guide.......2005-05-07

If you're into writing screenplays, this is THE Essential Screenplay Writer's Guide. I used it to write a couple of screenplays for Triggerstreet.com. In all of the feedback I received, not one person knocked the style of my works.

Writing.......2005-01-22

Maybe I'm crazy, but I tend not to like writing reference books that are terribly written.

Product Description

The name Carlos Gardel is synonymous with the tango. Before his life was cut short by a plane crash, he had popularized this famous Latin dance music the world over through records, radio, television, and a burgeoning film career. Songs include: El D?a Que Me Quieras * Melod?a de Arrabal * Mi Buenos Aires Querido * Volvi? Una Noche and many more.

The Life, Music, and Times of Carlos Gardel (Pitt Latin American Series)

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The Life, Music, and Times of Carlos Gardel (Pitt Latin American Series)
Simon Collier
Manufacturer: Univ of Pittsburgh Pr (Txt)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 082293535X

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Carlos Gardel

Manufacturer: Sudamericana
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Best of Carlos Gardel

ASIN: 1400099587
Release Date: 2004-08-10

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Carlos Gardel: L'age d'or du tango
Edmundo E Eichelbaum
Manufacturer: Denoel
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Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: 2207230694

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36 Chefs D'Oeuvre/38 Masterpieces
Carlos Cdfmx 54 Gardel
Manufacturer: FREMEAUX
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Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 630864093X

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Buenos Aires Gardel
Horacio Ferrer
Manufacturer: Atlantida
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Carlos Gardel
Juan Carlos Esteban
Manufacturer: Corregidor
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Carlos Gardel (Biografia e historia)
Edmundo E Eichelbaum
Manufacturer: J. Vergara Editor
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Carlos Gardel - Su Vida
Simon Collier
Manufacturer: Sudamericana
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Carlos Gardel Para Todos
Augusto Fernandez
Manufacturer: Ediciones Porte~nas
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Book Description

Poker is more than just a card game—it can also help you become a winner away from the gaming tables!

By blending the life lessons of a time-honored spiritual practice with the strategy of this popular card game, you can create a powerful approach to successful play—and successful living. In The Tao of Poker, prize-winning poker player Larry Phillips offers more than 280 rules to bring you to new levels of personal achievement, just when and where you need them most.

Here are some of The Tao of Poker's rules for success: ·Take the long view.
·Once you commit to a hand, play it strong.
·Don't throw in good money after bad.
·If you think you're beat, get out.

Try out these rules and watch your game, and your life, improve. Now you can be a winner at home, at work, and at the casino—wherever the stakes for success are high!

Customer Reviews:

Life Lessons and Poker.......2007-05-13

This book combines philosophy, psychology and poker into an easy to read format that is thought provoking and fun. Does teach a few important lessons to help your game but more so about how to help your life.

Worth Every Cent!.......2007-02-26

I am not a Zen kind of guy and was avoiding this book for that reason alone. I bought it based on the recommendation of another player that I met at a tournament, and am glad I did! Chock full of common sense advice that would take you a lifetime of playing to gain (if then). To my relief it is not some sort of "touchy feely," liberal nonsense book, but real poker wisdom, offered in a enjoyable format.

not worth the time to read.......2006-02-24

keep or buy Zen, dump Tao. This book has nothing much to add.

Deceptively Strong. .......2006-01-23

I was vaguely aware of Larry Phillips and his "Tao" and "Zen" of poker before I decided to purchase them both a couple of weeks ago. As the reader probably knows, Steve Dannenman was carrying Tao around with him during the World Series this year. I will admit that this one isn't going to allow you to finish second out of a crowd of 5,000, but it is chock full of common sense which is exactly what one wants from an instructional guide. Phillips is no cardroom flunky, he is an erudite student who knows a little bit about everything; a renaissance man offering intimate insight on poker and human nature. I must say that several of the rules he offers are not consistent with conventional wisdom, but I agree with Phillips over the others. The notion that hot and cold streaks are the imagination of the individual player is often accepted, but Tao convincingly argues otherwise. Bad luck can last a few weeks no matter how many times you switch seats or tables. An example of his valuable perspective is evident in Rule 166 or the 75% rule. All he recommends here is that you book a win once you give back 25% of it. Those words are very wise and very accurate as greed is the death of every entrepreneur (which is the most charitable way of describing those of us joined at the felt to this glorious game). Phillips is a firm believer that emotions and the mental state of the player are a key variable in terms of who comes out a winner or a loser. Just about everything here is quietly valuable. Few of the things he says will make you exclaim "Wow!" but nearly all of them will make you a sounder player.

Complement your poker library with this one..........2005-01-05

"The Tao of Poker" will transform and mold your thoughts on poker like Sun Tzu's The Art of War does for generals. This is not to say that the author provides concrete X's & O's strategies for winning, but rather illustrates the proper mindset to approach the game. Concepts like mentally focusing, planning, and how to manage your bankroll are introduced. For instance, after big wins in Texas Hold Em tournaments, I often "recycled" my money into higher money games, generally losing it. One of Phillips suggestions is to pocket a certain percentage of any big win, take a walk and come back refreshed. While I think most of the precepts in the book are just common sense to any moderate skill player, the book also advocates a certain philosophy to playing the game of poker, one that is useful from the novice to pro player.

Book Description

In 45 minutes, prime-time television can present viewers with a crime (often a murder), introduce all the suspects and their motives, and then solve the mystery. Through moral boundaries that have become stereotypical over the years, the show's hero is able to tie up all the loose ends and ensure that justice is served. This study explores how these morally-charged stereotypes are used in place of either logical reasoning or common sense in television crime dramas from the late 1960s to the present. Also examined is the role these shows have played in the creation and reinforcement of social stereotypes in society as a whole.

Customer Reviews:

The Happy Hour Revisited.......2001-02-23

The title of this book is misleading. For all his philosophical ramblings in the first chapter, the author fails to accomplish what he thinks and says he has set out to do. What we have ended up with is his bad attempt to psychoanalyze TV cop shows and detective series he really doen't know anything about. Buying this book is a good waste of money...

Morality and Social Order in Television Crime Drama

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Morality and Social Order in Television Crime Drama
John Sumser
Manufacturer: McFARLAND
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H265GE

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