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Title: Art Of Dramatic Writing : Its Basis in the Creative Interpretation of Human Motives by Lajos Egri ISBN: 0-671-21332-6 Publisher: Touchstone Books Pub. Date: 15 February, 1972 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.48 (23 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Essential reading for serious screenwriters
Comment: This book has stood the test of time. First published in 1946, Egri de-mystifies the art of story-telling. Originally written for the theatre, his principles apply equally well to film. Egri shows us how to start from square one and build a story, using examples from classic plays and movies we are all familiar with. An outstanding book: clear, direct, rings with truth. I wish he were still alive so he could be my script doctor.
Rating: 5
Summary: Egri Hits the Mark with Human Motivation, Clear Writing
Comment: I would have given this book a 10, except it didn't write my plays for me, I still had to do the work. Egri is clear, uses wonderful examples, and gets to the heart of the matter in a way that helps lesser concerns solve themselves as you find the threads of what your script is about and orchestrate your characters to best story advantage. Recommended to script writers, and to folks who just want a better understanding of whats going on up there on that stage.
Rating: 5
Summary: I wish I had read this one first
Comment: Well, I read this book recently after reading god knows how many screenwriting books. Some of them are quite repetitive aren't they?! The thing that I've found is that there are a lot of books out there that explain the three-act structure by saying you have a set-up, then you have your turning points, your climax, your resolution blah blah blah. Thing is we all instinctively know we need this stuff in our plays and screenplays but what's hard as a writer is actually figuring out what these should be. What makes a good turning point, what makes a good resolution etc? If you want to find out, I strongly suggest you read this book.
I found this book (along with Robert McKee's 'Story') the most useful out of the many (screenwriting) books I've read because he gets into the nitty gritty hard stuff. He makes you think about how important the premise is. I disagree with some of the reviews of this book on this site that say that Egri says you have to know your premise from the outset, he doesn't say that, what he does say is that you have to know it clearly at some stage in writing your script and this is true because we go to films to find something out and all the pieces have to fit together or you'll say something like 'The second half of the movie dragged', 'Why did she do that? That wasn't in character' or 'The movie tried to prove too many points all at once' and so on.
The more I write scripts, the more I realise that it's all about planning and architecture because pacing is everything unlike novels etc.
In particular, the most useful takeout from this book is that your premise has to match your character and story. He goes into detail using 'A Doll's House' as an example. If Nora had been a different character, the resolution wouldn't have worked as well as it did and if the story happenings weren't chosen carefully based on her character, then the story wouldn't have rung true nor would we have understood what the premise is.
The other thing that I think you'll really like is the stuff on conflict, the different types of conflict and when to use a particular kind of conflict for the story you wish to tell.
I'm writing a script right now and this book encouraged me to be a bit more lateral and let go of the ideas I already had because they may not be the right situation for my main character or the story as is might not be the best vehicle for arguing the premise I want to argue.
Brilliant stuff! Written so long ago yet still so relevant.
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Title: Art of Creative Writing by Lajos Egri ISBN: 0806502002 Publisher: Citadel Trade Pub. Date: June, 2001 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: Creating Unforgettable Characters by Linda Seger ISBN: 0805011714 Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, Inc. Pub. Date: 15 July, 1990 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Aristotle's Poetics by Aristotle, S. H. Butcher, Francis Fergusson ISBN: 0809005271 Publisher: Hill & Wang Pub Pub. Date: 01 January, 1961 List Price(USD): $9.00 |
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Title: Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee ISBN: 0060391685 Publisher: Regan Books Pub. Date: 17 December, 1997 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: Making a Good Script Great by Linda Seger ISBN: 0573699216 Publisher: Samuel French Trade Pub. Date: November, 1994 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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