You're trying to finish a screenplay, but there's a voice in your ear whispering, “You should know more about how cinema story works.” Perhaps you've heard how many successful screenwriters deconstruct or “break down” films and study them. You'd like to try this method but ask yourself, “How do I start?” Semiotics for Screenwriters can help you with this daunting task by taking you on a unique journey through 3 classic films - It’s a Wonderful Life, Lost in Translation, and Get Out - that shows you the hidden universal language of plot, character, and theme at work in them. This method will reveal the mechanics of cinema story, then show you how to apply this knowledge to your own screenwriting.
Semiotics is a powerful system of analysis applied in many fields, including literature and psychology. In this book you'll learn to deploy this method to break down classic films then apply it to writing, developing and correcting your own screenplays.
By:
Michael Tierno (East Carolina University USA)
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic USA
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 254mm,
Width: 178mm,
Spine: 25mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781501391002
ISBN 10: 1501391003
Pages: 408
Publication Date: 18 April 2024
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Dedication Acknowledgements Introduction – The Hollywood Movie Breakdown System with a Semiotics Spin 1. The Semiotics for Screenwriters System 2. Isotopies, Part I 3. Isotopies, Part II - The Semiotic Square 4. The Narrative Level 5. The Deep Level of Meaning 6. The Breakdown of Three Specimen Movies 7. Demonstration of Using the Tools to Develop a Feature Screenplay - Through the Night 8. Using Final Draft Beat Board and Outline Editor with the Semiotics Tools Closing Thoughts Bibliography Index
Michael Tierno is Professor Emeritus of Film and Video Production at East Carolina University, USA. He is the author of Location and Postproduction Sound for Low Budget Filmmakers (2020) and Aristotle’s Poetics for Screenwriters (2002). He is a narratologist, a former Miramax story analyst, and an award-winning writer and director of independent films, such as Through a Class Darkly (2016), Nocturne, the Girl Who Played Debussy (2010), and Auditions (1999).
Reviews for Semiotics for Screenwriters: Break Down Your Favorite Movies Then Write Your Own
As Story Editor at the world’s largest talent agency in a career that has spanned 35 years, I have read and analyzed over 60,000 screenplays. It’s hard to imagine anyone could bring something new to the table, but Michael Tierno’s Semiotics for Screenwriters revolutionizes screenplay analysis, creating a way for screenwriters to have a deeper understanding of their own writing process. Semiotics might sound scary, but Tierno’s conversational style offers comprehensive examples of the system in action using popular films such as It’s a Wonderful Life and Get Out. It’s a college course for the price of a book. * Christopher Lockhart, Story Editor, William Morris Endeavor, USA *
