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The Heart of Your Script

The Insider’s Guide to Writing the Difficult Middle Section of a Screenplay

Ted Wilkes (Regent's University London, UK) Phil Hughes (Regent's University London, UK)

$44.99

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English
BFI Publishing
22 January 2026
While there are many guides to screenwriting, none of them tackle the specific difficulties of writing the tricky mid-section of the screenplay. The Heart of Your Script reveals the six key elements that are crucial for ensuring an emotionally satisfying and dramatically engaging center to any script.

Using a broad range of concise case studies, including contemporary films such as Aftersun (2022), The Whale (2022), Shoplifters (2018), Talk to Me (2022), Barbie (2023) and Oppenheimer (2023),

canonical texts such as Back to the Future (1985), Seven Samurai (1954) and There Will Be Blood (2007) and cult classics like Swiss Army Man, (2016), Jennifer’s Body (2009) and Heathers (1988), Ted Wilkes and Phil Hughes provide

helpful tips and tricks to assist writers in finding out what is at the heart of the story they want to tell and how to ensure that it is coming through in their stories. Refusing any single method for structuring this central portion, Wilkes and Hughes offer a character-centred study, which allows aspiring screenwriters to map their dramatic journey from the inside out.
By:   , ,
Imprint:   BFI Publishing
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 232mm,  Width: 154mm,  Spine: 14mm
Weight:   460g
ISBN:   9781839028106
ISBN 10:   1839028106
Pages:   208
Publication Date:  
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Primary
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
1. Introduction 2. The Mechanics (Exploring The Dark Forest) The Path Off The Path The Gate The Key The Wolf The Suit Of Armour 3. The Pathways 4. Case Studies Become A Swan – Free Guy, Matt Lieberman, Zak Penn, 2021 Unknowing – Top Gun: Maverick, Jim Cash, Jack Epps Jr, Peter Craig, 2022 Willing – Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan, Kai Bird, Martin Sherwin, 2023 Accidental – Aftersun, Charlotte Wells, 2022 Mistaken – Talk To Me, Danny Philippou, Bill Hinzman, Daley Pearson, 2022 5.Taking The Paradigm Into Other Mediums 6. Breaking The Paradigm

Ted Wilkes is Senior Lecturer in Screenwriting at University for the Creative Arts, UK. Phil Hughes is Senior Lecturer and course leader in Film & Screen at Regent's University London, UK.

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