Read more
Mercurio analyzes and systematizes the details that create powerful scenes, citing examples from scripts old and new in this exploration of screenwriting technique.
List of contents
Preface
Quick Note from the Author
Introduction
Part One - Fundamentals
Chapter 1 - The Story of a Scene: Beat by Beat
Chapter 2 - Reversals: The Essence of Surprise
Chapter 3 - Dialogue: The Beats of a Missing Horse
Chapter 4 - Non-Dialogue: Using Visuals
Chapter 5 - Exposition: Backdoor Drama
Part Two - Advanced Topics
Chapter 6 - Dilemma: Importance and Digging Deep
Chapter 7 - Exploiting Concept: From Inspiration to Surprise
Chapter 8 - Theme: Building Your Case
Chapter 9 - Advanced Scene Writing: Breaking the Rules with Style
Chapter 10 - Cinematic Writing: The Language of Visuals
Part Three - The Home Stretch
Chapter 11 - Rewriting I: The Big Picture
Chapter 12 - Rewriting II: The Small Picture
Chapter 13 - A Tale of Two Voices: The Voice of the Script
Chapter 14 - Personal Voice: Your Perfect Script
Appendix - 14 Steps to a Better Screenplay
Acknowledgments
About the author
Jim Mercurio is a writer, author, screenwriter and filmmaker. He has directed or produced five feature films and has helped countless writers as a teacher, story analyst and script doctor. Mercurio is a former development executive, and has sold or written as work-for-hire several screenplays. He wrote and directed the bonus material for the film
Making Hard Scrambled Movies-a two-hour seminar on making indie films-which
The Washington Post called "a must for would-be filmmakers."
Creative Screenwriting magazine ranked him as one of the top screenplay consultants in the country. Mercurio divides his time between Los Angeles and New York City.
