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FilmCraft Screenwriting Reviewed By David W. Menefee of Bookpleasures.com
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David W. Menefee

Reviewer David W. Menefee: David is a Pulitzer nominated American author, ghost writer, screenwriter, book editor, and film historian. David’s career began as a writer and marketing representative for the Dallas Times Herald and the Dallas Morning News. His books have appeared under various imprints and in a variety of categories, such as biography, travel, historical fiction, mysteries, and romance. Two books by David were named among the 2011 Top 10 Silent Film Books of the Year: Wally: The True Wallace Reid Story, and The Rise and Fall of Lou-Tellegen. His most recent releases include Sweet Memories and the 1950s romance trilogy, Can't Help Falling in Love, Come Away to Paradise, and Catch a Falling Star (with co-author Carol Dunitz). David lives in Dallas, Texas, USA.





 
By David W. Menefee
Published on June 28, 2013
 

Author: Tim Grierson

Publisher: Focal Press; 1 edition (April 11, 2013)
ISBN-10: 0240824865
ISBN-13: 978-0240824864

Author: Tim Grierson

Publisher: Focal Press; 1 edition (April 11, 2013)
ISBN-10: 0240824865
ISBN-13: 978-0240824864

EXT. ZANADU - FAINT DAWN - 1940 (MINIATURE)

Window, very small in the distance, illuminated.

All around this is an almost totally black screen. Now, as the camera moves slowly toward the window which is almost a postage stamp in the frame, other forms appear: barbed wire, cyclone fencing, and now, looming up against an early morning sky, enormous iron grille work. Camera travels up what is now shown to be a gateway of gigantic proportions and holds on the top of it - a huge initial "K" showing darker and darker against the dawn sky. Through this and beyond we see the fairy-tale mountaintop of Xanadu, the great castle a silhouette as its summit, the little window a distant accent in the darkness. 

Thus begins the screenplay for Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane (1941). Screenwriting reached memorable proportions in Welles’ first motion picture, and the screenwriting craft attains a stupendous aspect in the details and content of Screenwriting, Tim Grierson’s new book in the famous FilmCraft series. The entire series studies the art of filmmaking in volumes that cover varying sides of movie making. Each book features interviews with the most renowned and successful men and women in the industry. Author Tim Grierson has produced another winning volume that not only fits neatly into the overall series but stands alone as a tremendous testament to the multilayered aspects of writing for film. The book should be in the library of every university with a film course and screenwriter wannabe.   

Focal Press and Ilex Press Limited have pulled together a cast of artists, writers, and editors to compile a comprehensive look into the art of screenwriting. From publisher Alastair Campbell, Editor Tara Gallagher, and Creative Director James Hollywell to Designers such as Ginny Zeal, Grade Design, and Katie Greenwood, the talent behind Screenwriting would make any casting director envious. Their unique combination of talents tells the screenwriting story in striking images and text set within two-page spreads that boldly direct readers’ attention from word elements to images the way a film shifts viewers from full shot to close-up.  

 
At last, the film industry has the shroud of secrecy lovingly pulled back in such a way that the inner workings are revealed much like the startling moment when Dorothy realizes that the Wizard of Oz was a mere ordinary man operating a machine. The influence of writing is finally dissected in a way that will interest film fans and be appreciated by movie industry insiders. Colorful graphics, fascinating photos, and many especially intriguing reproductions of actual hand-edited script pages illustrate the chapters.
 

And what a collection of intriguing chapters await the reader. This is not a mere entertainment book, but the ultimate guide to the power of screenwriting as the real driving force behind the artistic vision of a movie. Chapters include a wide range of past and present international filmmakers: Woody Allen, Mark Bomback, Jean-Claude Carrière, Lee Chang-dong, Ingmar Bergman, Stephen Gaghan, Christopher Hampton, David Hare, Paddy Chayefsky, Anders Thomas Jensen, Billy Ray, Whit Stillman, Ben Hecht, Robin Swicord, Caroline Thompson, David Webb Peoples, Billy Wilder, and I. A. L. Diamond.  192 pages encompass 288 photos and illustrations spread out over 17 chapters, plus a Glossary and an Index.   

Once a movie theater is built, you seldom again get to see the foundation. Likewise, the mesmerizing power of a finished film skillfully disguises the underpinning elements. FilmCraft Screenwriting carefully gives us an X-ray look at the absolute base upon which every movie is built.     

 
Author Tim Grierson is a film and music critic whose writing has appeared in Screen International, Gawker, Paste, L.A. Weekly, Backstage, Vulture, Wired, Blender, and The Village Voice. He is the author of four books, including the FilmCraft series volume on cinematography. Tim regularly covers film festivals such as Sundance, Cannes, Toronto, True/False and Outfest, and he is currently vice president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.


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