Vale's Technique of Screen and Television Writing » (REV)

Eugene Vale was born in Switzerland and began his career in France in the 1930s. He was an award-winning novelist, film and TV scriptwriter and teacher, whose works include the bestselling novel The Thirteenth Apostle and the scripts for Francis of Assisi, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, and The Second Face. He also worked in many other areas of the motion picture industry, including directing, producing, cutting, distribution and finance. His archives are held by Boston University and University of Southern California. Mr. Vale died in 1997, shortly after he completed the updated version of this handbook.

• The classic textbook from the eminent novelist, playwright, and master screenwriter.
• Updated, revised, and expanded to include examples from recent films.
• A guidebook to scriptwriting for both beginners and professionals, and a joy for the movie-lover.

This book combines practical advice for the aspiring or established writer with a lucid overview of the unique features of this most contemporary art form, distinguishing film and video from other media and other kinds of storytelling. It teaches the reader to think in terms of the camera and gives practical advice on the realities of filmmaking. At the same time, Vale, who began his own career as a scriptwriter for the great French director Jean Renoir, provides a solid grounding in the history of drama from the Classical Greek theater through the great cinematic works of the twentieth century. Both philosophical and pragmatic, this is a very readable book for students and active professionals who want to improve their writing skills, and for film enthusiasts interested in knowing more about what they see on the screen. Mr. Vale is that rare combination, a practitioner of great experience who can offer a lucid explanation of his craft.

Vale's Technique of Screen and Television Writing is an updated and expanded edition of a valuable guide to writing for film and television. Mr. Vale takes the aspiring writer through every phase of a film's development, from the original concept to the final shooting script. Teachers of the craft as well as writers and directors have acclaimed it as one of the best books ever written on how to write a screenplay.

Booknews

Discusses the proper elements of successful script writing, from the terminology of television and the cinema to characterization, dramatic structure, story material, choice of setting, and camera shots. With discussions that range between Aeschylus and the technology of broadcasting, he examines how the practice is both similar to and different from more traditional forms of drama. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

	Acknowledgments
	Foreword
	Introduction: The Exciting New Media	1
Pt. I	The Form	7
1	The Film and TV Language	13
2	The Sources of Information	22
3	Enlargement and Composition	28
4	The Scene	38
5	Selection of Information	50
6	Division of Knowledge	55
7	Three Types of Storytelling	58
Pt. II	The Dramatic Construction	61
8	Characterization	65
9	Transition of Action	78
10	Disturbance and Adjustment	86
11	Main Intentions and Subintentions	102
12	The Effect upon the Audience	108
13	Television, Cable and Pay TV, Video, Satellite Broadcasts	134
Pt. III	The Story	139
14	From Idea to Final Form	141
15	How to Choose Story Material	145
16	Understandability, Probability, Identification	150
17	Story Content	162
18	The Writing of the Script	166
19	The Young Filmmakers	185
20	The Daring Conviction	189
	Glossary	193
	Appendix: Screenplay Format	195
	Index	207
	About the Author	217