| [BACK]
My POV
Brian A. Wilson
Anatomy of "Anatomy of a Screenplay"
The cover of "Anatomy of a Screenplay" emulates Saul Bass' groundbreaking title design for "Anatomy of a Murder."
The movie that followed Bass' titles was an instant classic; what follows the cover of Dan Decker's self-published book, while an ambitious undertaking, comes off as a variation on a theme.
Chicago-based Decker delivers his take on the much-plowed-ground of "what is a screenplay, how do you write it and how do you fix it if it isn't working?" Decker presents a highly-detailed system for examining these areas. Perhaps his graphs, charts and his explanation of the Four Resolutions under American Convergence will strike a chord and be just the explanation you need.
For me, the book felt like the latest attempt at engineering the art of writing a script.
Like Syd Field, John Truby et al. before him, Decker serves up a distinctive set of nomenclature for act breaks, character motivation, climax, denouement and the like. Ultimately, though, Decker's system only feels different, not necessarily better.
Robert McKee, I believe, does a better job with the big picture of screenwriting, while David S. Freeman supplies better tools for analysis and construction of your own work.
But again, Decker's approach might work for you and be the breakthrough you seek. Grab the book and take a look. It's a quick read at only 201 small pages, though rather pricey at about $20.
"Anatomy of a Screenplay: Writing the American Screenplay from Character Structure to Convergence"
Dan Decker
Self published. $19.95
|
