Journal of Screenwriting - Volume 12, Issue 2, 2021

This article considers a non-written form of screenplay. In so doing, it illustrates a trajectory of thinking where drawing methods were employed in the development of a cinematic narrative. These visual approaches replaced creative processing normally associated with writing. In discussing the author’s short film Sparrow, the exposition examines three processes. The first method, gestational drawing, was employed as a ‘story finding’ device. The second, immersive drawing, was used to refine thematic intensity in the work. Finally, directorial drawing was employed as a catalyst for discussion when collaborating with actors and production crew. In discussing these drawing methods, the article proposes the concept of ‘screenplay’ as a verb and an active space where a developer of cinematic narratives might work beyond the parameters of writing, to ideate, refine and artistically compose image-led, cinematic narratives.

In this article, we discuss the importance of unity in the feature film script and the mechanism of its development based on the two elements of dramatic action and theme. We investigate the consequences of prioritizing theme over the action on the foundation of the dramatic structure of the screenplay, considering one of the most famous Iranian films, Asghar Farhadi’s The Salesman (2016), the winner of the best screenplay at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. In any form of drama, the chain of actions leads to a specific theme, and the theme in turn directs this chain. Therefore, to create an organic structure, the balanced development of action and theme is essential. Manipulating this balance in favour of highlighting the theme, and understanding the chain of actions based on the theme weakens the logical relationship of the actions as well as the dramatic structure, ultimately turning some actions into redundancies that can be eliminated. The study shows that in The Salesman’s screenplay, through prioritizing the theme over the action and disrupting the natural process of perceiving the theme from the chain of actions, a structure is created in which the presence of some actions are only justified by referring to the theme. Therefore, a number of events/scenes in the screenplay can be omitted without interfering with the unity of the narrative and the formation and expression of the theme. As a result, prioritizing the theme over the action in the foundation of the script inevitably leads to a flawed structure.

Recent years have seen a growing interest in the history of fields of study and academic disciplines. While recognizing a number of limitations, this article explores the emergence of screenwriting research in Australia. It addresses the question of what were the cultural conditions that gave rise to contemporary screenwriting research in Australia. The article discusses three key factors: firstly, long-standing policy settings around cultural identity and content in film and television; secondly, active debates around ‘screen culture’ that have given discussions of the place of culture and story special prominence and contributed to awareness of questions of cultural ‘value’, and conventional separations of production and consumption; thirdly, the rise of film studies in the 1970s, which gave ferment to research into narrative and story forms. My goal is to capture some of the contextual features that are important to an understanding of screenwriting research in this period and geography, and to suggest that screenwriting research emerged as intellectual attitude and area of interest that eventually crystallized as part of a more formalized arena of study in the later 2000s.

A personal reflection on the origins and development of the Screenwriting Research Network, and of the discipline of screenwriting studies, from 2008–20.

Guides to writing screenplays worry most about plot sequence, character development and the dialogue. Yet, the ‘big print’ is a necessary part of any screenplay and as an educator I work with my screenwriting students to learn how to craft the big print so it is both powerful and minimal. This article is an examination of the art and style of screenplay prose; in particular, I use the screenplays of Arac Attack (released as Eight Legged Freaks), Aliens and Platoon as distinctive examples of diegetic writing in order to illustrate variations of style and how these affect the progress of the script and further, how the encumbering big print forecasts the overall tonal choices of the film. Each style discussed (minimalist, poetic/expansive and florid/expressionistic) is accompanied by suggestions for classroom or independent-study exercises meant to help develop movie writing style. Too long has the screenplay been seen simply as a blueprint for the final film; it is now time to begin appreciating the art of the written word in screenplay studies.

Review of: The Modernist Screenplay: Experimental Writing for the Silent Film, Alexandra Ksenofontova (2020)

Cham: Springer International Publishing AG, 249 pp.,

ISBN 978-3-03050-589-9, h/bk, USD 109.99

Review of: Language and Television Series: A Linguistic Approach to TV Dialogue, Monika Bednarek (2018)

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, xvi + 304 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-10855-955-3, ebk, USD 32.00

Review of: Screenwriter: The Life and Times of Nunnally Johnson, Tom Stempel (1980)

San Diego, CA: A.S. Barnes & Company Inc., 269 pp.,

ISBN 978-0-49802-362-0, h/bk, $35.00 (New)