Deep Focus: The Go Into The Movies Project — Film Analysis and Criticism
In order to be a good screenwriter, you have to do more than learn about screenwriting. Indeed you must immerse yourself in the world of cinema. There are several reasons for this:
* It is important to know at least something of the history of filmmaking in order to have a context in which you can write our own stories.
* You gain inspiration from seeing, studying, and analyzing movies and screenplays.
* Every time you see a movie, analyze a screenplay, read a book about film, you learn something about the craft.
* There is a Gestalt understanding of the screenwriting craft you gain from our lifetime experience of cinema.
* If you expect to work in Hollywood, it’s critical you have a broad exposure to movies in order to be able to traffic in the countless film references people in the industry use every day.
I’m sure you can add other reasons to this list. Suffice to say to have any realistic chance of becoming a working screenwriter, you need to immerse yourself in the world of movies.
And so this: “Deep Focus: The Go Into The Movies Project.” Consider this a very poor man’s / woman’s version of film school, cobbling together titles, links, and resources you can use to go into the movies. There are five subject areas:
* Movies
* Scripts and Screenwriting
* Film Analysis and Criticism
* Filmmakers
* The Evolution of Filmmaking
The concept is this: I will create a post each day this week for each subject area. Included in each post is a list of resources. You may add suggestions in comments. I will update the original post as need be. Then I will create a link under List for Deep Focus: The Go Into The Movies Project where you can access these five pages. Occasionally I will re-post them for additional suggestions and update the lists.
No, this is not the equivalent of an MFA from NYU or USC. But it reflects what I believe to be true as articulated in this mantra:
Read scripts.
Watch movies.
Write pages.
If you do that, if you immerse yourself in the world of movies and practice the craft of writing on a daily basis, you will exponentially increase your chances of success as a screenwriter.
SUBJECT AREA III: FILM ANALYSIS AND CRITICISM
Here are some recommended books:
“Awake in the Dark: An Anthology of American Film Criticism from 1915 to the Present,” edited by David Denby
“Roger Ebert’s Book of Films,” Roger Ebert
“5001 Nights at the Movies,” Pauline Kael
“When Movies Mattered: Reviews of a Transformative Decade,” Dave Kehr
“1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die,” edited by Steven Jay Schneider
“A Biographical Dictionary of Film,” David Thomson
And there’s this: Wikipedia list of film journals and magazines.
Some good websites:
Not Coming to a Theater Near You
And the one absolute must-read site: Observations on Film Art featuring David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson.
If you have any recommendations or suggestions for additional resources in terms of film analysis and criticism, please post in comments, and I will add to the OP as warranted.
Tomorrow: Filmmakers.
[Originally posted May 18, 2011]
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