BOOK REVIEW
INSIDE STORY: THE POWER OF THE TRANSFORMATIONAL
ARC
Author: Dara
marks
Publisher: BFI Publishing
In Dara Marks book Inside Story her primary goal is to encourage
writers to identify the theme of their story, to fill in the missing
pieces and to teach them how to make their characters and theme the dramatic
driving force of their story.
Dara
Marks has spent the last twenty years working in the film and television
industry and is now widely regarded as one of the best script consultants
in the business. Although this book primarily focuses on screenplays
it is aimed at anyone serious about writing screenplays, plays or novels.
Marks uses the fundamentals of traditional story structure that has
been widely endorsed by writers like Robert Mckee but the main focus
of the book is on an interior structure she describes that moves beyond
structure and into theme. Marks’ teachings are designed to connect
the writer to their character's internal stories. Tapping into an area
of screenwriting that up until now has remained vague and unexplored,
that of character development and change; what she deems the transformational
arc.
Inside Story starts by encouraging a writer to establish a strong foundation
and to work on the theme behind their story. Getting to the heart of
a character and defining their fatal flaw will make sure that they push
the action forwards. Then Marks shows how character conflict fits within
the three act structure. It is the conflicts found within characters
that determine their actions, their environment and the decisions they
make. This, Marks argues, is what gives the story meaning and what leaves
that lasting impression we all enjoy after watching a film.
Her overall goal is to ask writers to take a good look at themselves
and be honest about how they feel about what they are trying to communicate,
using the theme as a vessel for this purpose. The book encourages further
analysis of films, their characters and the themes behind them. It provides
a strong template for not only writing your own screenplay but also applying
it to other films.
Dara Marks style of teaching is incredibly easy to follow with detailed
diagrams and bold summations of key points. However, on occasion Inside
Story borders on repetitiveness. And, while the wide range of films used
to demonstrate how her theories are applied prove her point--that almost
all the greatest movies have characters with a transformational arc--Marks’ choice
of films seem limited to older films young screenwriters may not be familiar
with.
Whils this book is recommended for the novice right through to the
expert, it would be advisable for beginners to at least understand the
basics of the screenwriting form before jumping head first into this
book. Despite minor faults, Marks does succeed in achieving what she
set out to do. Screenwriters will definitely benefit from reading the
book and then reading it over and over again every time they write.
Authors: Christina Hamlett
Publisher: Michael Wiese
In her new book, Screenwriting for Teens, Christina Hamlet sets out to supply young first time writers, specifically teenagers, with the preliminary framework for writing their first short film, and puts them well on their way towards becoming a writer.
From actress, to theatre director, to successful screenwriter (she has had four features optioned) Hamlet seems like the pre-eminent mentor for aspiring teenage writers. Although the focus of the book is film, Hamlet draws on her varied background in the performing arts industry to provide examples that range from stage plays to commercials (‘the ultimate shorts’).
In every short chapter, she provides an explanation of what she feels is a key principle of screenwriting such as ‘Classic Story Structure’, in which she briefly deciphers the traditional three-act structure in a simple and coherent manner. Her explanations are followed by examples from popular film or TV, and activities that set writing tasks that focus and develop the writer’s skills. Hamlet ensures the activities directly relate to the lives and common situations that teens encounter, asking them to write about their friends, family and school lives, in addition to using analogies that are easy for her young audience to understand.
In a section on understanding audience and box office, Hamlet asks the reader to think about the difference between writing an essay for a teacher, a love letter, or an e-mail to a friend and then demonstrates with a range of film examples how to write for a specific audience. Her advantage here is that her teen readers are the target audience for almost all Hollywood films, so her approach is often simply ‘well what do you want to see?’
In addition to demonstrating the traditional and well-acknowledged techniques of screenwriting, Hamlet provides the reader with valuable advice about the industry. She shows how to start as a teen writer by completing a short film. She provides details of legitimate short screenplay competitions, and gives tips for pitching, creating contacts and ultimately taking that next step to selling your screenplay, making her book superior to other’s that delve into the field of first time writers.
The book has wider reaches that the high school teacher or college lecture should take note of, it encourages film analysis, reading of actual screenplays, gives resourceful websites and provides a framework for the study of the modern film.
Her enthusiasm shows on the page, the reader is constantly aware of Hamlets passion for writing, and her belief in educating teens in the art of screenwriting and her understanding of story and knowledge of successful formulaic screenwriting ensures the reader is always receiving some useful information.
Sometimes the variety of examples given across many different mediums can prove confusing, and at points, it seems that the author is taking on too much for one section. Other flaws include unnecessary complications for the beginner, such as her distinction between plot and story, and an unwarranted amount of attention paid to concepts such as ‘characters names’ that could be spent elaborating on her more interesting and more important concepts such as ‘Story Beats’.
The book would also greatly benefit from the division of the short chapters into broader sections. While the ‘bite-size’ breakdown makes for an easy read, it only provides enough space for brief introductions to concepts that require a more detailed explanation.
That said Hamlet does achieve her goal in this book by introducing all the basic concepts needed to start a career in writing (or at least to write a short screenplay). She also highlights potential pitfalls and common mistakes of first time writers, briefly illustrating how and why these mistakes are made then supporting this with examples specifically relevant to the subject of each chapter.
There is no fancy new theory or complex thinking, but an induction to most of the key concepts that are found in successful Hollywood screenwriting today. Perhaps more importantly, it relates exactly to what the typical teenager will know and love, and talks to them in a manner that they can easily relate. The book can be used effectively as a textbook or additional reading for those students especially interested in the art of screenwriting.
This book is successful in its aim to encourage teen screenwriters, teach them the basics, and give an introductory insight to the world of the film industry. Its originality is most clearly its audience, from whom modern cinema can most defiantly benefit.