About the Book:

Subtitled The Craft of Screenwriting, this volume focuses on practical methods for writing a screenplay. The author of the sci-fi fantasy film Barbarella, starring Hollywood icon Jane Fonda, and other successful screenplays analyzes the basic structures of effective screenplays, from initial plot-lines to finished scripts. All the essential building blocks are discussed in-depth: the need for a strong premise, the roles of protagonist and antagonist, the orchestration of plot, characters and dialogue leading to a clear resolution.

Written by Tudor Gates, a highly-experienced and successful screenwriter, Scenario is a book which not only instructs first-time writers how to go about their work but also serves as a valuable check-list for established authors, and for actors, directors and teachers, in their task of deconstructing and assessing the value of the material placed before them.

Tudor Gates says that stories must be constructed in a way similar to arguments: the narrative states a claim and proves it through the way the characters relate and the conflict is resolved. A good premise must have an element of universal truth, he adds. Parables and proverbs are premises in pure form. Some of the great lines of literature are a source for premises: "Do not ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee"; "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Some examples of the premises driving the plots of well-known films:
• Cheerful optimism helps one to survive even the most dire misfortunes (The Gold Rush, 1925).
• Courage born of love will allow one to overcome all obstacles (The General, 1926).
• True love cannot be defeated and will live on, even after death (Romeo and Juliet).
• In war there are no victors, only victims (All Quiet on the Western Front, 1930).
• All that glitters is not gold (A Star is Born)
• With courage and determination you will always find a way out of despair (Bicycle Thieves, 1948).
• It is a wonderful life (It's a Wonderful Life, 1946).
• We all have our own concept of truth (Rashomon, 1950).

What people say:

"A highly approachable blend of memoir and manual ... Working under such chapter headings as The Grammar of Writing and Orchestrating Your Characters, the book offers a refreshing, unpretentious back-to-basics approach, which quickly gets down to the nitty-gritty ... An entertaining and informative master-class." — Film Review

"This is an immensely readable introduction to the craft of screenwriting and is very helpful for budding screenwriters." — Alby James, Northern Film School, Leeds Metropolitan University

About the Author:

Tudor Gates (1930-2007) was a prolific English writer for both stage and screen. He wrote over a hundred teleplays and episodes (including The Sweeney, The Saint, and The Avengers), wrote, co-wrote or worked on the screenplays for sixteen feature films that enjoyed a huge box office success and earned him a certain cult status in the genre of horror movies (including Barbarella), and ten stage plays that enjoyed lengthy West End runs (including Who Saw Him Die?). He also served as Chairman of the National Film Development Fund and the Joint Board for Film Industry Training.