Memo from the story department : secrets of structure and character / Christopher Vogler and David McKenna.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Vogler, Christopher, 1949-

Contributor:

McKenna, David, 1949-

Rosebud Fund for Cinema Studies.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Motion picture authorship.

Physical Description:

xxiii, 255 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Studio City, CA : Michael Wiese Productions, 2011.

Summary:

For screenwriters, directors, designers of games and interactive media, and others creating a story, Vogler, a story analyst, consultant, and author of The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, joins McKenna, a stage director, acting coach, and film professor at Columbia U. and Barnard College, for this guide to the essential principles and techniques of creating stories. They discuss the tools of structure, character, and theme, reviewing the 12-stage structural model of the Hero's Journey and the character possibilities in the eight major archetypes covered in The Writer's Journey, then explain tools such as Vladimir Propp's analysis of Russian fairy tale structures, Theophrastus's book on character types, polar opposites, reciprocal action, and the want list. They also cover log line and synopsis, using six environmental facts to analyze characters and stories, creating a five-year plan, and what studios look for in a script. No index is included. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Contents:

Chapter 1 You Gotta Have a Theme (Vogler) 1

Chapter 2 The "Want" List (McKenna) 7

Chapter 3 What's the Big Deal? (Vogler) 13

Chapter 4 The Contract with The Audience (Vogler) 17

Chapter 5 Polar Opposites (McKenna) 23

Chapter 6 The Memo That Started It All: A Practical Guide to The Hero With a Thousand Faces (Vogler) 29

Chapter 7 The Hero's Inner Journey (Vogler) 57

Chapter 8 Reciprocal Action (McKenna) 65

Chapter 9 Out of Character: The Archetypes and Other Ways to Look at Character (Vogler) 71

Chapter 10 Character: The Algebraic Equation (And Other Unnatural Acts) (McKenna) 87

Chapter 11 Theophrastus, What a Character! (Vogler) 93

Chapter 12 The Tools: Synopsis and Logline (McKenna) 113

Chapter 13 Propping It Up: Vladimir Propp's Fairy Tale Approach (Vogler) 121

Chapter 14 Propp on Character (Vogler) 149

Chapter 15 Environmental Facts: Overview (McKenna) 153

Chapter 16 Environmental Facts 1: Date (McKenna) 159

Chapter 17 Environmental Facts 2: Location (McKenna) 165

Chapter 18 Environmental Facts 3: Social Environment (McKenna) 173

Chapter 19 Environmental Facts 4: Religious Environment (McKenna) 181

Chapter 20 Environmental Facts 5: Political Environment (McKenna) 189

Chapter 21 Environmental Facts 6: Economic Environment (McKenna) 197

Chapter 22 Environmental Facts: Conclusion (McKenna) 205

Chapter 23 What I Learned From Vaudeville (Vogler) 213

Chapter 24 Showmanship (Vogler) 229

Chapter 25 Five-Year Plan for Aspiring Professional Screenwriters (McKenna) 233

Chapter 26 What Studios Are Looking For in a Script (Vogler) 243

Chapter 27 Fare Thee Well: My Parting Shot (Vogler) 251.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Rosebud Fund for Cinema Studies.

ISBN:

9781932907971

1932907971

OCLC:

676727486

Publisher Number:

99967731979