Who is Carl and what does he want?A road accident puts two young men in hospital. One walks away. The other doesn't.Daniel returns to his life, but soon finds his mundane existence upended as every aspect of it comes under attack. He loses his job, his girlfriend, his home – but Carl, his implacable enemy, remains in a life-threatening coma.The threats to Daniel build until he's homeless and wanted by the police for robbery and murder.Then he finds ...

Screenplays are vital to the making of film and TV drama, yet they're routinely obscured and misrepresented in much of what's written about film and screenwriting. Simon Passmore uses his experience in professional practice, teaching, and academia to bring together differing and often conflicting ideas about what screenplays are and how they function. Words Before Pictures throws light on the divergent views of screenplays found in screenwriting manuals, academic studies, and prac...

A collection of taut psychological dramas from one of radio’s leading thriller writersSimon Passmore is an acclaimed author and scriptwriter, who has also produced numerous films and TV series including Foyle’s War. This box set features all six of his compelling, character-driven radio dramas, each writhing with twists and heavy on menace.Offshore – Sailing out of Poole Harbour in a borrowed luxury yacht, Chris and Sam ar...

Monaco's book was an instant classic when it first came out, and with new sections in its anniversary edition, is more essential than ever. A landmark in media studies, it is unique in its sophisticated understanding of both the art and technology of film. Molly Haskell, criticWhen it was first published in 1977, HOW TO READ A FILM established itself as a genuine classic in film studies and has been considered by many to be the source on film and media.Monaco's original boo...

Writers Workshop of Science Fiction and Fantasy is a collection of essays and interviews by and with many of the movers-and-shakers in the industry. Each contributor covers the specific element of craft he or she excels in. Expect to find varying perspectives and viewpoints, which is why you many find differing opinions on any particular subject.This is, after all, a collection of advice from professional storytellers. And no two writers have made it to the stage via the same journ...

The step-by-step guide to creating a compelling screenplayWhile most screenwriting books focus on format and structure, Kate Wright explains how to put story at the center of a screenplay. A compelling story, complete with intriguing characters and situations created with these screenwriting tricks of the trade can become a box office blockbuster film.Learn the basics of screenwriting, including:- Developing themes within the plot- Using stru...

Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead (1981) has been celebrated as a rollercoaster ride of terror and a classic horror hit, a defining example of the tongue-in-cheek, excessively gory horror films of the 1980s. It is also the film that introduced the now-iconic character of Ash (played by Bruce Campbell). This study considers the factors that have contributed to the film's evolving cult reputation. It recounts its grueling production, its journey from Cannes to video and DVD, its playful rec...

Updated and expanded for a new edition, this is the perfect starter text for students of film studies. Packed full of visual examples from all periods of film history up to the present, Film:A Critical Introduction illustrates film concepts in context and in depth, addressing techniques and terminology used in film production and criticism, and emphasising thinking and writing critically and effectively.With reference to 450 new and existing images, the authors discuss con...

How digital visual effects in film can be used to support storytelling: a guide for scriptwriters and students.Computer-generated effects are often blamed for bad Hollywood movies. Yet when a critic complains that "technology swamps storytelling" (in a review of Van Helsing, calling it "an example of everything that is wrong with Hollywood computer-generated effects movies"), it says more about the weakness of the story than the strength of the technology. In D...

In 2001, yet another adaptation of the Superman comic book came to television. Lasting 10 seasons, Smallville took the traditional Superman story and turned it into an American teen action drama about Clark Kent's life at high school-before he donned the famous blue tights and red cape. Instead of depicting Superman's clashes with criminals in Metropolis, the show focused on how Clark first developed his powers and learned to cope with girls, school, and teenage angst. Although la...

Hollywood moviemaking is one of the constants of American life, but how much has it changed since the glory days of the big studios? David Bordwell argues that the principles of visual storytelling created in the studio era are alive and well, even in today’s bloated blockbusters. American filmmakers have created a durable tradition—one that we should not be ashamed to call artistic, and one that survives in both mainstream entertainment and niche-marketed indie cinema. Bordwell traces the...

Over the last several decades, comic book superheroes have multiplied and, in the process, become more complicated. In this cutting edge anthology an international roster of contributors offer original research and writing on the contemporary comic book superhero, with occasional journeys into the film and television variation. As superheroes and their stories have grown with the audiences that consume them, their formulas, conventions, and narrative worlds have altered to follow suit, inj...