Directing, 3rd Edition

PART 3

WRITING AND STORY DEVELOPMENT

Part 3 (Chapters 7 through 11) deals with the director's responsibility to the script, that all-important document that initiates virtually all fiction films. The first step in creating anything at all—whether bridge, chair, song, or film—is to develop a full vision of the finished article. Subsequent work bridges the gap between the plan and its realization and makes the vision a reality. The fiction script is the vision and represents, in a standard and shareable form, the film developed in your head. Unlike documentary, which reflects a world already in existence, a fictional world must first be envisaged before it can be filmed, and the script is vital to this.

Problematic films almost invariably have ...