21st-Century Screenplay: A Comprehensive Guide to Writing Tomorrow's Films

by Linda Aronson

The 21st Century Screenplay is the much-expanded successor to the author's Scriptwriting Updated. Many books in one, it offers a comprehensive, highly practical manual of screenwriting from the classic to the avant-garde, from The African Queen and Tootsie , to 21 Grams, Pulp Fiction, Memento and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Whether you want to write short films, features, adaptations, genre films, ensemble films, blockbusters or art house movies, this book takes you all the way from choosing the brilliant idea to plotting, writing and rewriting. Featuring a range of insider survival tips on time-effective writing, creativity under pressure and rising to the challenge of international competition, The 21st Century Screenplay is essential reading for newcomer and veteran alike.

Genres: Writing, Film, Nonfiction, Research

490 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2010

About the author

Linda Aronson is a working writer with awards as a scriptwriter, playwright and novelist. She has thirty years experience as a scriptwriter working for companies from Australia, UK, New Zealand and USA. As a scriptwriter, she has credits for feature film, TV series and serials, mini-series, children's TV, radio drama, stage plays, and TV drama-documentary. Her young adult fiction is published in many languages and her hit stage comedy Dinkum Assorted (about life in a World War II biscuit factory, written for a cast of fifteen women and a nanny goat,and for which she also wrote music and lyrics) has rarely been out of production somewhere since it premiered at the Sydney Opera House over twenty years ago. She has also published short stories and satirical journalism. Linda also works internationally as a script consultant.
--from the author's website

Reviews

[Clive · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the only book on screenplay structure anyone ever needs to read.

Linda Aaronson has done what needed to be done. She's looked at the way structure is used and has written about it intelligently. Instead to reducing screenwriting to a cheap formula, she takes the time to explain how structure works and how it can be used effectively for all kinds of movies.

I can't praise this book too highly. It should be an essential part of every screenwriter's library.

I only have two screenwriting books that I recommend without reservations... this one, and the one I wrote.

[Kat Sommers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only read one chapter, about Flashback and Thwarted Dream narratives, but interesting reading. It helped me with my story for a novel, but it's not that applicable - it's meant for screenplays, and has a focus on the unities and time that doesn't necessarily concern a novel.

[Nancie Erhard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome. Not a rehash but an original approach.

[Jason Luna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very good and informative read, although it is probably best approached as a manual rather than a fun read.

I say that because Aronson takes great pride in her ability to list what she knows about screenwriting. And she knows a great deal. 450+ pages of simply describing things, or close to that level of specificity. For example, she mentions in passing that more and more people ask her questions about fragmented narratives and multiple protagonist films, challenges to the screenplay orthodoxy of a singular protagonist's journey against obstacles in pursuit of a goal.

And it takes over half of the book. She picks out exactly what makes the script tick. Something like "if you use a fragmented narrative, you need a source of dread, and a detective story of what will happen and how". And she writes like this in a seemingly inexhaustible way. As a reader, I found my head spinning, paragraph after paragraph rattling off what works and what doesn't work towards these incredibly specific goals.

I believe the goal is to teach the reader that they can write a screenplay if they are so inclined, and it works well. Especially at the beginning, as she describes how to use brainstorming technique, and how to structure the writing, and all these basic things. If the book had stopped there, it might be some of the most succinct screenwriting tips I've ever read.

So basically this is a book you should have if you want to compete for screenwriting tips in the modern age. It gives you a fair and even balanced chance, it doesn't waste time. it's effective.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aronson shines in her breakdown of screenplays with non-linear plots. Her terms for them are clear, and she provides suggestions for how to use certain films as a blueprint as well as for what kind of stories can best be told through what narratives. Many movies are referenced throughout the book - some of which she speaks about particularly because they were not successful - and it assumes an intimate knowledge of each. I think providing a synopsis would often have made her examples clearer as I found myself having to look up information to fully understand many of the passages. That being said, it was worth the effort.

The biggest weakness of the box is its final section - getting it on the page. As this is a book aimed at writers interested in advanced narrative structures, the examples of common mistakes given, especially the section on dialogue, came across as condescending. It found this section wholly unnecessary.

[Bobbie Darbyshire · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some great ideas and insights buried in this overlong, rambling tome, e.g. that in some successful stories the biggest character is ‘mentor antagonist’ to a paler ‘protagonist’, and that there are successful alternatives to the standard single protagonist 3-act structure that can be analysed and used as templates. Where the book falls down is in trying, unsuccessfully, to be a practical writing guide. Without all the ‘development strategy’ repetition and padding it could have been a wonderful little ideas book. Great plums, but far, far too much pudding. Her occasional references to novel writing were oddly naive: she seems to think none of the storytelling rules apply in novels. Oh they do, they do, which is why (as a novelist) I read screenwriting books about storytelling.

[Lily Mulholland · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of this book is fantastic - Aronson covers modern cinematography and screenwriting more effectively than many of her peers. The second half, clearly designed for dipping in and out of depending on your screenplay structure, was less useful (for me). However, the first half of the book is definitely worth the purchase price.

[Paweł P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Przeczytanie w całości zajęło mi 4 lata, co nie jest najlepszą rekomendacją. Gdybym miał powiedzieć, co zniechęcało mnie najbardziej, wskazałbym chyba na średnie przykłady, którymi posługuje się autorka. Dużo tytułów to rzeczy typowo amerykańskie, które w Polsce często są absolutnie nieznane. Wątpię, żeby były to dużo bardziej popularne tytuły w USA i nie jest szczególnie łagodzącą okolicznością, że oryginał był wydany 14 lat temu.

Dużo złego da się też powiedzieć o polskim wydaniu. Czytałem "Wydanie II poprawione" i chyba w żadnej książce z jaką miałem do czynienia do tej pory w swoim życiu nie poprawiłem tylu błędów stylistycznych, powtórzeń czy złego formatowania. Notorycznie znajdowałem "Scenariusz na miarę XXI wieku" wieńczące losowe akapity.

Są tu też jednak rzeczy warte uwagi. Jeśli dla kogoś będzie to pierwsza styczność z zasadami scenariopisarskimi, to dowie się z niej sporo. Są tu też wskazane dalsze kierunki lekturowe, więc jest to dobry punkt wyjścia.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

surprisingly practical on nitty-gritty screenwriting things like development & dialogue - as well as giving detailed analysis of screenplay structure, including what works & what films struggle because of their narrative form. really surpassed most other film-guru-ish books i’ve read or heard about. if you’re a scriptwriter or teacher who likes these kind of analysis texts, i’d say between this and Into the Woods by John Yorke you’ll have plenty to go on

[Hugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible book on writing. Although it’s targeted at screenplays, its content on complex plotting was perfect for writing novels as well. There are virtually no books on writing novels that seriously tackle complex plots - non linear, multiple pov and tenses, etc. this book nailed it.

[modertheresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the best books on narrative and screenwriting there is.

[Jessica Gonzatto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly useful! But I wished there was more discussion about character development specifically.

[Michał · Rating 2 out of 5]

some good insights but holy fuck this is a very limited & overly structured way of looking at films

[Max Brodsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a textbook, so not exactly a page turner.

[Tomdabek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Screenwriting isn’t math.

[Knihorožec · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jako nepřítel návodů a příruček, které se nějakým způsobem týkají tvůrčích činností (sem spadá i spousta kuchařek), jsem byla k publikaci hodně skeptická a odmítavá. Po důkladném prolistování a pročtení několika namátkových okruhů jsem si ji pořídila a od té doby se mi stala přítelem. Šikovným způsobem poukazuje na chyby, kterých se mimoděk spousta tvůrců dopouští. Pomáhá tyto dílčí přehmaty odhalovat v co nejranějších fázích, aby se daly snáze opravit. Předkládá doporučení a tipy, ve většině případů není direktivní, ale pružně a nápaditě popichuje k vlastnímu hledání odpovědí. Ať už tvoříte nebo píšete cokoliv, výborný tip (při nejmenším na půjčení, ale spousta lidí určitě dopadne jako já a už se s knihou odmítne rozloučit).

[E · Rating 2 out of 5]

So repetitive, so repetitive, so repetitive. Badly written with plenty of typos and repetition. Did not need to be 480 pages. Too much repetition. Not enough practical advice. Very repetitious. Ironic, given that the author warns against repetitive plot. Could be 200 pages without all the repetitive repetition.

[Apoorva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic coverage of narrative structure and plotting. I only docked off one star because the section on dialogue & subtext was given short shrift.