شکسپیر برای فیلمنامه نویسان

by Jennie Evenson, Farshad Rezaei (Translator)

هر نویسنده‌ای در جهان آرزو دارد شخصیتی همچون هملت خلق کند یا داستانی عاشقانه مانند رومئو و ژولیت بنویسد. ولی سؤال اینجاست که شکسپیر چطور چنین شخصیتهایی با چنین ژرفای روانشناختی جذابی خلق کرده است؟ چه چیز داستانهای او را تا این حد عاشقانه، بامزه، دلخراش یا هولناک می‌کند؟ چرا آثار او از آزمون زمان سربلند بیرون آمده؟ خلاصه آن که جادوی شکسپیر در چیست؟

Genres: Writing, Reference

184 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2013

About the author

Evenson holds a PhD in literature from Michigan and an MFA in screenwriting from UCLA. She has worked as a consultant at Netflix and taught writing at Pepperdine University.

Reviews

[Matt Lohr · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the critical blurbs in the frontispiece of J.M. Evenson's SHAKESPEARE FOR SCREENWRITERS says that this book represents such a brilliant and obvious idea that it's a wonder it hasn't been done before. Second that. Why are we listening to the Syd Fields and Robert McKees of the world when we can look to the works of the greatest dramatic scribe of all time to learn what we need to know about character, surprise and dramatic construction? Evenson's brisk and compelling book, written with enthusiasm and verve, lays out the magic of the Bard's work with cogent examples and support from classic and contemporary films that put his timeless lessons to evocative and effective use.

Evenson touches on such subjects as the importance of audacity and the unexpected in your characters' decision-making; the value of a tragic fall for an ambitious character (citing Lady Macbeth and SCARFACE's Tony Montana as sterling examples); the usefulness of setting in shaping your hero (illustrated by Marc Antony's besottedness with exotic Egypt in ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA); the mystery and potency of "the devil you never see coming (exemplified here by both OTHELLO'S Iago and the equally motivelessly malevolent Joker in THE DARK KNIGHT); and even the value of a well-placed snarky insult (as illustrated by Benedick and Beatrice's byplay in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING and Alvy and Annie's spats in ANNIE HALL). Evenson cites the history plays' value in illustrating real life as the basis of cogent drama, a point she drives home in the exercises that conclude each chapter, which encourage the reader to draw not only on the news, but their own lives for historical and dramatic inspiration.

Evenson's book is a thrilling and informative read. I blew through it in one sitting and suspect many readers will do the same. Hasten thee to the Bard's lessons. 'Tis a world of wealths waiting therein...

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

*****************This is a First Reads Goodreads Giveaway, Thank You Goodreads **********

This should be a requirement in any writer's library, it will be a go to for many years to come. Unlock the development of character, story, setting development through the works of Shakespeare. Fifteen plays are looked at, dissected for their value, and compared to recent movies. Each chapter brings key points as a guide to remember to further your skill and challenge you to exercises to fine tune your writing and growth.
Written in a way that encourages and assures the reader/writer that when broken down, the works of Shakespeare can be analyzed to the basics and is not as intimidating as first thought. I found this book to be highly informative, a blueprint for skill development. I also loved the style that it is written in, giving guidance and exercises while not being pretentious in the teachings.
This book is one you will reference all the time, I recommend it for the shelf of a writer, dreamer, and even the Shakespeare fan.

[Heydar · Rating 4 out of 5]

این کتاب به مرور پانزده نمایشنامه درخشان شکسپیر پرداخته و آن ها را به شکل درس نویسندگی کاربردی درآورده است.
الهام بخش ترین قهرمان و ابر شروران آثار شکسپیر را کالبدشکافی کرده...
کمدی های بامزه شکسپیر را برای یافتن ترفندها و رهنمودها زیر و رو کرده و به ما می آموزد چطور درامی کلاسیک خلق کنیم.
در پایان هر بخش نکات کلیدی،تمرین و فیلم پیشنهادی مریوط به آن بخش را معرفی می کند.
حقیقتی شگفت زده درباره شکسپیر اینکه از میان سی و هشت نمایشنامه او فقط دو نمایشنامه هیچ منبع دیگری ندارد یعنی بقیه از منابع مشخص و قابل شناسایی (به گفته این کتاب) دزدیده شده اند.
منابعی که شکسپیر از آن استفاده کرده در این کتاب آمده است.

[Writeratthesea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is wonderfully stated with insightful examples from Shakespeare and other screenwriters. Evenson reminds us of the importance of creating compelling, psychologically deep, captivating characters. I have to wonder why this hasn't been done before? I applaud Emerson for taking the initiative to write an analytical book of this caliber. Indeed, there are powerful lessons to be learned from Shakespeare's writings. As a screenwriter, I found the book particularly engaging, since she analyzes some of Shakespeare's works from a writer's perspective. It's a quick read. I couldn't put it down, and finished it in a 24-hour period. Now, I'm reading through it again looking for nuggets that I might have missed. Frankly, this would be a great book for a college screenwriting course. She also includes wonderful exercises at the end of each chapter. Another reason this book would work well with a class.

[Farhang Farvahar · Rating 4 out of 5]

درس گفتار های خوب، مثال های شکسپیری و سینمایی جالب، تمرین های موثر و کلی ایده برای نوشتن. مهمترین نمایشنانه های پدر نمایشنانه نویسی فاخر رو براتون موشکافی میکنه و گنجینه کوچیک و ارزشمندیه
لینک در طاقچه:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.taag...

[Helfren · Rating 3 out of 5]

An insight of how Shakespeare's creation stands through the test of time.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Why not take a few pointers from Shakespeare? It's a quick read but packed with a lot of useful information.

[Abner Rosenweig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointingly superficial. Evenson mixes hackneyed story craft advice (show, don't tell; setting is important; make character arcs big) with simplistic analysis of the Shakespearean plays to produce a shallow book. It's loaded with talking points (e.g. integrate eternal themes such as love and power, and you'll be writing like Shakespeare in no time!), but the author doesn't really make the effort to show in depth how Shakespeare accomplished his feats or to suggest in detail how you, the reader, might do the same.

It doesn't feel like Evenson carefully mined the Shakespearean texts to discover new ideas for screenwriters; she just shows how Shakespeare occasionally applied basic storytelling techniques. As a beginners guide to screenwriting, this works fine, but don't expect anything deeper.

To the author's credit, the selected film examples are excellent, and there are a few strong chapters (the ones on heroes and villains, and the final two chapters about Shakespeare's writing in general were my favorites).

But in the end, I'd look to the great critics (Bradley, Coelridge, Goddard, Hazlitt, et. al.) to discover the real depth of Shakespeare.

[Ryan Hathaway · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are many very valid points in here. The author has simplified the storytelling power Shakespeare's entire cannon and shown how these motifs can apply to modern dramatists. However, this book is so thin and spends little or no effort in discerning or strengthening its thesis. Kind of a tease... a good one, but I would have liked to have seen more to this volume than what was offered.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple and easy book, but many enlightening ideas within. A good read for aspiring writers and lovers of story.

[Oscar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly wonderful! Each breakdown of a Shakespeare work is insightful and summarized to its core elements. So helpful!