Writing the Character-centered Screenplay

"We need good screenwriters who understand character." Everywhere Andrew Horton travelled in researching this book - from Hollywood to Hungary - he heard the same refrain.

Yet many how-to books on screenwriting follow the film industry's earlier lead in focusing almost exclusively on plot and formulaic structures. With this book, Horton, a film scholar and screenwriter, attempts to provide a definitive work on the character-based screenplay.

It covers American, international, mainstream, and "off-Hollywood" films, as well as television, and offers creative strategies and practical information. Horton begins by placing screenwriting in the context of the storytelling tradition, arguing through literary and cultural analysis that all great stories revolve around a strong central character.

He then suggests specific techniques and concepts to help any writer - whether new or experienced - build more vivid characters and screenplays.

Centring his discussion around four film examples - including "Thelma & Louise" and "The Silence of the Lambs" and the television series, "Northern Exposure", he takes the reader step-by-step through the screenwriting process, starting with the development of multi-dimensional characters and continuing through to rewrite.

Finally, he includes information about contests, fellowships, and film festivals.