Screenplay and Narrative Theory

Why do some films soar to new creative heights and others spiral vertiginously downward? It's all in the screenplay, as film practitioner George Varotsis so expertly and exquisitely explains. In this premier and pioneering study, Varotsis deftly weaves through the great thinkers of film and narrative theory-while grabbing insights from cognitive science-to unzip screenplay writing and examine the brains of those masterful homo fabers that take us into new transformative spaces. Take a leap with this one-you'll take flight! -- Frederick Aldama, Ohio State University, author of Mex-Cine and The Cinema of Robert Rodriguez
Varotsis is himself a screenwriter, and he addresses some of narratology's traditional questions from that perspective-problem solving through the process of writing and analyzing complex narratives. One of his concerns is moving beyond a 'story grammar' perspective toward a 'plot-algorithm' perspective. Plot algorithms allow the screenwriter, or creators of narrative, to analyze and account for more complex narratives. The volume includes numerous figures, story sequences, and graphs that map out visually-and elucidate-the aspects of narrative or plot algorithms the author describes. Varotsis's focus on character as a key element of narrative study is useful. . . .[T]he author engage[s] productively with the works of a number of important narrative and film theorists, placing the work here in clear dialogue with others. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, practitioners. * CHOICE *