Screenwriter Reading Tips
Screenwriter Stephen Davis shares his top 3 books
Screenwriter, Playwright and Screenwriting Lecturer, Stephen Davis is a well-practiced and incredibly knowledgeable wielder of story and character craft. AFI nominated, he’s had works played at the Toronto, Tokyo, Sydney, San Diego and Cannes film festivals. He’s currently knee-deep in drafts for the folk behind The Babadook. A best-selling Playwright, he also has seven published plays and hours of award-winning, produced theatre work.
Based in Sydney, lecturing at the prestigious AFTRS (Australian Film Television and Radio School), and deep into his latest commercial projects, we pestered Stephen for some reading tips before he arrives in Ubud. He kindly obliged in his seriously informed and fundamentally playful manner.
What a hero.
Thank you, Stephen.
Screenwriting tip-top reads from an industry expert…
The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers and Screenwriters
Christopher Vogler
Strongly bent towards screenwriting, The Writer’s Journey is rich with information, so get ready for some serious note-taking. First a film producer and writer, later a lecturer and screenwriting consultant, Vogler expands Joseph Campbell’s ‘The Hero’s Journey’. As a screenwriter or storyteller, if you haven’t read this, pull your finger out and take your craft up a notch.
The Hero with a Thousand Faces
Joseph Campbell
Commonalities in hero mythology eruditely sifted, considered and presented for deeper understanding. Transformation of hero, conqueror, saviour and destroyer represent life in a majestically justified work that cites Jung, Freud and Charles Darwin. To say, ‘well-researched’ is a massive understatement. This may be one of the greatest books of all time. Period.
Save The Cat
Blake Snyder
A formula for screenwriting. Step-by-step and very simply, Snyder – a former Disney Screenwriter – will hand-hold you through key milestones seen over and over again in Hollywood. Don’t miss a beat. And this just might change your film-watching forever, because once you’ve slipped inside the matrix, it’s so easy to see. Some great tips in here about how to prepare and plot manually before you commit words to the laptop.
Beyond these fab writing tips, Stephen says,
‘If you like a film – and you want to know how they wrote it, or you want to write something similar – read the screenplay. It’s amazing how many people don’t do that. Happy reading. See you in Bali.’
Screenwriting at Writing Retreat Bali
Screenwriter Stephen Davis joins a varied and seriously playful faculty of writers at Writing Retreat Bali. Over 7 nights in Ubud, dip your ink into Screenwriting, Copywriting, Poetry, Journalism and Novel Writing. Book a space on the retreat and you can choose to take a 121 with Stephen to help nurture your heroes.
To reserve your spot go to: www.writingretreatbali.com
Write Screen Heroes with Stephen Davis at Writing Retreat Bali
Create a character for the screen
Writing screenplays for TV and film
Develop your screenwriting skills
Study the hero’s journey
How to write a script
Top screenwriting hints and tips
Plotting catharsis in film and TV scriptwriting