Mastering Screenplay Form and Style
Mastering Screenplay Form and Style shows you how professional screenwriters actually write scripts. This reference manual explores all aspects of the form, from essential format requirements to the expressive, literary qualities of screenplay language. Organized in three parts, this book systematically reveals the full essence of the screenwriter’s craft.
- The Ground Rules: Take a deep dive into the fundamental rhetorical concepts for dramatizing a story for the screen - the craft and style concepts that underpin everything working screenwriters use.
- The Industry Standards: Master the professional norms for script formatting and language, including the function and correct use of the six screenplay elements for common, advanced, and challenging narrative situations. Learn methods for indelible character introductions, and managing story and screen time on the page.
- Expressive Screenwriting: Understand how precise visual writing can infuse your scripts with cinematic energy, dramatic tone, POV, and narrative flow. You will also learn when, why, and how screenwriters bend and even break screenwriting conventions for dramatic impact.
Mastering Screenplay Form and Style is the ideal text to guide screenwriting students and aspiring professional screenwriters to move beyond technically “correct” scripts, to truly captivate readers through compelling screenplays with a distinctive style and voice.
Mick Hurbis-Cherrier teaches screenwriting, story analysis, and film production at Hunter College in New York City. Professionally, he has worked as a screenwriter, script consultant, director, cinematographer, and editor. His films have garnered prizes at many festivals. He is the co-author of Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics (2020), now in its sixth edition, and Voice & Vision: A Creative Approach to Narrative Filmmaking (2025), now in its fourth edition.