The Portable Film School

While I was at a new Boarders book store I made my way to the film section as I often do, and this book caught my eye. It's called "The Portable Film School", and it is written by D.B Gilles. I began reading some of it, and he makes some good points in it. It seemed like a good book about writing the "good" screenplay, and how to achieve it.

The one thing that struck me is the need for an outline of your story. Gilles refers to it as a "beat" track to your story. For example this happens in the beginning and then this happens midway through the first act, and then as a result of this, the character does this. You see what I mean by "beat" track.

I've always known that one must write a outline of sorts, but just how detailed? If you just sit in front of the computer and hope that the muse will begin helping you write that story you're doomed to fail or worse yet never complete your story. I like what Gilles had to say, and I'm interested in the book, so I'm putting it on my Christmas list. Ideas for stories are not so much the problem, but the fleshing them out is. How to interest an audience for 90 minutes is sometimes a challenge, and it's a lot harder to do that then just come up with story ideas. As the old saying goes "it's in the details", and I believe that Gilles gets that, so I'll be putting this book on my to reading list.