How Films Are Made

From Script to Movie – The Script (Screenplay)

The backbone for every film is the script or screenplay. If you're not sure exactly what a screenplay is, this web page will tell you all you need to know (maybe you'll write one yourself, one day):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screenplay

Now you could have a look at this quite vivid definition by Mel Brooks which you will find at: http://www.learner.org/exhibits/cinema/screenwriting.html

Your turn

1. According to Mel Brooks, what are the essential features of a good screenplay?
2. Name some famous screenwriters of the 1930s. Do you know any contemporary screenwriters? If not, use a search engine like
   http://www.google.de and find an Oscar-winning screenwriter.
3. Skim the text and prepare a brief outline of the major changes for screenwriters / in screenwriting from the early 1930s up to the present. (Click on to the next page for information on more recent developments.)