title: Elements of Style for Screenwriters: The Essential Manual for Writers of Screenplays
author:  Paul Argentini 
description: For many first-time screenwriters, the most daunting aspect of getting underway is learning the proper format. Paul Argentini lends a helping hand with <I>Elements of Style for Screenwriters</I>. It's a good nuts-and-bolts introduction to the terminology of filmmaking and a step-by-step guide to making sure your opus is properly formatted. Argentini starts with a short sample screenplay as a concrete example, peppered with annotations as simple as "use plain Arabic numbers" and as complex as "(continuing) not needed here--LUDVINNIA (O.S.) and LUDVINNIA are separate elements." Don't worry, when it's all laid out on the script it makes a lot of sense. Most of the book is set up as a glossary of film terms, though Argentini does not stop at mere definitions, also filling the book with practical advice. He explains that a "talking heads" scene refers to one that is all dialogue and no action and points out that it will doom your script. The second portion of the book--considerably smaller--lays out the elements of style for playwriting in a similar sample and glossary fashion. Argentini also helpfully explains the broader differences between writing for the stage and writing for the screen (in a nutshell, the playwright can get away with those talking-head scenes.) A good, practical manual that should take a lot of the fear out of diving into that first script. <I>--Ali Davis</I>
zlib_text: The Art of Screenplays is a working handbook for writers with stories to tell.
  Addressing the key issues of creativity and craft, its aim is to connect with
  our natural understanding of story, to demystify the screenwriter’s art, and
  to enable fresh, original and authentic writing. Working on the central
  premise that drama reflects nature, and screenplays simply echo life as we
  know it, the areas Mukherjee discusses include:
  
  > • The writer’s eye. How to gather, ferment and communicate story.
  
  > • The art of action. Understanding structure through observation.
  
  > • Who am I? Exploring the levels of characters.
  
  > • Vertical structure. Say what you mean. Mean what you say.
  
  > • Speak the speech. The art of not writing dialogue.
  
  ![](Images/image00149.jpeg)
  
  Robin Mukherjee has written extensively for theatre, television, radio and
  film. His television work includes many well-known series, for which he has
  been a core writer, including _Eastenders_ , _The Bill_ , _Casualty_ , _The
  Roman 