OBannon Dan - Dan OBannons guide to screenplay structure: inside tips from the writer of Alien, Total recall & the return of the living dead

Dan OBannon sees a story as a fight and hes written some epic battles. His is a dynamic and pragmatic approach to storytelling that will help you in the often-exasperating process of story creating, which is the writers constant dilemma.

Professor David Howard, Screenwriting Division University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts

Ingeniously literate, charmingly irreverent, and terrifically entertaining, Dan OBannons Guide to Screenplay Structure is as original as the great screenwriter himself. Its a fascinating peek into the mind of one of the masters of the fantasy film and an incisive work of criticism.

Jason Zinoman, arts critic, New York Times; author, Shock Value: How a Few Eccentric Outsiders Invented Modern Horror

How does a natural storyteller talk about storytelling? Well, he makes a story of it and thats exactly what the great Dan OBannon does in his Guide to Screenplay Structure. The book is smart and smart-assed, cantankerous and cagey, illuminating and endlessly entertaining the rare how-to manual you can read straight through for the sheer pleasure of it.

Sam Hamm, screenwriter, Batman, Monkeybone, Never Cry Wolf

Sometimes angry, often funny, always insightful, Dan OBannons Guide to Screenplay Structure is a clear and engaging examination of story craft written by someone who has not merely studied the subject but has also lived it.

Richard Walter, professor, UCLA Screenwriting Chairman

A treasure trove of secrets to writing great screenplays by a true master. Clear, concise, and inspirational (as well as great fun), this book allows us to learn from the great Dan OBannon himself who, unlike other how-to writers, has actually created screenplays that have become cinema classics.

Stuart Gordon, director, co-writer, Re-Animator

This superb book is filled with original and practical exercises that will benefit the beginner and seasoned veteran alike. Dans love of writing and reverence for writers as well as his humanity are in evidence on every page.

Jeffrey Davis, chair, Screenwriting Department, School of Film and Television, Loyola Marymount University

Read it before you type another word!

Catherine Clinch columnist, Media Grazing at Film News Briefs; writer, Hart to Hart, The Love Boat, Hunter

A straight-shooting, unsentimental antidote to every feel-good, handholding screenwriting book on the shelf.

Webster Stone, executive producer, The Conspirator, Gone in 60 Seconds, The Negotiator

A readable, thoughtful, and ber-thorough look at the complex process of writing an effective screenplay, complete with exercises that task the reader to analyze his or her own writing. Great examples, ranging from Aristotles Poetics to Alien.

Barbara Doyle, chair, film division, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Chapman University

As fun to read as one of his screenplays, as idiosyncratic and smart as the working of this artists brilliant mind.

Nick Castle, writer/director, August Rush, Hook, The Boy Who Could Fly, Tap, The Last Starfighter

Dan OBannon made movies worth watching, and his Guide to Screenplay Structure is a superior lesson in how to start things off right by building a more exciting structure for your script. Any screenwriting book that uses Aristotle to analyze The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a must-read.

Blair Davis, assistant professor, media and cinema studies, DePaul University

How pleasant to read a screenwriting book by someone who has actually written great screenplays. Dan OBannons insights and analysis make you want to throw all other screenplay manuals in the trash.

Larry Karaszewski, Golden Globewinning writer, Ed Wood, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

This will be the definitive book for anyone who dreams of writing a successful script for movies. A must-have book for all future and current filmmakers, writers and directors.

Mark L. Lester, director, Firestarter, Commando, Class of 1984

What you hold in your hand is not just another book on how to muddle your way through writing a screenplay. It is a course on screenwriting and the intricacies that go into writing for the screen, taught by a true industry professional. The ins and outs of structure, conflict and character are all laid out before you. Not just the what to do but the why and the how to do it.

Duppy Demetrius, writer, 24, The Closer, Major Crimes

Dan OBannons personal observations on his work and his process are insightful and inspiring. He made me analyze not just his approach, but my own. At times, I felt as if I were in a room having a conversation with a fellow writer.

Reggie Rock Bythewood, writer/director, Get on the Bus, Biker Boyz, Notorious

Written in a style that carefully blends the personal and the professional, Dan OBannons Guide to Screenplay Structure is more than a book. It is like an opportunity to sit down with a Hollywood insider over coffee and get the skinny on what it takes to make it in the business.

Dr. Gregory K. Allen, supervising professor, The Sprocket Guild

A successful screenwriter, Dan OBannon is more invested in great writing than in obeying rules. At the core of his book are twelve case studies of classic plays and scripts. The book analyzes each work with OBannons story structural system. It shows you how the rules apply and, perhaps equally important, when they dont and why. You can use the book as a workbook, a guide, or a call to excellence. This book can be useful for writers at any level and for scripts at any stage of development.

Mildred Lewis, award-winning filmmaker and playwright; cofounder, The Fox Lewis Project

There are three things you must have to be a successful screenwriter persistence, a good story, and the book you are holding in your hand.

Robert A. Nowotny, president, Teocalli Entertainment; creator, NeedToVent.com

Dan OBannons Guide to Screenplay Structure presents a new take on an old subject: movie narrative. Sometimes angry, often funny, always insightful, here is a clear and engaging examination of story craft written by someone who has not merely studied the subject but has lived it. The book explores film classics and also the authors own highly regarded scripts. More than mere analysis, it provides a hands-on practitioners vantage of interest not only to writers but also to all movie lovers who seek and cherish solid stories.

Prof. Richard Walter, UCLA Screenwriting Chairman; author, Essentials of Screenwriting

GUIDE TO SCREENPLAY STRUCTURE

by Dan OBannon with Matt R. Lohr

Inside Tips from the Writer of

ALIEN, TOTAL RECALL & THE RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD

Published by Michael Wiese Productions
12400 Ventura Blvd. #1111
Studio City, CA 91604
tel. 818.379.8799
fax 818.986.3408
mw@mwp.com
www.mwp.com

Cover design: Johnny Ink www.johnnyink.com
Book interior design: Gina Mansfield Design
Editor: Annalisa Zox-Weaver

Printed by McNaughton & Gunn, Inc., Saline, Michigan
Manufactured in the United States of America

2013 The OBannon Company

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.