List of screenwriting gurus
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. A screenwriting guru is a screenwriter, screenwriting teacher or book author who has written about the craft of screenwriting. The term "guru" is attached to their name because of their purported extensive knowledge of the form and structure of different kinds of screenplays and because of their purported ability to teach this knowledge to novice "would-be" writers. As such, the term "guru" is a controversial one.
Among the most well known "gurus" are:
- Syd Field -- The Foundations of Screenwriting, Screenplay, The Screenwriter's Handbook, Four Screenplays
- Robert McKee -- STORY (book and seminar)
- Christopher Vogler -- The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers
- William Goldman -- Adventures in the Screen Trade, Which Lie Did I Tell?: More Adventures in the Screen Trade
- David Trottier -- The Screenwriter's Bible
- Linda Seger -- Making a Good Script Great
- Michael Hauge -- Writing Screenplays That Sell
- John Truby -- The Anatomy of Story, Great Screenwriting (DVD Video / MP3 Audio Seminar Course), Blockbuster (Story Software)
- Jeff Bollow -- FAST Screenplay (online system)
- Yves Lavandier -- Writing Drama
- Marilyn Horowitz -- "How to Write a Screenplay in 10 Weeks" & "The Four Magic Questions of Screenwriting" (books and seminars)
- Blake Snyder -- "Save the Cat" (book and seminars)
- William C. Martell -- "The Secrets of Action Screenwriting", (17 Blue-Books & Audio Courses)
- Jeffrey Schechter -- "My Story Can Beat Up Your Story" (Also developed TotallyWrite (software and seminars and the advanced screenwriting structuring application, Contour)
- Mystery Scriptshadow -- "My Book: Buy It"
An academic overview and comparative summary of the work of most of the above Screenwriting gurus was published free, online by Joe Velikovsky in 2003.
The following writers and theorists are considered by some to have laid the foundations for contemporary screenplay analysis.
- Lajos Egri -- "The Art of Dramatic Writing" (The Father of Modern Screenwriting Gurus)
- Joseph Campbell -- "The Hero With A Thousand Faces" (The Father of Modern Screenwriting Gurus)
- Aristotle -- "Poetics" (The Great Grand-Daddy of Modern Screenwriting Gurus)
- Konstantin Stanislavski -- "An Actor Prepares", "Building A Character", "Creating A Role" (The Father of Actors, Stars, Screenwriters, Directors and Acting - Writing Gurus / Teachers)
