Crafting Short Screenplays That Connect

by Claudia Hunter Johnson

Crafting Short Screenplays That Connect, Fifth Edition, stands alone among screenwriting books by emphasizing that human connection, though often overlooked, is as essential to writing effective screenplays as conflict. This ground-breaking book will show you how to advance and deepen your screenwriting skills, increasing your ability to write richer, more resonant short screenplays that will connect with your audience. Award-winning writer and director Claudia Hunter Johnson teaches you the all-important basics of dramatic technique and guides you through the challenging craft of writing short screenplays with carefully focused exercises of increasing length and complexity. In completing these exercises and applying Johnson’s techniques and insights to your own work, you will learn how to think more deeply about the screenwriter’s purpose, craft effective patterns of human change, and strengthen your storytelling skills. This 20th Anniversary Edition features 11 short screenplays, including Academy Award winning Barry Jenkins' ( Moonlight , If Beale Street Could Talk ) luminous short film, My Josephine , and an accompanying companion website that features the completed films and additional screenplay examples. The book has also been expanded and updated to include two new award-winning screenplays Killer Kart and The Great Wall of Vicky Lynn. and a brand-new chapter exploring the use of genre in the short film. An absolute must-have resource for students of screenwriting.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Film, School

390 pages, Paperback

First published February 23, 2000

Reviews

[Nolan Croce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the books is quotes from other authors, so if you like collections of quotes, go for it.

[emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite screenwriting books I've read! She sticks to screenwriting (I'm looking at literally every other so called "screenwriting" book), and SHE is FUNNY. I'm not exactly interested in screenwriting, but this book really motivated me to enjoy the process a lot more! I recommend!

[Livvy · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I don't care what you're doing, you're always writing somewhere in the back of your mind."
I don't know how to be objective over a book that is part of my reading list for grad school (*screams) but here we are.
Would give it a higher rating but I am a little baby who will not take the chapter about Collaboration as law until I start hustling in the industry.

[Graeme · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is so annoying to read. The author is constantly quoting other authors at length. Constantly referencing specific details of short films which the author has a direct connection to but no one else has seen. Constantly discussing the definitions of words. Pedantry and filler. Frustrating when your hunting for insight and not finding it.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, I think there are better books out there for this kind of thing. But wanted to give this one a re-read since I'm starting on some short film ideas.

[Cayden Henderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Half-assed, neoliberal, pseudo intellectual bullshit. Some good screenwriting tips here and there, but they are all buried deep in a mountain of slop. Basically designed to waste your time by forcing you to engage with the author’s eye-rolling boomer egotism. Majority of the short screenplays provided as examples are absolutely terrible.

[Adam Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book helped me understand the idea of connection through screenwriting (a lot more than the usual screenwriting books that I've read in the past). I was so glad that I got a chapter dedicated to several short screenplays that I can analyse & cross-reference from page to screen. Especially got the chance to read one of Barry Jenkins’s short scripts while there. I have to try that “Le Menu” technique before I start writing a draft.

[Distian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to understand, easy to applied, intelligently put every aspect of building a good screenplay and share many personal experience of the writer too. In a nutshell, this book is simply 'connected' to us.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book because of the great screenplays included. I didn't think too much of the epiphany of the author, but perhaps it was revolutionary at the time. I mean... is it novel to believe that connections to the audience (or reader for that matter) are vital?

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on creating short screenplays. Johnson presents techniques, guidance, and sample copies of short screenplays.

[FSU Alumni]

Claudia Hunter Johnson (Ph.D. '89)

[Mills College Library]

currently-reading

[Alice Craine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for practicing