What’s the Story? The Director Meets Their Screenplay

Peter Markham is a creative consultant, teacher, author, and former directing head at the American Film Institute Conservatory. His alumni, award winners at major festivals, have notable careers in film and TV. Prior to teaching, he was a director in the UK, and worked with filmmakers including Anthony Minghella and Martin Scorsese.

'Peter Markham is a passionate, rigorous, devoted, and (most importantly) mischievous teacher. I cherish my time as his student at AFI, and count myself fortunate to now have this comprehensive guide to refer to.'Ari Aster, writer-director of Hereditary and Midsommar'Peter Markham taught me at AFI. With each class I fell deeper under the spell of "point of view." To see it as a secret passageway into the heart of any story. He approaches directing as a strengthening of skills by which you are able to do the hard work of externalizing what’s on the inside.'Zal Batmanglij, Co-Writer, Director, The OA'Still applying the lessons I've learned from Peter Markham at AFI, I'm grateful to have his knowledge and passion bottled up in a book on directing, to be shared with everyone.'Asaph Polonsky, Writer-Director, One Week ands a Day, Gan Foundation Award — Cannes International Critics’ Week 2016.'An extremely well-researched treatise on a vital aspect of the directorial process, this book teaches Directors how to understand, and think deeply about, the fundamentals of the script prior to stepping onto set.'Greg Takoudes, Director, Producer, Writer, and Adjunct Professor of Film Studies at The New School, New York'Peter Markham's lessons continue to leave an imprint on my understanding of filmmaking and my choices as a writer/director. His unabated thirst for knowledge, thorough film analysis, and emphasis on narrative point-of-view have strengthened my approach toward storytelling. The time I spent in Peter's classes helped me find my voice.'Asher Jelinsky, Student Academy Award Winner 2019

• Acknowledgments; Introduction; PART A — The Approach; 1 What’s the Story? 2 Premise; 3 Theme; 4 Genre; 5 World/Setting; 6 Cultural, Social, and Moral Canvas; 7 Tone; 8 Structure; 9 Passage of Time; 10 Character; 11 Narrative Point of View; 12 Introduction of the Protagonist and Main Characters; 13 Key Images; 14 Opening Image, Frame, Shot; 15 Closing Image, Frame, Shot; 16 Endings; 17 The 5-Step Creative Analysis of the Screenplay; 17.1 A brief summary of the scene; 17.2 The journey of the protagonist; 17.3 The journey of the audience; 17.4 The turning point of the scene; 17.5 the function of the scene; 18 The Director’s Statement; PART B — The Case Study — CONTRAPELO Screenplay by Liska Ostojic and Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer; 19 Screenplay; 20 CONTRAPELO Case Study; 21 CONCLUSION; Index