Background
Lee, Lance was born on August 25, 1942 in New York City. Son of David and Lucile (Wilds) Levy.
( Writing successful screenplays that capture the public ...)
Writing successful screenplays that capture the public imagination and richly reward the screenwriter requires more than simply following the formulas prescribed by the dozens of screenwriting manuals currently in print. Learning the "how-tos" is important, but understanding the dramatic elements that make up a good screenplay is equally crucial for writing a memorable movie. In A Poetics for Screenwriters, veteran writer and teacher Lance Lee offers aspiring and professional screenwriters a thorough overview of all the dramatic elements of screenplays, unbiased toward any particular screenwriting method. Lee explores each aspect of screenwriting in detail. He covers primary plot elements, dramatic reality, storytelling stance and plot types, character, mind in drama, spectacle and other elements, and developing and filming the story. Relevant examples from dozens of American and foreign films, including Rear Window, Blue, Witness, The Usual Suspects, Virgin Spring, Fanny and Alexander, The Godfather, and On the Waterfront, as well as from dramas ranging from the Greek tragedies to the plays of Shakespeare and Ibsen, illustrate all of his points. This new overview of the dramatic art provides a highly useful update for all students and professionals who have tried to adapt the principles of Aristotle's Poetics to the needs of modern screenwriting. By explaining "why" good screenplays work, this book is the indispensable companion for all the "how-to" guides.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0292747195/?tag=2022091-20
( What makes a film "work," so that audiences come away f...)
What makes a film "work," so that audiences come away from the viewing experience refreshed and even transformed in the way they understand themselves and the world around them? In The Death and Life of Drama, veteran screenwriter and screenwriting teacher Lance Lee tackles this question in a series of personal essays that thoroughly analyze drama's role in our society, as well as the elements that structure all drama, from the plays of ancient Athens to today's most popular movies. Using examples from well-known classical era and recent films, Lee investigates how writers handle dramatic elements such as time, emotion, morality, and character growth to demonstrate why some films work while others do not. He seeks to define precisely what "action" is and how the writer and the viewer understand dramatic reality. He looks at various kinds of time in drama, explores dramatic context from Athens to the present, and examines the concept of comedy. Lee also proposes a novel "five act" structure for drama that takes account of the characters' past and future outside the "beginning, middle, and end" of the story. Deftly balancing philosophical issues and practical concerns, The Death and Life of Drama offers a rich understanding of the principles of successful dramatic writing for screenwriters and indeed everyone who enjoys movies and wants to know why some films have such enduring appeal for so many people.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0292709641/?tag=2022091-20
theater and film educator writer
Lee, Lance was born on August 25, 1942 in New York City. Son of David and Lucile (Wilds) Levy.
Student, Boston University, 1960—1962. Bachelor, Brandeis University, 1964. Master of Fine Arts, Yale University, 1967.
Lecturer English Bridgeport (Connecticut) University, 1967—1968, Southern Connecticut State College, New Haven, 1968. Lecturer, assistant professor drama University Southern California, Los Angeles, 1968—1971. Assistant professor theater University California, 1971—1973.
Outside editor engineering Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, 1986—1999, University of California at Los Angeles, 1972—1985. Freelance editor, since 1980. Part-time assistant professor cinema and television arts California State University, Northridge, since 1981.
( What makes a film "work," so that audiences come away f...)
( Writing successful screenplays that capture the public ...)
President, chairman board Temescal Canyon Association, Pacific Palisades, 1971—1976, honorary board member, 1976—2002. Environmental delegate Community Council, 1975—1976. Chairman coordinator council Santa Monica Mountains State Parks Citizens Advisory Committees, Santa Monica, 1975—1976.
Member Topanga Canyon State Park Citizens Advisory Committee, Los Angeles, 1975—1976. Member of Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists and Novelists association, Poetry Society of America, American Academy Poets.
Married Jeanne Barbara Hutchings. Children: Heather Lee Messner, Alyssa Lee Ceja.