Buy new:

£20.00

Save: £2.95 (13%)

£9.20 delivery February 24 - March 14. Details

Usually dispatched within 4 to 5 days.

[{"displayPrice":"£20.00","priceAmount":20.00,"currencySymbol":"£","integerValue":"20","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"00","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"vKDueG%2FLMGjAhaNPd8aHK%2BcvBEPDG9YD7mFrJg0YZV08rsmfHUADc57%2Biz%2BCEZbSeZP4w1LaqsgBcjC6%2BrFfNlJISA7Zk0%2F0QE8EeqmQoLZmaTe6JpU2qBL7rdG8Y32w9Mbn33oYG8W%2B3xJe94jTHiLQCUfo8LorTK2YLze8tc6EJXS2U4BUPzBPA6G7C5o8","locale":"en-GB","buyingOptionType":"NEW"}]

££20.00 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Secure transaction

Dispatches from

Blackwell's UK

Sold by

Blackwell's UK

Details

Dispatches from

Blackwell's UK

Sold by

Blackwell's UK

Return Policy: Returnable within 30 days of receipt

Add to List

Added to

Unable to add item to List. Please try again.

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See this image

Follow the author

Robert McKee

Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting (Methuen Film) Paperback – 16 July 1999

by Robert McKee (Author)

2,258 ratings

See all formats and editions

Amazon Price

New from

Used from

Hardcover

"Please retry"

—

£35.86

£37.28

Paperback

"Please retry"

£20.00

£19.40

£15.96

Audio CD

"Please retry"

—

£72.29

Enhance your purchase

Structure is Character. Characters are what they do. Story events impact the characters and the characters impact events. Actions and reactions create revelation and insight, opening the door to a meaningful emotional experience for the audience. Story is what elevates a film, a novel, a play, or teleplay, transforming a good work into a great one. Movie-making in particular is a collaborative endeavour - requiring great skill and talent by the entire cast, crew and creative team - but the screenwriter is the only original artist on a film. Everyone else - the actors, directors, cameramen, production designers, editors, special effects wizards and so on - are interpretive artists, trying to bring alive the world, the events and the characters that the writer has invented and created. Robert McKee's STORY is a comprehensive and superbly organized exploration of all elements, from the basics to advanced concepts. It is a practical course, presenting new perspectives on the craft of storytelling, not just for the screenwriter but for the novelist, playwright, journalist and non-fiction writers of all types.

Print length

480 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Methuen Publishing Ltd
Publication date

16 July 1999
Dimensions

13.6 x 3.8 x 21.7 cm
ISBN-10

0413715604
ISBN-13

978-0413715609
See all details

Frequently bought together

+
+

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your basket.

Some of these items are dispatched sooner than the others.

Show details Hide details

Choose items to buy together.

by Robert McKee Paperback
£20.00
Usually dispatched within 4 to 5 days.
Sent from and sold by Blackwell's UK.
Get it 24 Feb – 14 Mar
by Blake Snyder Paperback
£11.75
Only 3 left in stock (more on the way).
Sent from and sold by Amazon.
by John Yorke Paperback
£9.85
In stock.
Sent from and sold by Amazon.

John Yorke
1,287
Paperback
in Screenplays
£9.85
£12.23 delivery
Blake Snyder
5,676
Paperback
£11.75
£12.85 delivery
Only 3 left in stock (more on the way).
Syd Field
2,744
Paperback
£10.65
£12.26 delivery
Robert McKee
439
Hardcover
£19.99
£13.64 delivery
Robert McKee
174
Hardcover
£20.61
£13.77 delivery
Only 9 left in stock.
Christopher Vogler
610
Paperback
£18.95
£15.88 delivery
Only 3 left in stock (more on the way).

Product description

Review

'In difficult periods of writing, particularly with structure, I often turn to Robert McKee's wonderful book, Story, for guidance.' --Dominic Dunne

From the Back Cover

Structure is Character. Characters are what they do. Story events impact the characters and the characters impact events. Actions and reactions create revelation and insight, opening the door to a meaningful emotional experience for the audience. Story is what elevates a film, a novel, a play, or teleplay, transforming a good work into a great one. Movie-making in particular is a collaborative endeavour - requiring great skill and talent by the entire cast, crew and creative team - but the screenwriter is the only original artist on a film. Everyone else - the actors, directors, cameramen, production designers, editors, special effects wizards and so on - are interpretive artists, trying to bring alive the world, the events and the characters that the writer has invented and created. Robert McKee's STORY is a comprehensive and superbly organized exploration of all elements, from the basics to advanced concepts. It is a practical course, presenting new perspectives on the craft of storytelling, not just for the screenwriter but for the novelist, playwright, journalist and non-fiction writers of all types.<br/>

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Methuen Publishing Ltd; 1st edition (16 July 1999)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 480 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0413715604
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0413715609
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.6 x 3.8 x 21.7 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 127,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 274 in Film History & Criticism (Books)
- 2,281 in The Performing Arts
- 14,962 in Literary Fiction (Books)

Customer reviews:
2,258 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Robert McKee

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Robert McKee, a Fulbright Scholar, is the most sought-after story authority in the world. The best-selling author of STORY, DIALOGUE: The Art of Verbal Action for Page, Stage and Screen, and soon to be published STORYNOMICS, McKee occupies a unique place in modern media storytelling. His teachings have spread beyond the screen, stage and page and his influence in corporate storytelling has become a global phenomenon. Writers of fiction and non fiction, producers, directors, media professionals, and business leaders from the world over read McKee's books and attend his sold-out international seminars (http://mckeestory.com) for an exclusive deep dive into the mastery of the story arts.

McKee’s former students include over 65 Academy Award Winners, 250 Emmy Award Winners, 2,000 Emmy Award Nominees, 150 WGA (Writers Guild of America) Award Winners, 250 WGA Award Nominees, 50 DGA (Directors Guild of America) Award Winners, and 100 DGA Award Nominees.

McKee continues to be a project consultant to major film and television production companies such as 20th Century Fox, Disney, Paramount, & MTV. In addition, Pixar, ABC, BBC, Disney, Miramax, PBS, Nickelodeon, Paramount, GLOBOSAT, MNET and other international TV and film companies regularly send their entire creative and writing team to his lectures.

In the corporate world, McKee consulted his STORYNOMICS to companies such as Microsoft, Intel, BOLDT, Marriott International, Arm and Hammer, and Deutsche Telecom/T-Systems to name a few.

Since 1984, more than 100,000 students have taken McKee’s courses in various cities around the world.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5

2,258 global ratings

5 star		78%
4 star		14%
3 star		5%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all customer images

Top reviews from United Kingdom

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

A. Perry

Still #1 on Subject

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 August 2021

Verified Purchase

Well written and structured, this is deservedly very well respected. First section is about story structures, content, characters, characterisations, etc. Much of this you may feel you knew, but here it is rendered clear, citing many examples from popular films. It then examines the detail, again with examples. I read it steadily rather than quickly, to give each section due attention. It is an excellent choice if you are interested in the subject and want to achieve a better understanding.

Helpful

Ewan Ashford

Authoritative, not for the faint-hearted!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 June 2013

Verified Purchase

This book is a confidence builder. It's about as complete a text as possible on what it means to be a writer, and what demands that makes of the individual.

There's no doubting the author's credentials, he is one of the heavyweights of Hollywood. He pulls no punches in pointing out the many (in his eyes) flaws in modern screenwriting. Some of the concepts are a bit hard to follow, but hey it's a book you can always re-read when it comes to preparing your masterworks.

My only niggle with the book is he does cite the French New Wave - Brunuel, Godard as well as Ingmar Bergman an awful lot. The only American writer who gets a look in is Robert Towne. Perhaps McKee doesn't rate any of the Scorseses or Spielbergs but it would have been good to at least get his take on their (immensley successful) approaches to story.

Despite all the self-analysis, smashing of preconceptions, and an awful lot of honest (are you sure you can do this?) talk, McKee has crafted a text that spurs the budding writer on. It builds confidence by presenting the tools, saying 'Look, this works' and then setting you free. His parting message is to be courageous. Something that I have learned and will be putting into practice today, and everyday from now on.

18 people found this helpful

Helpful

Lauren

Read This Book!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 April 2021

Verified Purchase

If I could give six stars, I would. This book absolutely delivers.
I was bogged down, struggling to write when I realized that I did not have any knowledge or tools for the job, and I needed to learn about writing. So I bought this book.
Robert McKee beautifully and succinctly gives you everything you need to create a good story.
A must read for screenwriters, but certainly a recommended read for directors, playwrights, actors, novelists, and anyone who endeavors to be a storyteller.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Mr. A. P. Venables

No more junk.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 October 2002

Verified Purchase

I’ve read other books like Story before. Books that tell writers how to structure that winning screenplay or write the thriller that will sell millions. So how does this particular book differ from the others?
It’s harsher than most. He holds mediocre scripts in high distain and says that a screenwriter should take more than a few years to learn his/her craft. In the opening chapters he describes why stories, good stories are so important for any society and how they reflect human nature as a whole. Those looking for a book that will tell them how to make a quick buck from screenwriting should look elsewhere.
It is a wonderful piece of work. Full of useful bits of information and persuasive arguments, it’s certainly a insightful book. But what really cuts through is the writers passion for his subject. His inability to accept anything less than the the best from writers and stories rubs off on the reader.
I can imagine a struggling novelist or screenwriter re-reading a few of these pages and feeling elated, inspired and ready to take on the world. I just can't help wondering if really takes a long as he says to become a scriptwriter.

17 people found this helpful

Helpful

David Wildash

Good book and packaging

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 October 2019

Verified Purchase

Have only read the first hundred pages or so but is well structured with plenty of good advice. Also impressed with the packaging the book arrived in. The box offered good protection to its contents and I really like that the tear off strip to open the box also removed the part of the address label with my address, meaning I did not have to struggle peeling a sticky label off before putting it in for recycling. Only a small thing but it shows someone has given it some thought.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Britta

Exhaustive book but little research

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 June 2020

Verified Purchase

Much of what you will take away from the book is based on whether you respond to McKee's arguments, which aren't so much grounded in research as much as personal experience - I found it interesting

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Charlie

excelent

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 October 2021

Verified Purchase

It's 'must read' for every storytellers.

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Its simply a great book to read with phrases you will want to ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 August 2015

Verified Purchase

I attended Mr McKee's seminar at University of Westminster back in 2008. He was in his 80s then but spoke for 12 hours a day to a large audience who hung on every word. This book isn't really about screenplay writing and storytelling, its about the human spirit and human nature and the human condition (the same thing the author might argue). Its simply a great book to read with phrases you will want to read again and again and memorise because of their depth and resonance. Mr McKee is a bit of a purist when it comes to the craft of screenplay writing, however this book remains the benchmark as far as I am concerned.

12 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Music Stream millions of songs	AbeBooks Books, art & collectables	ACX Audiobook Publishing Made Easy	Amazon Web Services Scalable Cloud Computing Services

Audible Download Audiobooks	Book Depository Books With Free Delivery Worldwide	DPReview Digital Photography	Goodreads Book reviews & recommendations

Amazon Home Services Experienced pros Happiness Guarantee	IMDb Movies, TV & Celebrities	Kindle Direct Publishing Indie Digital & Print Publishing Made Easy	Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands

Amazon Warehouse Deep Discounts Open-Box Products	Amazon Business Service for business customers	Whole Foods Market We Believe in Real Food

Select Your Cookie Preferences

Buy new:

£20.00

Follow the author

Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting (Methuen Film) Paperback – 16 July 1999

Enhance your purchase

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Product description

Review

From the Back Cover

About the Author

Product details

About the author

Robert McKee

Customer reviews

Reviews with images

Top reviews from United Kingdom

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Select Your Cookie Preferences

Buy new: £20.00

Sorry, there was a problem.

Sorry, there was a problem.

Follow the author

Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting (Methuen Film) Paperback – 16 July 1999

Enhance your purchase

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Product description

Review

From the Back Cover

About the Author

Product details

About the author

Robert McKee

Customer reviews

Reviews with images

Top reviews from United Kingdom

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Buy new:

£20.00