How screenplays are developed in Southern California

Quote: the difference between writing based on audience opinion and pandering to it lies in who controls the situation. If the screenwriter panders to the audience, then their assumptions about what the audience typically wants to see prevail. In such... a case, control rightly remains with the audience. If the screenwriter does not forget about the viewer, but writes in a way that makes unfamiliar characters, settings, and events matter to the viewer, if they masterfully narrate the plot to be perceived in the best way, then they control the situation themselves. They offer the audience new experiences: they manage the viewer by drawing them into their story. Then everything is under the control of the screenwriter.
Why the book is worth reading: the book addresses two major questions in the art of screenwriting: how to determine whether a story is interesting and how to tell it interestingly. This book is a textbook for the subject "Screenwriting" at the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, the best film school in the USA. Prominent figures in the American film industry such as Robert Zemeckis, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg personally participate in its operation, investing funds and time specifically in this school. According to the school itself, 80% of box office revenue in the USA is generated by films where its graduates were either screenwriters, directors, or producers. The book will be useful not only to screenwriters but also to editors, producers, directors, cinematographers, artists, and visual effects specialists. And not least of all – to film enthusiasts! Specifically for the Russian edition, David Howard analyzed three well-known domestic films: "The Diamond Arm", "The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!" and "Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears". Everything said in the book is applicable not only to feature films but also to television films and series, as well as to documentaries, news stories, sports broadcasts, talk shows, and even concerts.
Who are the authors: David Howard is a screenwriter, script doctor, and consultant working in both Hollywood and Europe. He is the founder of the Advanced Screenwriting Program at the School of Cinema and Television (faculty) at the University of Southern California. In addition to working at the university, Mr. Howard lectures and teaches at other institutions in the USA and Europe.
Edward Mably is the author of the book "Building Drama". He is also credited with several radio and television productions. Mably worked as a television director and taught at The New School for Social Research in New York. He died in 1984.
Frank Daniel (Frantisek Daniel) was born in Czechoslovakia in 1925. He studied at VGIK in Moscow, being the first foreigner accepted to this institution. Daniel's film "Shop on the Square" won a special award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1965, the "Golden Globe", and the "Oscar" in the USA for Best Foreign Language Film. He led FAMU - the Czech School of Film and Television, and emigrated after the events of 1968.