Action Audiobook By Robert McKee, Bassim El-Wakil cover art

Action

The Art of Excitement for Screen, Page, and Game

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Action

By: Robert McKee, Bassim El-Wakil
Narrated by: Robert McKee
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From the master of Story, Dialogue, and Character, Action offers writers the keys to propulsive storytelling.

Action explores the ways that a modern-day writer can successfully tell an action story that not only stands apart, but wins the war on clichés. Teaming up with the former co-host of The Story Toolkit, Bassim El-Wakil, legendary story lecturer Robert McKee guides writers to award-winning originality by deconstructing the action genre, illuminating the challenges, and, more importantly, demonstrating how to master the demands of plot with surprising beats of innovation and ingenuity.

Topics include:

  • Understanding the Four Core Elements of Action
  • Creating the Action Cast
  • Hook, Hold, Pay Off: Design in Action
  • The Action Macguffin
  • Action Set Pieces
  • The Sixteen Action Subgenres

A must-add to the McKee storytelling library, ACTION illustrates the principles of narrative drive with precision and clarity by referencing the most popular action movies of our time including: Die Hard, The Star Wars Saga, Dark Knight, The Matrix, and Avengers: Endgame.

©2022 Robert McKee (P)2022 Hachette Audio Entertainment & Performing Arts Film & TV Screenwriting Star Wars

Critic reviews

"Action inspires action. McKee and El-Wakil have created the guide I’ve been looking for all my years as a professional screenwriter. Action helps you understand how and why the thing works—how its heart beats, how it thinks, and most importantly, what makes it move. For a professional action writer, it almost feels like cheating." (Zak Penn, American screenwriter and director)

"Robert McKee’s books offer lucid analysis, perceptive insights and fruitful challenges to those of us who practice the magical arts of storytelling. I highly recommend his latest: Action: The Art of Excitement. Buy it, read it, put it to work!" (Michael Hirst, creator, screenwriter, series producer of Vikings, and Billy the Kid)
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I’ve listened to every Robert McKee book, this one feels like a must read if you want to upgrade from realistic characters and dialogue to writing realistic action within a screenplay, wish this book was released sooner! I got this at release and still keep re-listening

Complete guide on action/ Same as Character and Dialogue are complete guides in those books

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I listen to portions of this book whenever I write action scenes. Mr McKee has helped improve my writing. I cant think of a higher compliment. The delivery is a touch dry, but it doesn't interfere. Enjoy

Loaded with practical information

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Similar to Story and Dialogue. If you liked any of those, I think you'll enjoy/get something from Action.

Even More of the Same

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