You're trying to finish a screeplay, but there's a voice in your ear whispering, "You should know more about how cinema story works." Perhaps you've heard of how many successful screenwriters deconstruct or "break down" films and study them. You'd like to try this method too, but ask yourself: "How do I start?" Semiotics for Screenwriters helps with this daunting task by taking you on a unique journey through three classic films-It's a Wonderful Life (1946), Lost in Translation (2003), and Get Out (2017)-that unveil the hidden universal language of plot, character, and theme. Through revealing the mechanics of cinema story, this book teaches you to use semiotics as a system of analysis to break down classic films and apply it to writing, developing, and finishing your own screenplays.