Subject Guide: Screenwriting

Alphaville is a fully peer-reviewed online journal, edited and published by PhD and postdoctoral researchers in Film and Screen Media at University College Cork, Ireland. The open access journal is published twice a year, and stresses a rigorous and scholarly approach to film criticism. They publish papers, book reviews and film festival reports.

This peer-reviewed journal is published bi-annually and features scholarly articles on history, theory and criticism of film and television. Screen production is examined through a critical social and political lens. Articles may focus on a particular filmmaker, film, genre and/or cinematic theory.

Established in 1967, Cineaste is a quarterly magazine which offers a social, political and aesthetic perspective on cinema. Their feature articles provide in-depth analysis of trends, genres and productions, with a stylistic emphasis on readability. Contributors are asked to consider sociopolitical context, artistic aspects of the topic and filmmaker intent. Cineaste publishes interviews with directors, performers, writers, composers, producers, distributors, technicians, or anyone else involved in the creative or business side of filmmaking.

Creative Screenwriting was a premiere magazine for screenwriters (print publication now ceased). Articles included detailed interviews with screenwriters on their process and inspiration; guides on how to write a compelling story; and career advice. Now a permanent web magazine, their site continues to offer similar content.

Film-Philosophy is an open access, peer-reviewed, academic journal dedicated to engagement between film studies and philosophy. The journal particularly welcome articles that set up an engagement between film studies and philosophy, encouraging re-evaluation of key aspects of each discipline.

Film Quarterly is devoted to the study of film, television, and visual media. It publishes scholarly analyses of international, Hollywood and independent films, including documentary and animation. The journal also revisits classic cinema, examines digital media, reports from film festivals, reviews recent academic publications, and sometimes explores video games and emergent technologies.

Framework is a peer-reviewed international journal published bi-annually by Wayne State University Press. With special interests in politics, prejudice and feminism, Framework seeks to publish work from original thinkers at the forefront of current sociocultural perspectives. It follows all aspects of film and media, in any genre or type, aiming to interface academic focus with current cultural and political developments.

The Journal of Film + Video is published by the University Film & Video Association and focuses on scholarship in the fields of film and video production, history, theory, criticism, and aesthetics. Article features include film and related media, problems of education in these fields, and the function of film and video in society.

This double-blind, peer-reviewed academic journal highlights current academic thinking around screenwriting and encourages a broad range of methodologies and approaches to studying screenwriting. Areas of study include the history of the form, contextual analysis, the writing process, the relationship between screenwriting and production, and how the form can be considered in terms of culture and society.

MovieMaker’s content is directed at independent cinema's audiences and artists. It features a mix of interviews, criticism, DIY techniques, festival coverage, distribution and financing tips, behind-the-scenes indie “war stories” and reviews of classic Hollywood actors, directors, cinematographers, producers, screenwriters and editors.

Narrative is the official journal of the International Society for the Study of Narrative. it includes a broad range of scholarship on English, American and European novels; nonfiction narratives; films; and narratives in performance art. It features essays on narrative theory, narrative's relations to other modes of discourse and practical narrative criticism.

Available in its entirety online, RealTime magazine is Australia’s critical guide to national and international contemporary arts. Its scope covers experimentation in performance (e.g. live art, theatre, dance, music and sound) and photomedia (e.g. film, video, interactive media and hybrid arts). Find weekly-updated reviews, previews, interviews, opinion pieces, festival reports and multimedia content.

The Scr(i)pt print magazine (publication ceased as of 2012) was geared toward the aspiring screenwriter, featuring columns by working writers and development executives; industry news and trend reports; television and new media coverage; information on new script writing technology and tools; guides; and tips for success in pitching and selling. This information is still disseminated on their website, which also contains a wealth of practical writing resources.

Senses of Cinema is an digital journal devoted to in-depth analysis and eclectic discussion of cinema. Content includes festival reports, spotlights on significant directors, book reviews and more. As an Australian-based journal, they have a commitment to regular, wide-ranging analysis and critique of Australian cinema, past and present.

Published monthly by the British Film Institute (BFI), Sight & Sound has been reporting on the best in cinema since 1932. Features interviews with acclaimed directors, film reviews, first looks, retrospectives and more. Every decade, Sight & Sound asks an international group of critics and directors to vote for their ten greatest films of all time.

Variety is one of the oldest major American entertainment magazines. A great source for expert film, TV, digital, music and theatre business news, analysis and insights.