An essay is a piece of writing that take a stance on a certain subject and is catered to a specific audience. In elementary school, the sandwich format was taught for essay writing where the two buns were the introduction and conclusion with the inner fillings being the supporting paragraphs. In high school, more in-depth essay techniques were taught with compare and contrast, and persuasive essays being the most common. Generally, most essays follow the standard sandwich structure. However, there are essays that break that all-too-common format with ‘What Makes a Great Screenplay?: From Casablanca to The Killing’ being a great example.
‘What Makes a Great Screenplay: From Casablanca to The Killing’ is written by John Yorke, a British television producer, author, and teacher who has spent the past thirty years studying the art of story-telling. Yorke was able to put his past studies to use by using a different approach in writing. Most would consider this piece of writing to be an analytical essay as it analyzes the components that make-up any story whether it be a novel, movie, or play. However, this essay is actually written using a blend of an analytical and
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The very beginning of the essay starts off with, “Once upon a time, in such a such place, something happened” (Yorke, 2015, p. 566). The phrase “Once upon a time,” is a cliché set of words that have opened narrative fictional stories from the early fourteenth century and continue to do so today. It is the opening line in many different folklores, myths, and children’s literature. Interestingly, every country also has their own version of “Once upon a time,” that may vary slightly in terms of wording but tend to mean the same thing. Yorke was strategic in using this as his opener as it provides familiarity and sets the tone for the essay which effectively captures the attention of the