Psychology in Cinema

The book, written by the author of the unique course "Psychology for Screenwriters," Tatyana Salakhieva-Talal, introduces concepts from several psychological schools and directions rethought from the perspective of screenwriting. Among them are the theories of Freud and Jung, which have had a tremendous influence on cinema art, the gestalt approach—given special attention in the book—and also the newest worldwide research in the field of socio-cultural phenomena, knowledge of which will help create stories that are relevant for a modern viewer. Each psychological theory is adapted to the goals of screenwriters and integrated into key script structures. Thanks to this, the reader will learn how different forms of art affect the viewer’s psyche, how to build deep characters and psychologically credible stories, what plot twists and personal traits of characters draw the audience into what happens on screen—making them empathize with the heroes, go through the path of transformation with them, and reach catharsis.

All this knowledge is undoubtedly useful not only for screenwriters, but also for directors, producers, editors, film scholars, and everyone interested in cinema and psychology.