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Title: Screenplay : The Foundations of Screenwriting; A step-by-step guide from concept to finishedscript by Syd Field ISBN: 0-440-57647-4 Publisher: DTP Pub. Date: 10 June, 1984 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.56 (54 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: The Bible of the Industry
Comment: This book is definitely the bible of the screenwriting industry. While no book is perfect and no book should be followed slavishly, Screenplay, by Syd Field is the leading book and the best book about screenplays ever written. It offers practical, easy-to-understand advice for the beginner and intermediate student and little nuances the more advanced writer can put to use. I have read and reread every book about screenwriting available and none can even come close to matching Screenplay. If you're truly ready to write a great script, buy Screenplay today, read it, study it...then write!
Rating: 3
Summary: Good for the absolute beginner...but ultimately limiting
Comment: For the absolute beginner with no clue how to write a screenplay, this book (for better or for worse) is probably essential reading. It effectively describes the basic structure of a basic screenplay. The problem is that what Syd Field does not realize is that many truly great screenplays effectively break his "rules." Granted, that is only done by accomplished screenwriter who spent years following the rules when they wrote screenplays. But the fact of the matter is that if all screenwriters followed Field's advice to the letter, Hollywood cinema would be even worse off than it currently is!
A few examples: Field insists that a good screenplay's first plot point must occur around page thirty. The first plot point in Star Wars (a film Field makes reference to) occurs around page fifty. Additionally, I would love to see Field sort out the plot points of Pulp Fiction and fit it into his beloved paradigm!
Field insists that a good screenplay must have three acts. Shakespeare wrote the bulk of his works in five acts. Enough said.
Field claims that "a name is a name" as he names a character Sara Towsend in an example exercise. Would Huckleberry Finn have had the same magic if Huck had been named Jim Johnson? Dickens' names added another dimension to his stories, Oliver Twist for example. Other names to consider: Scarlett O'Hara, Yossarian, or even Dr. Wilbur Larch, as a more modern example. To Field's credit, he focuses on building a character in the same chapter that he downplays the importance of names. Undoubtably, what's inside a character is more important than the label slapped on him or her. But equally undoubtable is the ability of the perfect name to enhance an effective character.
I could nit-pick this book apart chapter by chapter, but the most troubling issue surrounding "Screenplay" is this: Syd Field is an awful screenwriter. He wrote a decent how-to book on the subject, but he can't write a screenplay himself. If you have a copy, take note of how the "about the author" section doesn't mention any screenplays Field has had produced. There's a reason for that. Then read the exerpt from Field's unproduced screenplay "The Run" in chapter 13 and you'll begin to understand. The story premise is laughable and the dialogue is an embarassment to screenwriters everywhere.
The bottom line: "Screenplay" is an fine choice for beginning screenwriters. It was my first screenwriting book and it gave me a good foundation. Just don't expect to follow Field's instructions to the letter if you want to write a truly unique and memorable screenplay. A better idea: read lots of screenplays, plays, and novels by people who are actually good at writing them.
Rating: 4
Summary: Start here . . .
Comment: Syd Field's SCREENPLAY is a great book for a beginner. The author takes the reader through the basic steps of writing a screenplay, from the first idea to fleshing out the characters to the structure of the entire piece. He explains what a set-up is (and what it needs to be) and tips for beginning and ending the screenplay, two of the more difficult tasks a writer will face. Perhaps most importantly for those who have never written a script before, he devotes a chapter to the screenplay format, showing indentation and capitalization rules, defining terms used within the script, and explaining abbreviations.
Novices to the form should start with this book before moving to more advanced books. I also recommend studying actual professional screenplays in their entirety.
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Title: The Screenwriter's Workbook by Syd Field ISBN: 0440582253 Publisher: DTP Pub. Date: 01 August, 1988 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee ISBN: 0060391685 Publisher: Regan Books Pub. Date: 17 December, 1997 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: The Screenwriter's Bible: A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script by David Trottier ISBN: 1879505444 Publisher: Silman-James Press Pub. Date: August, 1998 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Making a Good Script Great by Linda Seger ISBN: 0573699216 Publisher: Samuel French Trade Pub. Date: November, 1994 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: The Screenwriter's Problem Solver : How to Recognize, Identify, and Define Screenwriting Problems by Syd Field ISBN: 0440504910 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 17 February, 1998 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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