Customer Reviews

Blueprint for Screenwriting: A Complete Writer's Guide to Story Structure and Character Development

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Dr. Rachel Ballon has delivered a solid effort with Blueprint For Screenwriting. Blueprint has a very warm and friendly feel to it. Which is a tribute to Dr. Ballon's skill as a noted psychotherapist and a former educator as well. Ballon's words will comfort the reader as they learn the art of screenwriting. I would love to attend any class or seminar that Dr. Ballon is holding. The metaphor that Dr. Ballon uses in Blueprint to create a well-structured screenplay is the building of a house. As strange as it may sound to you it works very well in the book. Another element that Dr. Ballon explains so well in Blueprint is the dreaded Synopsis, Outline and Treatment better known as the "Troika of Terror." Dr. Ballon is the first author to me that really takes the time to explain the difference between all three and even more important than that she lays out a nice formula that will help you in the creation of all three. As I stated earlier, Dr. Ballon delivers Blueprint For Screenwriting in a very comfortable and well thought out matter. So where are the flaws? Well there are times where Dr. Ballon's conversation goes over board and leaves from teaching one to create a screenplay and turns into a step-by-step process in how to psychoanalyze someone. With Blueprint checking in with only 168 pages, one has to wonder if the extra dialog was added to make the book longer? After that the next flaw in Blueprint is even more horrific, although it is not Dr. Ballon's fault. Blueprint is plagued by a slew of grammatical errors and misspellings. I am not really a stickler for such things but considering this is a book about screenwriting oh excuse me a blueprint on screenwriting I find the misspellings a bit ironic.


Overall Blueprint For Screenwriting is very helpful especially for the novice screenwriter though another book will be needed. The excellent way Dr. Ballon explains how to create a synopsis, an outline or a treatment can be of value to even the most experienced screenwriter. Blueprint For Screenwriting is not strong enough to be the only book or even the first book in your screenwriting help collection, but as an addition it is a very excellent choice.

This is a truly helpful book, no matter where you are in your screenwriting career. One of Dr. Ballon's particular strengths is to give you techniques to understand the psychology of your characters. She also gives you an excellent handle on the challenging and illusive -- though essential -- concept of subtext, which is an aspect of screenwriting that even highly experienced professionals struggle with. And I particularly appreciated her description of the ESSED syndrome. ESSED, she tells us, are qualities you can give your characters as they struggle towards a goal, qualities that intensify that struggle. ESSED is shorthand for words what end in "essed" -- words like obsessed, depressed, and dispossessed. This book covers all the basics of screenwriting, including format, structure, character development, and dialogue, and contains many helpful and stimulating lists of questions for you to ask yourself along the way as you build your script. It is a first-class addition to any screenwriter's library.

This is a truly helpful book, no matter where you are in your screenwriting career. One of Dr. Ballon's particular strengths is to give you techniques to understand the psychology of your characters. She also gives you an excellent handle on the challenging and illusive -- though essential -- concept of subtext, which is an aspect of screenwriting that even highly experienced professionals struggle with. And I particularly appreciated her description of the ESSED syndrome. ESSED, she tells us, are qualities you can give your characters as they struggle towards a goal, qualities that intensify that struggle. ESSED is shorthand for words what end in "essed" -- words like obsessed, depressed, and dispossessed. This book covers all the basics of screenwriting, including format, structure, character development, and dialogue, and contains many helpful and stimulating lists of questions for you to ask yourself along the way as you build your script. It is a first-class addition to any screenwriter's library.