Customer Reviews

Complete Screenwriter's Manual: A Comprehensive Reference of Format and Style, The

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I was in the process of writting a script and had lots of questions on the Hollywood format, almost all were answer by this excelent book.

Do not look in here for dramatical structure, this you need to look for somewere else.

I recommend this as a reference for anyone who wants to find answers quickly. I have several screenplay formatting books and this one is definitely one of my faves. I don't think that any one book is the be-all-and-end -all guide to writing screenplays, but this is a must have for you collection. It allows you to reference information without searching for hours and having to read all of the preceeding information.

Writing a screenplay requires understanding specific formatting rules, especially if you intend to try and have that screenplay sold or produced. I have just ventured into writing screenplays and this book certainly helps answer a lot of basic questions of formatting. Beyond the basics, it also gives advanced and varied options to communicate ideas. The use of examples is very helpful. At the end, common errors are reviewed and corrected in various ways. It is a book that helps you use the format to most effectively communicate your ideas. Certainly good to have has a reference once you get acclimated to the structure.

This is a no-nonsense, bare-bones reference book on the technical aspects of writing a screenplay. One thing everyone says is that agents and studios and actors won't read a script if it isn't in the correct format. There are a lot of little tricks of the trade that the writer must adhere too. And that's not a real burden; people who make the decision whether to buy your script or not don't want to be confused by the format, or have to puzzle out what you are trying to write. If that happens, your script probably won't even be read.

You won't be getting a book that deals with the motivation of writing a script, nor a book that holds your hand and tells you what sells and what doesn't. There are no breathing exercises, and no psychological babble as to why you have writer's block. Instead, this tells you how to set up your screenplay so that it will get read.

I've written a number of scripts and found this to be very, very helpful. It was required reading in the scriptwriting class I recently took. The teacher, a veteran of Hollywood who has sold a number of scripts, thinks this book is the best of the bunch. I found it valuable.

Highly recommended. You will refer to it often when writing your screenplay, until you have committed the valuable parts to memory.

I teach screenwriting (beginning level) at a local university, and I assign this as the text for the course. I have used it for 4 years.

I have found the Zorn et al. book to be a comprehensive formatting guide. The formatting instructions cover just about every situation that you (or screenwriting students, as it turns out) can think of -- slug line variations (including internal slug lines), telephone conversations, car scenes, dreams, fantasies, voiceovers, imaginary characters, character introductions, etc. The final chapter in the book is devoted to common format mistakes.

The visual layout of how do's and don'ts are presented is easy to grasp and minimizes confusion.

Finally, the price of this edition is really great for my students, who are used to being dinged outrageous amounts for their college texts. I promise them that they will get more than their money's worth in using the book over the course of the semester they are taking my class, and that should they continue to write screenplays beyond that, they'll get so much use out of the book it is one of the best investments in their craft that they could make.

This book is definitely the best screenwriting manual on the market, and anyone who dreams -- even in their wildest imagination -- that they might someday want to write a screenplay must have this book. It should also be part of the reference library for anybody who is currently in the script writing business.

This book is essential to mastering the standard format with which a Hollywood script needs to be written. But don't expect any story or character instruction because that isn't what this book really focuses on. Overall it's the perfect book for a beginning script writer or someone looking to master their current skills.