146 of 155 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A most worthy contribution to the craft, January 28, 2000
Reading reader reviews of books on writing for the screen is about like reading reviews of movies: There's a lot of disagreement between the eyes of beholders. I sometimes think I should ask the reviewers at Mr. Showbiz what I should get high on before going to see what they consider a masterpiece.
"Screenplay" was sent to me by a movie producer who asked me to write a screenplay for a book I wrote. When I lamented that I knew nothing about writing screenplays, he said the book he'd just read proved to him I could write; all I needed was to understand some important aspects of the screenplay vs. the book.
I've learned a lot from Syd Field. "Screenplay" clearly showed me the visual aspects of film, "It's all about pictures," Field stresses over and over. If I learned nothing else from him, how to put a screenplay into professional format would make "Screenplay" worth the trip.
Sure, I had to study the book, go back over it several times before I got this, or that. But gosh, diving into writing screenplays isn't like a lesson in Microsoft Windows -- click here, drag that over there.
There's a lot to learn, and Syd Field offers a lot of guidance for the serious student. I don't care if he's never written a screenplay. Some of the very best book editors wrote nothing except editorial marks on others' works. The fabled Scribner's editor of old, Max Perkins, who brought some of their best out of Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway, James Jones, Marjorie Kennan Rawlings, etc. etc., never wrote a book.
I'll say this: If you want to read a book on screenplays and put it down with the feeling you're ready to roll, don't bother with anybody's book on the subject. But if you really want to learn, if you have the requisite creativity -- AND gritty energy -- you'll get your money's worth from Syd Field's "Screenplay."
Also, his "Four Screenplays" has been very helpful to me. Field has a way of reinforcing things by saying them a different way, in a different setting. I really didn't get his advice to "get into a scene late and get out early" until I read this book. And didn't he pick some dandies? "Thelma and Louise" and "The Silence of the Lambs" are the two I studied most diligently, and what a ride it's been. Two great, great movies, to my mind, both demonstrating what Syd Field repeatedy shows us are important elements of fine screenplays.
One other thing, Field's coaching has put a tiny new edge on my writing skills as regards books, too, a benefit he probably didn't expect a writer would obtain.
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57 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Start here . . ., December 30, 2003
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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82 of 97 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good for the absolute beginner...but ultimately limiting, July 12, 2001
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.
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