Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting [Paperback]

Syd Field (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 29, 2005

A generation of screenwriters has used Syd Field’s bestselling books to ignite successful careers in film. Now the celebrated producer, lecturer, teacher, and bestselling author has updated his classic guide for a new generation of filmmakers, offering a fresh insider’s perspective on the film industry today. From concept to character, from opening scene to finished script, here are easily understood guidelines to help aspiring screenwriters—from novices to practiced writers—hone their craft. Filled with updated material—including all-new personal anecdotes and insights, guidelines on marketing and collaboration, plus analyses of recent films, from American Beauty to Lord of the Rings—Screenplay presents a step-by-step, comprehensive technique for writing the screenplay that will succeed in Hollywood. Discover:

•Why the first ten pages of your script are crucially important
•How to visually “grab” the reader from page one, word one
•Why structure and character are the essential foundation of your screenplay
•How to adapt a novel, a play, or an article into a screenplay
•Tips on protecting your work—three legal ways to claim ownership of your screenplay
•The essentials of writing great dialogue, creating character, building a story line, overcoming writer’s block, getting an agent, and much more.

With this newly updated edition of his bestselling classic, Syd Field proves yet again why he is revered as the master of the screenplay—and why his celebrated guide has become the industry’s gold standard for successful screenwriting.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Screenplay is one of the bibles of the film trade and has launched many a would-be screenwriter on the road to Hollywood. This third edition is updated to include the specifics of writing via computer.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Screenplay is one of the bibles of the film trade and has launched many a would-be screenwriter on the road to Hollywood.” —Library Journal

“Syd Field is the preeminent analyzer in the study of American screenplays.” —James L. Brooks, AcademyAward–winning writer, director, producer

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Delta; Revised edition (November 29, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385339038
• ISBN-13: 978-0385339032
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (141 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,363 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Film
  • #6 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Movies > Direction & Production
  • #7 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Movies > Screenwriting

More About the Author

Syd Field is a screenwriter, producer, teacher, international lecturer, and author of the bestselling books Screenplay, The Screenwriter's Workbook, Selling a Screenplay, and Four Screenplays. Published in 1982, Screenplay has been translated into sixteen languages, and is used in more than 250 colleges and universities across the country. At present he is creative consultant to the governments of Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Austria, and South Africa, and has been a script consultant for Roland Jaffe's film production company, for Alfonso Arau and Laura Esquivel on Like Water for Chocolate, and for Tri-Star Pictures. He lives in Beverly Hills, California.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

158 of 169 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A most worthy contribution to the craft January 28, 2000

By Doug Briggs

Format:Paperback

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. Read more ›

66 of 71 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Start here . . . December 30, 2003

By Debbie Lee Wesselmann TOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

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.

103 of 120 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for the absolute beginner...but ultimately limiting July 12, 2001

By "screenplaystu"

Format:Paperback

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. Read more ›

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Steer Clear -- Read these instead June 7, 2005

By taikoman

Format:Paperback

I won't go into why Syd Field is a mistake. Plenty of reviewers have written at length about it (myself included). Instead, I offer 2 alternatives. These are two of the best books I've read on narrative structure:

"The Tools of Screenwriting" by David Howard and

"Good Scripts, Bad Scripts" by Thomas Pope

These 2 books go a long way towards providing a structural understanding of how and why stories work or do not work. It's not snappy dialogue, great performances, direction & cinematography, or even a collection of great scenes that make a great story. It's the STRUCTURE of the entire script/film that makes it work or not work. These books offer a good explanation of the components of drama and provide thorough case studies of numerous films. They also avoid the other big trap of working from some "universal" STORY MODEL. Things like the Hero's Journey or Mythic Structure, or other phrases tossed around all too often.

Having said that, these books ONLY cover story structure. Things like script formatting, characterization, backstory, etc., are outside the scope of these books. They are not how-to screenwriting books. Instead they teach something far more important - how to understand (and hopefully create) good stories.