The Screenwriter's Manual: A Complete Reference of Format & Style [Paperback]

Stephen E. Bowles (Author), Ronald Mangravite (Author), Peter A. Zorn (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0205426557 | ISBN-13: 978-0205426553 | Publication Date: May 16, 2005 | Edition: 1

The most complete and comprehensive presentation of screenplay format and style ever written, The Screenwriter’s Manual is designed for beginning and intermediate screenwriting students.  Written by an author team with extensive professional and academic experience, The Screenwriter’s Manual is the only book that offers a systematic approach to mastering the complexities of writing for the screen.  With its step-by step approach, this text is appropriate for readers of all experience levels.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The Screenwriter’s Manual is the most complete and comprehensive presentation of screenplay format and style ever written. Designed for beginning and intermediate students, this book offers an unrivaled, systematic approach to mastering the complexities of composing for the screen. Written by an author team with extensive professional and academic credentials, and based on a unique step-by-step approach, this text provides students of all experience levels with the confidence and skill necessary to succeed in this highly competitive field.

Features

• Offers a step-by-step approach to formatting a screenplay. Its accessible style allows even the beginner student to easily grasp the process of writing and formatting a film script.
• Includes accurate and up-to-date information on current industry practices, helping students create professional-looking scripts.
• Provides a section on common errors, which helps students avoid typical mistakes and oversights that occur while writing a screenplay.
• Incorporates clear examples of each concept throughout the text, illustrating common problems and their solutions in correctly formatted script pages.
• Provides a clear organization and a thorough cross-referenced index: this book functions as both a reference manual for screenwriters and a textbook for students.

Praise for The Screenwriter's Manual

“This is undoubtedly the most comprehensive work on the subject of screenplay formatting that I have ever read. I am blown away by the incredible detail and the amount of concrete information the authors have compiled. This is a colossal work!”
David Wesner, Austin Peay State University

“There is a wealth and generosity of important information which will guide so many early writers. Even the knowledgeable screenwriter can gain from this Manual.”
Allan Havis, University of California, San Diego

“The text is especially comprehensive. As a reference work for screenwriters of all levels of experience, it [is] invaluable.”
Terry McAteer, Felician College

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Allyn & Bacon; 1 edition (May 16, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0205426557
• ISBN-13: 978-0205426553
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,225 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent resource (but buy the other cheaper copy), March 27, 2006

By 

Johnny Weyand (Harvard) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Screenwriter's Manual: A Complete Reference of Format & Style (Paperback)

Every page of this book -- except two appendices (16 pgs: Sample Log Line and Treatment, and Sample Step Outline) -- is identical to what is found in "the Complete Screenwriter's Manual, another version of this book at $12.32 Amazon ($18.95 retail). That being said, the content that is identical is absolutely excellent. Both works outline in extreme detail how to format all the elements of a screenplay: dialogue, slug lines (scene designations), instructions or action description, parentheticals, and transitions. Copious examples of how to write into a screenplay the following: sound effects, flashbacks, phone conversations, car scenes, foreign languages, dreams, time-shifts, voiceovers, and much more. Also shows common MISTAKES in formatting that mark a script as the work of an amateur.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Note from the Publisher, June 29, 2006

By 

Suzanne Stradley "Editorial Assistant, Allyn ... (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Screenwriter's Manual: A Complete Reference of Format & Style (Paperback)

We're extremely happy that the book has been found to be an excellent resource.

We wanted to clarify why there are two books available on Amazon with two prices. Allyn & Bacon, a Pearson Education Company, is an educational publisher, and as such we publish books with pedagogical tools to be used in college courses. The edition with the sample log line and treatment and sample step outline appendices is for the education market. When we decided to publish an edition for the broader consumer market, titled The Complete Screenwriter's Manual: A Comprehensive Reference of Format and Style, the pedagogical tools were no longer necessary, and thus we could remove them and set the trade edition at a lower price.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good, February 24, 2009

By 

Michael Suarez - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Screenwriter's Manual: A Complete Reference of Format & Style (Paperback)

Got this item as quick as can be and the product in question is exactly what I hoped it would be.