Customer Reviews

The Screenwriter's Workbook (Revised Edition)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Thee are some serious distinctions to be made about books on screenwriting. Some of them are very good, very theoretical, very serious works. Some of them are throw-away one time reads.

A very few of them are "working" books, books that you will never throw away - books that you will use as reference. And even fewer still are books that you will use over and over again - books that will inspire you everytime you pick them up. Syd Field's "The Screenwriter's Workbook" is one of those rare books. It is the "Bible" of the film industry.

All of Field's books are excellent for this reason - they not only tell you how to write screenplays - they tell you why screenplays are structured in a unique way.

It is understanding structure that is the key to writing movies. All the ideas about character development, the representation of myth, and the history of cinema are necessary to writing good screenplays. But only one thing is really essential and that is a clear understanding of a form that appears simple but is actually very complex.

I still have many of the screenwriting books I have read over the years but Field's books are the only ones I actually USE.I know many other screenwriters, professionals all, who would say the same thing.

Fashion in screenplay writing and thinking about movies comes and goes - and every new writer thinks they have to either read the latest theory or re-invent the wheel - but when you actually write you only want a book that YOU CAN USE. Syd Field never goes out of style because he writes from a serious understanding of the relationship of structure to screenwriting - and it's this relationship that you constantly return to in order to make the writing work.

Buy this book and keep it. You will need it.

Syd Field's claim to fame, book royalties and workshop revenue is his paradigm. Some people swear by it. Some people swear at it.

First presented in "Screenwriting: the Foundations of Screenwriting", Field develops his paradigm in the "Screenwriter's Workbook". But, sad to say, not by much. A plot pinch here, a plot pinch there.

The takeaway from this book is the essentially the same song, second verse of a major point in his previous book, "Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting". That is, the first 10 pages are the most important pages of the script. Get them right.

His emphasis on the first 10 pages are a product of his experience as a script reader. Script readers are gatekeepers. They evaluate manuscripts for the people with the clout and money to make a film. The script that fails to get a favorable coverage from a reader is DOA. A script has to get its foot firmly in the door of a reader's mind in the first 10 pages to stand any chance of getting a positive review and advancing to the next stage, getting read by somebody with clout or money.

Field says that of the more than 2,000 scripts he read while the head of a story department at a production company, only 40 were good enough to recommend for development and production. If his experience is typical, then only 1 out of every 50 submissions keep its foot in the door of a script reader's mind. The goal of "Screenwriter's Workbook" is to improve the odds for a script to get a thorough and favorable read.

If you only have the interest or money to read one book by Field on screenwriting, this is the one. Version 2.0 of his paradigm is worth a read even if it is far from the definitive word on dramatic structure. And the book has some useful information to impart on aspects of writing and the realities of the business.

It is unfair to criticize a book for containing only the basics. Beginning writers have to learn the fundamentals somewhere. An intermediate book would be a bad book for an absolute beginner. The advantage of this book over other beginning books is that it does not bob and weave over every point for fear of being wrong.
This book is also criticized for its use of the three-act structure. In fact, however, Field implicitly acknowledges the inadequacy of this structure, although he invents other terms to hide this fact. "Act II is twice the length of Acts I and III; it is a unit of action that is 60 pages long" (p. 122). This makes it 60% of the whole screenplay. But then, Act II is broken into two parts, called "First Half" and "Second Half". The turning point that leads from one to the other, Field calls "the midpoint" (p.131). First Half and Second Half, moreover, are divided by a "pinch" (p. 155). So, in fact, Field's structure is not the boring work turned out by so many screenwriters, in which something happens on page 20, something further happens on page 80, and the entire second act marches in place or repeats the same impressions over and over with additional behavior in different places. In Field's paradigm, some important development occurs every 15 to 20 pages. These points are illustrated by extended examples from a number of movies. And in fact, these examples occupy about 80% of the space in this very short book.

Still, this (six Act?) structure may be too rigid for experienced screenwriters. Why not have several things happen in a row? If you've got enough material, you can do it. The problem with most beginners is, they don't invent a long enough story or a story with enough events or steps in it. Being presented with a structure like Field's at least forces such writers to come up with something! But it also gives aid and comfort to those people who think it is a sign of quality to throw out all structure and write a film in which nothing happens and even the characters repeat themselves endlessly.

In short, beginning screenwriters will find this book less vague than many other beginning books. The only trap is to avoid both the extremes of (a) thinking that every screenplay has to fit Field's mold or (b) thinking that you can do anything and get away with it.

This book is most useful because it makes you work with the structure that Syd Field expounded in his preceding book Screenplay. This book introduces an additional element from the first book - what he calls the "confrontation". It divides the second act into two halves.

Syd Field recommends using 3x5 cards with a sentence describing what happens - one card for each 2 pages of screenplay. It is a method that some people find limiting, others may find it liberating. It allows you to "edit" your movie by shuffling cards before you ever put a word of dialog onto paper.

The book is structured around writing each act in succession. The weakness is that he does not address in enough detail the editing process. This is probably because Syd Field writes from the perspective of a consumer of writing - that is, a reader of screenplays for a studio.

Editing is something that some successful writers know almost nothing about. Examples are Stephen King and Ray Bradbury. They have the genius to write in one draft.

Syd Field gets a lot of bad reviews on Amazon, because he focuses on the three act structure, turning on two plot points. Many would-be writers want to break the mold. Few movies that get made break with the structure (Pulp Fiction being everyone's favorite example of a movie not structured in three acts). Most movies are in three acts.

At first I was reluctant to tell how good this book is for a beginning screenwriter. Why would I want to share that with my competition? But then I thought of all the bad movies I've seen. The more books I read on screenwriting, the more I realize the value of this book. I always thought this was a good book; an easy read with great exercises to make you think the entire story thru. After reading a few others, I wonder where I'd be without this book. The others are good for enhancing my existing "Words on Paper" draft, but, I doubt I'd have a complete draft if I had started with those books. They all mention the same principles Syd mentions (Grab the reader in the 1st 10 pages, show instead of tell, etc.). But they only tell me what to do, Syd provides tools so you learn how to do it. Also, one book had a pretty narrow view of how a story should be written. I think that would have stifled the writing process had I read this when beginning my screenplay. While Syd suggests a basic structure to follow, the content is totally up to you. Also, he gives advice, not hard/fast rules.

Field's how-to books were recommended to me by another screenwriter and this one seemed to have diagrams and new info. My weakness was on structure. Field gives a pretty formulaic structure with numbers which is working for me right now. It did help me to know where to place scenes and events.

It would have been helpful to have options other than the standard three-act explored or at least mentioned.

If you are looking for structure knowledge, read it but I wouldn't be limited by it.

No matter what anyone says. If you have an interest in becoming a screenwriter and don't know how to begin writing one. Buy this book. It is inspirational, full of easy terminology and explanation. This is by far the best screenwriting book I have bought so far. Originally I wanted to take a course on screenwriting but because this book is based on his workshops it actually serves as a class without the costs of one. There are excercises after each chapter for you to do. And he concentrates on the creative writing aspect first, and allows you to not be too critical about your writing. After all the first draft is about creativity and writing from the heart. The re-writing process is about grammar, spelling, and technicalities. The essence of the story is more important and if you have writers block this is the book for you.

I recommend anyone wanting to write a script to read this book along with his others. He makes the process so easy. From the beginning to the end. He will take you step by step in the process and make each step easy and great. This book and his other book Screenplay are what they use in film schools and I can see why. Some authors try to impress you with their knowledge of the subject while confusing you, and Syd Field explains things so that we can all understand.

I've written my share of short stories, and even had some of them published. I couldn't tell you how many times I've started a story and after a strong opening scene and some character development, got completely flummoxed and didn't know what to do or where to take it. After reading this book, I may dig them back out...

This book, I found to be a great distillation of storytelling. Some may be put off by the "formula" or what has been called a "paint by numbers" approach that this book takes, which is far from accurate. Joseph Cambell distilled all world mythologies into his "Hero's Cycle" in THE HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES, and you can apply any myth from any continent to his pattern. Syd Field has just done the same thing to what could be argued is the only active myth system left to Western Culture, film. Take a two-hour myth and distill it down to its raw elements. That's his book. His pattern fits.

How do I create my own screenplay/myth? I have a great idea for this scene... Well, this book will force you to focus on the bits you have to think about to turn that great idea into a full screenplay.

This book was perfect for where I am as a storyteller. I know how to craft a good tale - sometimes it just all comes out one paragraph at at time until the ending scene... but sometimes, you need a tool to help you think about the whole structure to get to that next part. This book? A good tool for that.

You are writing your own characters and plot. All this book does is help you focus on the "why's" and "when's" of the "what happens" in YOUR script. It is not a "paint by numbers." You don't fill in the blanks like a mad-libs! It gives you a pattern to help you refine your ideas.

So, yes, if you are a professional screenwriter, SCREENWRITER'S WORKBOOK will probably insult you, because it simplifies what you considered to be a magical gift - the ability to create a screenplay. For those of us who are looking for a little help to refine our craft, it is a great tool.

As far as the repetitiveness some reviewers mentioned, many of the repeated passages were film quotes that you may or may not know verbatim. When focusing on the subtlety of the subtext of dialog in one chapter (or class, as the chapters are arranged), and the plot points that move the story forward in another chapter, the dialog should be reproduced each time to illustrate how important the words are. Since good screenwriting seems to be about tight focus of action and refined dialog, any responsible teacher *would* repeat the exact dialog.

I also recommend THE STORY, by Robert McKee.

I've tried writing a coherent and complete first draft of plays and screenplays without success. This book, coupled with Field's "Foundations of Screenwriting", guided me through using a systematic approach, and I completed a screenplay. I was actually amazed at myself.

The writing is clear, and Syd Field anticipates many problems a screenwriter will face along the way. I do credit this book with getting me to the finish line of writing a screenplay (this and MovieMagic Screenwriter). So, four stars from me.

On the negative side, it probably is best for beginning screenwriters. Plus, all the examples are movies from the '80s and earlier, so it seems fairly dated. However, his basic theories you can still see in most studio movies of today. It will also only lead you in writing the standard Hollywood epic structure type of screenplay.