Customer Reviews

Screenwriting: The Art, Craft, and Business of Film and Television Writing (Plume)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

UCLA Screenwriting Program Guru Richard Walter has created an interesting, comprehensive guide to creating, reworking and marketing screenplays. Read Fields to get a few ideas and ground rules about act structure and plot points, read Walter to for a concise, entertaining orientation that leads you to write.

This book is not only helpful to screenwriters, but it's immensely helpful to beginning writers of fiction, too! It's one of the FEW I've seen where the author gets right to the meat without wasting page after endless page analyzing films or offering up screenplays of his own or those of students. If you want someone to get to the point about screenplays and storytelling, this is it! A must-read!

I've read many screenwriting books, and this book didn't tell me anything I haven't read elsewhere. Walter has no real insight into the writing process, just some knowledge of the business which you can pick up from the other books. A disappointment.

Not very useful as I wanted more set-up information. Good advice on agents.I recommend Screenwriting for Dummies purchase instead.

OK, first the bad news out of the way: This book is often very pompous and uses a lot of lengthy descriptions to illustrate simple points. Walter loves the sound of his own keyboard and often diverges into long lists and lofty philosophy on how your screenplay should leave audiences misty eyed and gasping in awe at the glory of humanity.

On the other hand, for those willing to sift through the self indulgent prose, there are a great many fabulous tips to tighten and polish story, structure, and dialogue. Walter offers tremendous insight and fresh ideas and reminds us of the basics at the same time. I read this book through twice and the second time, highlighted the good parts for reference.

This is a must read for all hopeful screenwriters. Richard Walters tells you the truth and speaks to you in a mature, fun and friendly, encouraging way.

Best Regards,
Christello

I read this book twice. It is written very directly but is entertaining at the same time. It does well at explaining what to do and what not to do. There is a section at the end regarding technology that should probably be out. It kind of felt like my grandpa was writing a chapter on computers after using one for the first time. Stick with what you know. The rest is excellent.

It was on a whim that I decided to read this book and boy, am I glad my muse was alert! The information contained here is gold, and to the point. That latter reason is why I gave it a five-star review: there's no bushwhacking going on here, it's succinct and immediately useful information.

I knew it was going to be a different experience when I read chapter 3's (Story: Tale Assembly) opening story about Mozart's unfinished "doooo" furnishing one of the best examples of tension and resolution I have read. Walter is a proponent of the Aristotelian three-act structure and he does such a good job of explaining why that, of course!, I understand it to be wholly applicable.

I particularly like the way he explains without the excessive prose other authors on the subject seem to think necessary. `Story' by Robert McKee is a brilliant piece of work, but one of its downfalls is the flabbergasting language Mr. McKee uses; it almost impedes knowledge transfer. This is not a problem with `Screenwriting': it's simple, clean writing that imparts maximum knowledge with maximum efficiency, it's screenwriting Judo.

Witness this list from chapter 4 (Character: Only Human, Humans Only):
There are three basic rules for creating audience-worth movie characters.
First: No stereotypes.
Second: Render everybody, even the foulest, most evil villain somehow sympathetic.
Third: Instead of having them lie there on a slab, static and stale, require your characters to grow and develop throughout the tale.

He goes on to expound brilliantly (and again, simply) on each of those points.

This should be a staple in every writer's library; in fact, I wish I'd read this book before Syd Field's `Screenplay' which, while it's actually good, is "flow" challenged.

Richard Walter is, once again, very good at rehashing other people's ideas, whether it's from screenwriters he's talked to, reading the trades, or hanging out with other screenwriting professors. What he can't and doesn't do is bring his own insight and talent to the job, because he's not a screenwriter, producer or agent. This book is no worse than some other books written for absolute beginners, but you can learn more specifics and tricks of the trade by reading books by actual pro's.

In 1991 when I went looking for a book on how to write movies, I thumbed through what was on the shelf at a bookstore and this is the one that grabbed me. What I remember is that rather than dish out a formulaic approach or dry lecture, Richard Walter spoke to me as a struggling fellow writer. He understands the soul of the beast that I am. He makes me love this painful process. After reading this book, I turned a 260-page meandering rough draft of a novel and in two weeks turned it into a 120-page screenplay. I've re-read his book and I've given it to a few people and recommended it to many writers. I've since attended his basic workshop and advanced screenwriting lab, and there is something about his style of coaching writers that works beautifully for me. I always come away refreshed, liberated, and eager to write.

After a 13-year hiatus to raise my very prematurely born son, I returned to work on my writing goals and have nearly finished my 4th script. My first two were in the Top 3 at [...] -- many writers have been there for years and never been in the Top 3. My debut screenplay won two awards for Best Script for Children, and has been nominated and commended in the Science Fiction Fantasy category. Not bad! Always remember his words: "The worst thing to be in Hollywood is boring."

My other favorite part is where, after all the sticky rules are duly noted and explained, he encourages us to run roughshod over them! Thank you, Professor Walter!!