Screenwriting for Teens: The 100 Principles of Screenwriting Every Budding Writer Must Know [Paperback]

Christina Hamlett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2006

This books gives teens -who go to the movies more than any age group in the world - the tools to do more than just watch those movies. It gives them the tools to write their own films.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up—This workshop-in-a-book aims to prepare teens to complete a first short film. Each "concept" includes plot, pacing, character development, introductions to various genres, and more, and is presented in a few paragraphs followed by suggested examples in existing films and three writing exercises. The tone is chatty, avoiding formality and condescension in favor of encouragement to keep trying despite the rejection often found in the entertainment industry (Concept 100 is "You Hate Me, You Really Hate Me"). Aspiring writers hungry for more information will appreciate the recommended reading list.—Beth Gallego, Los Angeles Public Library, North Hollywood
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From the Author

This is exactly the kind of book my fictional characters in Movie Girl (Outskirts Press, 2008) should have had before they started writing their movie! In addition to step-by-step instruction for aspiring screenwriters, the 300+ exercises in this book also have application to classes in playwriting, English, communications and journalism. - Christina Hamlett

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Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: Michael Wiese Productions (November 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932907181
• ISBN-13: 978-1932907186
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 11 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #213,360 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:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book For Teens!, October 31, 2006

By 

Matthew Terry (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Screenwriting for Teens: The 100 Principles of Screenwriting Every Budding Writer Must Know (Paperback)

I was a few years out of High School when I finally combined my love for films with my love for writing. I had already slogged through writing a couple mediocre novels when I finally thought: "Hey! Why don't I write a screenplay!" And the rest, as they say, is history. Well history in the sense that I haven't actually SOLD anything yet or had any of my screenplays made into hit movies or well...okay - back to the review:

"Screenwriting For Teens" takes a very simple and honest approach to screenwriting. Each principle (and there are 100 of them) is explained on one page and then the following page is broken down into two sections. Section 1: "Look & Learn" gives you examples to seek out to prove the principle being discussed. Section 2: "Brainstormers" provides you with three tasks to explore the principle more by giving you assignments to follow.

Some of the principles she talks about: "Aiming for High Concept," "Hooks, Foreshadowing and Uh-Ohs," "Motivation and Redemption," and "Genre Dictates Structure."

The book is well thought-out and written in a way that gets right to the heart of being a teenager. Examples like: "You are in the cafeteria when..." or "You find out a friend said..." This is not a book that, by title only, says it is for teens and then dispenses lots of advice using really big words. The principles are broken down cleanly and simply. For us who have been writing screenplays for years (and years), we may want a bit more "meat" behind the principle regarding subtext. We may want Ms. Hamlett to explain more about the nuances in regards to films in the Romance genre - but the reality is that this book is written for teens: simple and easy to follow. That doesn't mean she does not take on complicated principle or use the occasional big word, she does. But she never disregards or looks down at the core audience.

As excellent as this book is, I do have issues with a couple items. The first is in regards to the "Brainstormers." As good as these are, there are a number of "Brainstormers" that involve the writer writing 100 word essays. Unless this book is being used as a school text book, I cannot imagine teenagers, on their own time, sitting down and writing a 100 word essay on how a trick they pulled fooled the audience or any of the other dozen "brainstormers" where Ms. Hamlett encourages 100 word essays.

The other issue I have is the lack of a compendium of web addresses used within the framework of the book. At the end of the book Ms. Hamlett provides pages (and pages) of recommended films and other reading materials. But what about a list of the dozens of websites that she refers to in the book? This way the reader doesn't have to go back through the pages but can go straight to one area and see the web addresses.

One other note. A number of the films that Ms. Hamlett refers to, or suggests watching, are "R" rated. You may want to ask your parents' permission before you watch "Die Hard" or any of the other "R" rated films mentioned in the book.

Bottom line: Ms. Hamlett does a great job simplifying the principles and reality of screenwriting to fit around a teenager's mind. Where was this book when I was growing up? It would have saved me years of writing in the dark.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Want to write a script? Start here., February 19, 2008

By 

Crystal Ortega (Monrovia, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Screenwriting for Teens: The 100 Principles of Screenwriting Every Budding Writer Must Know (Paperback)

Screenwriting For Teens is an extremely useful book written by Christina Hamlett. It breaks down the art of writing a script into easily digestible, little bit-sized morsels. It's incredibly jammed packed full of information yet its conversational tone helps to not overwhelm the reader. The book is broken down into 100 lessons, each starting with a concept. The author gets the concepts across by speaking in layman's terms, not making you feel like you are assembling Ikea furniture. She consistently sites examples that are up-to-date, making them easily recognizable.

In one concept, the difference between "reel" time and "real" time is being explained. She uses the example of the way reel time is used to condense days and years of characters' lives to keep the audience interested and, in contrast, how "real" time can increase agitation in the audience in such movies as Titanic, where we are living out the sinking of the ship, minute by minute, with the crew.

The second part of Christina Hamlett's lesson is "Look & Learn". In this part of the lesson you are asked to do mental exercises. To substantiate her idea of one of the key concepts "Knowledge = Credibility", she sites the opinion that lawyers don't like to watch TV courtroom dramas because the simple fact that they know courtrooms don't play out the way they are depicted on TV. Then she goes forward to test the readers' knowledge of the courtroom by giving a crime scenario and asking the reader to identify as many goofs as possible. The answers, thankfully, are at the bottom of the page so as not to drive the readers nuts, keeping us wondering.

The last sections of her lessons are called "Brainstormers". These are actual exercises that are expected to be completed. They are far from the boring ho-hum assignments that you would expect in a textbook. In one exercise where we are learning about Shorts, she gives the writer a scenario where they are to write a 60 second commercial advertising window cleaner, with no dialogue, the only actors being Paris Hilton and Darth Vader. How fun!

Although the title of the book gives a strong sense that it is a teen-only book, I am confident in saying that this book can be read by any beginning or novice screenwriter, whether they be 14, 26 or 75 years old. This book would also do wonders if it were to supplement any scriptwriting teacher's course of study. It is incredibly thought provoking and full of eye-opening knowledge.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb resource for teens (and adults), January 30, 2007

By 

Robert Parker (Pasadena, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Screenwriting for Teens: The 100 Principles of Screenwriting Every Budding Writer Must Know (Paperback)

I can't say enough good about this book. It's fun to read, it's full of right-on-the-money advice, and it gives teens truly "adult" information with a tone and at a level that is ideal for young people. I've been a high-school teacher for a good many years, and I would recommend this book without hesitation to any of my young charges who are interested in script or story writing. Young writers are full of ideas, and guiding them as they learn to express themselves takes a very special skill set--and Christina Hamlett has that rare and magical combination of competence, humor, and creativity that can touch the heart of any young writer. A "must read" for teens of all ages!