Teach Yourself Screenwriting [Paperback]

Ray Frensham (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0071419667 | ISBN-13: 978-0071419666 | Publication Date: April 22, 2003 | Edition: 2

Many readers dream of seeing their stories on the silver screen, but most do not know how to write a screenplay, let alone get their script into the right hands. For those readers wanting the "how-tos" of Hollywood, Teach Yourself Screenwriting is an easy-to-comprehend yet thorough introduction to this art. Here they will get the basics and advice on how to get their work onto celluloid.

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This book covers the techniques and specialized skills used in writing for this visual medium and answers the practical questions often asked by budding screenwriters.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Everything that you need to know can be found between these covers" -- - Total Film Magazine "Raymond Frensham's invaluable guide to writing screenplays, 10th in the film best-sellers..." -- - The Independent Arts and Book Review --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Ray Frensham is a film and TV production finance broker and script adviser. He lectures and writes regularly on screenwriting.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 2 edition (April 22, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071419667
• ISBN-13: 978-0071419666
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,278,070 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My First and Still My Favorite, December 3, 2001

By 

Big Dave (Boise, Idaho) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teach Yourself Screenwriting (Paperback)

I read this before reading Syd Field, Christopher Vogler, and the others. This book is almost intimidating in its detail, but for a self-teaching writer I recommend it above the others because:

1. MORE DETAILED STRUCTURE. Frensham breaks down the structure of a script into smaller, tighter detail than simply having three acts, or three plot points. Once you know the material, cliche cliche, you can play with it, but it's revealing to see how the whole thing hangs together.

2. MORE KINDS OF STRUCTURE. Having broken movie structure down by scene and climaxes, Frensham then proceeds to break it down by sequences. Additional analytical tools give you more ways to think about a movie and therefore more ways to diagnose the illnesses of your own writing.

3. EXERCISES. Frensham explains a concept and then gives you homework. Go watch movies A, B, C and D and identify X, Y and Z about them. Great practice, and once you've done it with the films you know, it becomes very easy to do it with new films.

4. ALL ABOUT WRITING. Frensham wastes very little time on trying to tell you how to second guess the reader, the producer or the market or whining about pet peeves or sharpening his ax for bloodshed. There is some information about marketing, but mostly this book is what it declares itself to be in its title -- a tool for teaching yourself to write.

Bon appetit.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great starting point., February 9, 2004

By 

sandwich (Victoria, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teach Yourself Screenwriting (Paperback)

I spent over an hour browsing and skimming through all the highly accredited, big name screenwriting books. I found that this one, above all, was the most informative. Whilst some of the others were more helpful with generally improving your writing skills and story structure, etc, this one covers the fundamentals and is more ideal for those at a beginner level. Basically, it covers the same ground as the others but narrows it down to basic, comprehensive to-the-point terms and guidelines. Not to say that it is brief or fast-paced. It is very helpful in the sense that it covers most areas extensively with many added points and examples. I found that next to none of the other books went over the actual screenplay layout and overall structure. There was barely anything about the camera or scene direction. They were more about visual thinking, developing your own style and being competitive in the modern industry. This book explains all of that and also encourages you to explore alternative source material.
I recommend this book to all beginners. It will inspire and motivate you and possibly provide you with the sort of answers you start out with. Start with this one, it is definitely shelf-worthy and good to just pick up and read a particular section if you're unsure about something. The most important thing to do in the end is write! Don't just talk about it, do it!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a sweet irony, August 14, 2000

By 

james henry (Tokyo) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teach Yourself Screenwriting (Paperback)

There's a deliciously sweet irony here in that this humble (teach yourself series) little gem of a book is, in my opinion, better organized and more comprehensive and inspiring than other big-name books (including those written by screenwriting titans Robert Mckee and Syd Field) I've read on scriptwriting. It's an intelligent, no-nonsense, nuts and bolts instruction manual that is sprinkled with humor, insight, and inspirational comments, suggestions, and encouragement. You won't be disappointed.