4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kind of Fun and Interesting as All Get Out and Very Informative, too, November 8, 2010
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I received a review copy of this book and since my husband is a writer, I was kind of looking forward to it. I was also looking forward to the CD that the other reviewers talked about and was a bit miffed when I found the book didn't come with it. I felt cheated, then I found the business card clued to the inside front cover which directed me to go to the authors website. Once there I was prompted to enter the last full word in the last paragraph on page 17, along with my name and email address and voila, I was registered. Once in, I found that the website contains all the info that was on the CD I didn't get and instead of being slow, as one reviewer said, it's fast.
So using this book the way Mr. Friedmann intends, you know, reading a chapter, then going to the website, is a powerful way, I think, to learn how to write for media. The website is great and the book covers absolutely every thing you'd want to know, whether you want to write scripts or commercials. But the important thing, what makes this book so doggone good, is what it's not. One of the thing is not is boring. The other thing it's not is it's not written like a textbook. This book is kind of fun and it's interesting as all get out. If you've ever thought about writing for Television or the Movies or you just wanna do Jingles, well this is the book for you.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great guide to the media professional or student, December 23, 2010
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"Writing for the Visual Media" was probably intended as a textbook on how to write scripts for all forms of media, whether it be television, radio, interactive web-tv, advertising or even film. More than 'just another media textbook,' it gets into the real differences between writing what is meant to be read and that which is meant to be viewed in more visual media. Anthony Friedman really takes you through from the basics levels of writing for visual media to being able to identify issues that may make a script less than stellar. One of my professors caught me reading this book and asked to take a look at it. Now as a result, it is probably being considered as a classroom text for students entering into the media program next semseter.
I did not recieve a CD with this book, but rather a card with the web address that allowed me to download the extra included content for the book. I think I would rather have had the CD, and that is a personal preference rather than a complaint. I do understand, however, why the publishers offered a card with password inside the book to allow the reader to download the content. This also underscores how much media, publishing and content is changing constantly. The website was fairly user-friendly, and had sample scripts, online video, audio and demonstrations of the various aspects of writing scripts. I thought that the site was very helpful and definitely added more value to the book.
This book assumes that the reader has a basic knowledge of broadcast media, what is an over the shoulder graphic, what is a crawl, etc. He discusses in great detail the process of putting together scripts and tightening them up for the ever-changing arena of media which is converging at an alarmings speed. What many professionals are finding when entering into the industry just how much writing their is and the constancy of having those skills at your disposal - no matter if you're in front of the camera or behind it. You have to be able to make your writing and what you are presenting be as good as it can be. I do very much recommend this book to anyone who is either in or considering a career in any media or motion picture arts career.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth its weight in gold... ! Another winner from Focal Press, December 16, 2010
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It doesn't get any better than this: Here we have a master teacher -- Anthony Friedman, who holds a BA and PhD in English from Columbia and an MA from Harvard, all topped with coursework at the London School of Film Technique -- bringing 21 years of writing, producing and directing experience to bear writing the third edition of this very impressive text.
Used in many writing programs as well as in Friedman's own media writing classes, the aim of this text is offer instructional content for students taking an introductory course in scriptwriting. It's also useful for all writers trying to expand their skills to writing scripts for media. That said, from a conceptual perspective, I would say that the author is seeking to pin down and expand upon that aspect of writing that is brought forth from the visual mind. Or, put another way, it's an instructional text on how best to imbue each script with visual writing; "not the words of the final script but the imaging that makes the words of the final script possible."
The principal difference between the third edition and the second is the addition of a chapter devoted to writing for mobile media platforms. While, as the author states, "this is going out on a limb and more predictive than prescriptive," it reflects the state-of-the art approach this text offers.
So, how does Friedman go about addressing the challenges of learning to write for the visual media? Quite simply, by viewing and using the script as a plan for production, and by teaching how to sequence action so that directors, editors and eventually viewers can visualize in their mind's eye exactly what is intended. Just as a musician can hear in his own mind what the music should sound like, good visual-based writing encourages viewers to see in his or her own mind what is intended. The sequence of images flowing along a time line, should serve as a sort of blueprint to take the viewer to a place of mutual visual interest.
Though visual writing is, by nature, somewhat elusive, this book -- all about the fundamentals of scriptwriting -- will, as the author puts it: "take you from nowhere to somewhere, from no experience and no knowledge to a basic level of competence and knowledge..." That's a pretty good promise for those readers just starting off in scriptwriting!
The text, which is intended to work in tandem with the book's website, is arranged in five parts that are, in turn, divided into 15 chapters. Here are the five parts, followed by chapter headings:
Part 1 Defining the Problem:
Describing One Medium Through Another / A Seven-Step Method for Developing a Creative Concept / The Stages of Script Development / Describing Sight and Sound
Part 2 Solving Communication Problems with Visual Media:
Ads and PSAs: Copywriting for Visual Media / Corporate Communications: Selling, Telling, Training and Promoting / Documentary and Nonfiction Narrative
Part 3 Entertaining with Visual Media:
Dramatic Structure and Form / Writing techniques for Long-Scripts / Television Series, Sitcoms, and Soaps
Part 4 Writing for Interactive and Mobile Media:
Writing and Interactive Design / Writing for Interactive Communications / Writing for Interactive Entertainment / Writing for Mobile media
Part 5 Anticipating Professional Issues:
You Can Get Paid to Do This
An impressive book that delivers what it promises. Highly recommended for college, university and public library library collections and an essential purchase for anyone interested in writing for the visual media.
R. Neil Scott
Middle Tennessee State University
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