Customer Reviews

You Can Write a Movie (You Can Write It!)

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Despite the fact that the author penned the Harrison Ford movie, "Witness," there's a few things I'd question about this book.

For a start, she treats loglines (e.g., the short TV Guide-style 'blurbs') and thematic statements as being the same when they might not be at all. For example, "love conquers all" may be your theme, and "a deaf woman falls in love for the first time" may be your logline.

In the beginning of chapter 2, she recommends studying scripts that have no camera angles or stage business, but then discusses those very things at length just a page later. If she's advising writers to avoid them, why spend several pages on them?

She also references "three-act structure" within the first 3 chapters, but doesn't actually explain it until Chapter 8. I found it odd that details like formatting margins and camera angles are defined long before structure. If you don't have at least a basic 3-act outline or idea, it's probably too soon to be worrying about margins.

There's some nice nuggets in this book, but it's really more of an introduction to the screenplay form and to the general nature of the business. You'd still need to supplement it with something more meaty, such as (but not limited to) books by Syd Field, J. Michael Straczynski, Christopher Keane, Richard Walter, David Trotter, Robert McKee, or Lew Hunter.

This is a skinny but great book, one of the best I've read on screenwriting. ... In this book, Pamela Wallace covers the basics, but also gives the reader solid professional advice, such as how to make strong, clear choices for a character that may or may not appear in your screenplay, but nevertheless help enrich the story. One of the most helpful points in the book is the section that deals with finding a character's defining moment - the point in the character's life that helped shape him and drives him throughout the story. There's also an interesting section on how to write compelling dialogue that actors can actually SAY, not just read. A big thumbs up for this one. Ms. Wallace knows what she's talking about.

This book is a very concise guide to writing a screenplay by an oscar winning writer. I think this book is a welcome alternative to books by writers without real credits.(Syd Field etc). It is very helpful in helping a writer focus their story before writing the script. Writing a good logline and defining the theme are focused on. The chapters on charachterization and writing dialog are the best I have seen for the beginning writer.

I was truly pleased to be able to get this marvelous book. It is in perfect condition, like new!! It is well written for the subject matter. This lady, Pamela Wallace, has had some wonderful accomplishments. I wish I had been more aware of them at the time. I would love to contact her and let her know the gifts she has given. I first learned about her from one of her movies. When I see the movie I like to read the book to see if any of it has been carried over into the movie. Very little on the first one but better on the more recent one I had seen. A life most would love to have lived. Love it and keep watching it over and over. I could not find the book at an affordable price to me and had to go through an interlibrary loan from Maine to Illinois. What a great opportunity to have experienced. Thanx to Amazon, these thiings are more available.
P.G. Rose

YOU CAN WRITE A MOVIE is the first screenwriting-related book I've read by someone who is a successful scriptwriter in the film/TV industry. Oscar-winning Wallace (WITNESS)has had fame & glory, but also has managed to stay "in the game". Her advice, her experience, & her knowledge come from a very real place which may not always reflect the usual information written in other screenwriting books. But reading her book & knowing that what's written is from a working professional gives this concise, easy-to-read book a much-validated recommendation.