Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting; A step-by-step guide from concept to finished script (Paperback)

by Syd Field (Author) "What is a screenplay?..." (more)
Key Phrases: got ten pages, water scandal, dramatic premise, Faye Dunaway, New York, Los Angeles (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Screenplay is one of the bibles of the film trade and has launched many a would-be screenwriter on the road to Hollywood. This third edition is updated to include the specifics of writing via computer.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
“Screenplay is one of the bibles of the film trade and has launched many a would-be screenwriter on the road to Hollywood.” —Library Journal

“Syd Field is the preeminent analyzer in the study of American screenplays.” —James L. Brooks, AcademyAward–winning writer, director, producer


From the Trade Paperback edition. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Dell; Revised Expanded edition (June 10, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440576474
• ISBN-13: 978-0440576471
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (89 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #180,181 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

111 of 117 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A most worthy contribution to the craft, January 28, 2000

By	Doug Briggs (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

Reading reader reviews of books on writing for the screen is about like reading reviews of movies: There's a lot of disagreement between the eyes of beholders. I sometimes think I should ask the reviewers at Mr. Showbiz what I should get high on before going to see what they consider a masterpiece.

"Screenplay" was sent to me by a movie producer who asked me to write a screenplay for a book I wrote. When I lamented that I knew nothing about writing screenplays, he said the book he'd just read proved to him I could write; all I needed was to understand some important aspects of the screenplay vs. the book.

I've learned a lot from Syd Field. "Screenplay" clearly showed me the visual aspects of film, "It's all about pictures," Field stresses over and over. If I learned nothing else from him, how to put a screenplay into professional format would make "Screenplay" worth the trip.

Sure, I had to study the book, go back over it several times before I got this, or that. But gosh, diving into writing screenplays isn't like a lesson in Microsoft Windows -- click here, drag that over there.

There's a lot to learn, and Syd Field offers a lot of guidance for the serious student. I don't care if he's never written a screenplay. Some of the very best book editors wrote nothing except editorial marks on others' works. The fabled Scribner's editor of old, Max Perkins, who brought some of their best out of Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway, James Jones, Marjorie Kennan Rawlings, etc. etc., never wrote a book.

I'll say this: If you want to read a book on screenplays and put it down with the feeling you're ready to roll, don't bother with anybody's book on the subject. But if you really want to learn, if you have the requisite creativity -- AND gritty energy -- you'll get your money's worth from Syd Field's "Screenplay."

Also, his "Four Screenplays" has been very helpful to me. Field has a way of reinforcing things by saying them a different way, in a different setting. I really didn't get his advice to "get into a scene late and get out early" until I read this book. And didn't he pick some dandies? "Thelma and Louise" and "The Silence of the Lambs" are the two I studied most diligently, and what a ride it's been. Two great, great movies, to my mind, both demonstrating what Syd Field repeatedy shows us are important elements of fine screenplays.

One other thing, Field's coaching has put a tiny new edge on my writing skills as regards books, too, a benefit he probably didn't expect a writer would obtain.

47 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Start here . . ., December 30, 2003

By	Debbie Lee Wesselmann (the Lehigh Valley, PA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Syd Field's SCREENPLAY is a great book for a beginner. The author takes the reader through the basic steps of writing a screenplay, from the first idea to fleshing out the characters to the structure of the entire piece. He explains what a set-up is (and what it needs to be) and tips for beginning and ending the screenplay, two of the more difficult tasks a writer will face. Perhaps most importantly for those who have never written a script before, he devotes a chapter to the screenplay format, showing indentation and capitalization rules, defining terms used within the script, and explaining abbreviations.

Novices to the form should start with this book before moving to more advanced books. I also recommend studying actual professional screenplays in their entirety.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I'll admit it's a good idea to read this book, but..., March 17, 1999

By A Customer

Screenplay is a fine book, in a sense, simply because it has achieved such popularity that it has affected what studios expect from spec screenplays. A lot of it still holds true: most screenplays seem to have a "three act structure", whether or not the writer was thinking in these terms; most screenplays are very formulaic and created with buzzwords and phrases like "less black per page" and "show don't tell" in mind... Basically, most people want an easy paint-by-numbers approach to screenwriting. And all too often the paint-by-numbers crowd gets something produced (thankfully, most of them fail).

The problem with this book is that the "Syd Field paradigm" isn't such a hot thing anymore. Movies such as Pulp Fiction, LA Confidential, and Unforgiven, to name a few, have shown us and Hollwood that story is much more important than structure. The other major problem is that many suggestions within the book will get your work rejected at a glance. For instance, Syd Field basically suggests that we "direct on the page" when he advises occasional references to camera angles, reverses, POV, and close-ups in the slug line. Bad idea.

I found this book interesting but creatively stifling and a bit misleading. The author has his heart in the right place but seems a bit too sure of his theories.

Story and creativity are much more important than structure. The best way to tell if you're "on track" with your story is to ask yourself, "Do I like this?" Don't ask yourself, "How can I get Act One to end on page 27?"