Need help for an aspiring screenwriter.
May 3, 2012 9:56 AM Subscribe
What's the best how-to book for an aspiring screenwriter?
A friend of mine has a million great ideas for films and I'm encouraging him to try writing a screenplay. Dear MeFites who have written scripts, what are the best books explaining how to write a screenplay?
A friend of mine has a million great ideas for films and I'm encouraging him to try writing a screenplay. Dear MeFites who have written scripts, what are the best books explaining how to write a screenplay?
The people who made money out of the gold rush were the ones selling shovels. Having said that, Syd Field and Robert McKee (Story) are the shovel-sellers who have made the most money, i.e. the default recommendation, and many producers think in their terms, so you should at least be aware of the basics of their language.
But by far the best thing your friend can read is screenplays, not books about screenplays. PDFs of produced films are easy to find online or on Amazon.
posted by caek at 10:17 AM on May 3, 2012 [3 favorites]
But by far the best thing your friend can read is screenplays, not books about screenplays. PDFs of produced films are easy to find online or on Amazon.
posted by caek at 10:17 AM on May 3, 2012 [3 favorites]
I'm with caek. You might want to find out what the current bible of formatting is (I heard someone on a podcast mention their preferred reference, but I did not write down the name, I need to go back and find that), but read at least 6 screenplays twice each for every screenplay-writing book you spend your time on.
See Simply Scripts (note, many are not finals, some are just transcripts) and RJ Wattenhofer.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:38 AM on May 3, 2012
See Simply Scripts (note, many are not finals, some are just transcripts) and RJ Wattenhofer.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:38 AM on May 3, 2012
Oh, and listen to Scriptnotes, because John August and Craig Mazin have sold more films than the authors of most screenwriting books.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:42 AM on May 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Lyn Never at 10:42 AM on May 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
Haven't read it, but Writing Movies for Fun and Profit is supposed to be good and funny.
posted by cnc at 11:04 AM on May 3, 2012
posted by cnc at 11:04 AM on May 3, 2012
The go-to introductory book on screen writing has long been Syd Field's Screenplay.
posted by JHarris at 11:16 AM on May 3, 2012
posted by JHarris at 11:16 AM on May 3, 2012
I've heard good things about Writing Movies For Fun and Profit as well.
posted by drezdn at 11:26 AM on May 3, 2012
posted by drezdn at 11:26 AM on May 3, 2012
I found that McKee helped me see a (his) structure in story and narratives better than Syd Field did. Others are different.
I'd also toss Bruce Block's The Visual Story out there as a book that helped me better understand film (and think Kubrick was an overrated hack), as opposed to story and narrative in general.
posted by straw at 11:36 AM on May 3, 2012
I'd also toss Bruce Block's The Visual Story out there as a book that helped me better understand film (and think Kubrick was an overrated hack), as opposed to story and narrative in general.
posted by straw at 11:36 AM on May 3, 2012
He has no book as yet, but Matt Bird's developed some very persuasive theories about narrative, character, and structure on his blog. The Ultimate Story Checklist is a good place to start.
posted by Iridic at 11:38 AM on May 3, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by Iridic at 11:38 AM on May 3, 2012 [3 favorites]
McKee's Story is great, but heavy and somewhat intimidating for a beginner. But I recommend it if the person is up to it.
To head off the inevitable cries of "formula!," is music formulaic because it uses notes, scales, and chords? Of course not. These books are a set of rules and principles of storytelling, many of which go back to Aristotle, AND THEN IT IS UP TO WRITER TO USE THEM IN A CREATIVE WAY.
Every beginner needs to get over the "I don't want to follow formulas- I'm original!" thing and the sooner the better.
posted by drjimmy11 at 11:41 AM on May 3, 2012
To head off the inevitable cries of "formula!," is music formulaic because it uses notes, scales, and chords? Of course not. These books are a set of rules and principles of storytelling, many of which go back to Aristotle, AND THEN IT IS UP TO WRITER TO USE THEM IN A CREATIVE WAY.
Every beginner needs to get over the "I don't want to follow formulas- I'm original!" thing and the sooner the better.
posted by drjimmy11 at 11:41 AM on May 3, 2012
I know you are not asking this, but I wish I could go back in time and tell my younger self this, so... Don't do it! There is essentially no work in screenwriting, even if you manage to break in. It's like trying to get into the NFL as a quarterback, getting drafted, and then discovering that there are only two teams in the league. If your friend has good ideas, he/she should explore writing them as short stories or novels, or possibly doing them as some kind of indie web video. Seriously. There is no work in movies anymore. I know you and your friend won't believe me, but it's true.
I still buy all the books, because I'm crazy.
The only books I find helpful are the Save the Cat series, which teaches you one model for structuring a movie - not the only model, but I think the thing is that you need to pick one model and get good at it, it doesn't really matter which model. I refer to this book all the time. It is the one book pretty much everyone I know - working writers, producers - has read. Movies are structure. The shared language that writers have with filmmakers and people is one of act breaks and midpoints and that kind of stuff. You have to know it cold.
I find Writing Moves for Fun and Profit hilarious and accurate. I don't know if it really teaches you how to write movies, but it is a look inside the kitchen.
People always tell you to read scripts. I dunno. Maybe? Definitely read a couple to figure out how screenwriters write (not like other people), but what you really need to work out is the structure of movies. And you can do that by watching movies. If I were breaking a story, I would (and, in fact, this is exactly what I do) look at a couple of movies in the same vein and work out how they break down the story.
posted by thehmsbeagle at 11:45 AM on May 3, 2012
I still buy all the books, because I'm crazy.
The only books I find helpful are the Save the Cat series, which teaches you one model for structuring a movie - not the only model, but I think the thing is that you need to pick one model and get good at it, it doesn't really matter which model. I refer to this book all the time. It is the one book pretty much everyone I know - working writers, producers - has read. Movies are structure. The shared language that writers have with filmmakers and people is one of act breaks and midpoints and that kind of stuff. You have to know it cold.
I find Writing Moves for Fun and Profit hilarious and accurate. I don't know if it really teaches you how to write movies, but it is a look inside the kitchen.
People always tell you to read scripts. I dunno. Maybe? Definitely read a couple to figure out how screenwriters write (not like other people), but what you really need to work out is the structure of movies. And you can do that by watching movies. If I were breaking a story, I would (and, in fact, this is exactly what I do) look at a couple of movies in the same vein and work out how they break down the story.
posted by thehmsbeagle at 11:45 AM on May 3, 2012
Hey, I teach screenwriting! The books I always recommend to my students are Syd Field's "Screenwriting" for structure, formatting, and basic 3 act storytelling. Another book I highly recommend is Lajos Egri's "Art of Dramatic Writing". It's not a screenwriting book but rather an excellent book for understanding dramaturgy, character conflicts, character arcs, etc. I'm not crazy about McKee or Snyder but I would get "Story" and "Save the Cat" anyway as you'll have a good knowledge of what every screenwriter is armed with today. Also, Dave Trottier who used to write for Script Magazine as Dr. Format has a book called "The Screenwriter's Bible" which is pretty good. He covers a lot of small things I don't see mentioned in other books. You might want that instead of the Syd Field although having both wouldn't hurt. Trottier is more up to date with current screenwriting format standards so take that into consideration. The Writer's Journey by Vogler is pretty interesting too. He uses Joseph Campbell's heroes journey as the foundation for his method. It's not one I usually recommend for beginners because I find it isn't suitable for all story types but you may find it useful. Good Luck!
posted by cazoo at 12:06 PM on May 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by cazoo at 12:06 PM on May 3, 2012 [1 favorite]
I would like to second Lajos Egri, who rules! Also a lot of lights went on in my head when I read Will Dunne's "The Dramatic Writer's Companion."
Reading scripts is good, but it's also possible to watch movies and read scripts for years without realizing what it is you should be looking for. A lot of people get stuck on the words and dialogue rather than the structure.
Lajos Egri gives you like the physics of how stories go forward. But Save the Cat gives you the movie tropes so that your thing feels like a movie.
posted by steinsaltz at 2:06 PM on May 3, 2012
Reading scripts is good, but it's also possible to watch movies and read scripts for years without realizing what it is you should be looking for. A lot of people get stuck on the words and dialogue rather than the structure.
Lajos Egri gives you like the physics of how stories go forward. But Save the Cat gives you the movie tropes so that your thing feels like a movie.
posted by steinsaltz at 2:06 PM on May 3, 2012
Dave Trottier "The Screenwriter's Bible" for format. Syd Field's "Screenplay" for general overview. Throw in "Writing Movies for Fun and Profit" for an updated look at the biz from a screenwriter's view (the old "Adventures in the Screen Trade" by William Goldman still has some value, and is entertaining to boot).
But really? Read those few, and then STOP reading books on screenwriting. Maybe read a book or two on filmmaking (as opposed to screenwriting) to round you out, but from here, just read screenplays and watch films.
And now the most valuable part of my advice - and something that nobody has mentioned. There is a point at which "reading about" screenwriting becomes the main activity and it becomes inhibiting. Too many cooks in the kitchen. You personal voice is being lost and suppressed as you try to make sense of all different perspectives tugging at you. It's bullshit. It's counterproductive. It's a net negative.
When do you reach that point? Very, very, very quickly. Which is why I recommend only 3 or 4 books that cover the format, the overall structure, the writing milieu and realities of the business, and the rest of your reading should be screenplays.
What should you do? WRITE SCREENPLAYS. Write. Write. And write more. Get feedback. Then write more. And more.
After you've written 10 full length screenplays, you are allowed to dip your toe in and read maybe one more book - a good solid one - and now you'll extract 1456 times more from it, than you'd have had you not written those 10 screenplays. I said 10. I didn't say 9. I didn't say 8. I said 10. Why? That seems to be the magic number at which something clicks for most screenwriters who are meant to be in this business.
Read less. Write more.
posted by VikingSword at 2:09 PM on May 3, 2012 [4 favorites]
But really? Read those few, and then STOP reading books on screenwriting. Maybe read a book or two on filmmaking (as opposed to screenwriting) to round you out, but from here, just read screenplays and watch films.
And now the most valuable part of my advice - and something that nobody has mentioned. There is a point at which "reading about" screenwriting becomes the main activity and it becomes inhibiting. Too many cooks in the kitchen. You personal voice is being lost and suppressed as you try to make sense of all different perspectives tugging at you. It's bullshit. It's counterproductive. It's a net negative.
When do you reach that point? Very, very, very quickly. Which is why I recommend only 3 or 4 books that cover the format, the overall structure, the writing milieu and realities of the business, and the rest of your reading should be screenplays.
What should you do? WRITE SCREENPLAYS. Write. Write. And write more. Get feedback. Then write more. And more.
After you've written 10 full length screenplays, you are allowed to dip your toe in and read maybe one more book - a good solid one - and now you'll extract 1456 times more from it, than you'd have had you not written those 10 screenplays. I said 10. I didn't say 9. I didn't say 8. I said 10. Why? That seems to be the magic number at which something clicks for most screenwriters who are meant to be in this business.
Read less. Write more.
posted by VikingSword at 2:09 PM on May 3, 2012 [4 favorites]
I intuitively think VikingSword is absolutely correct, even though I'm not a screenwriter myself, in that the pattern he describes about being inhibited by reading too many manuals on how to do some creative thing fits a lot of other fields.
posted by JHarris at 5:27 PM on May 3, 2012
posted by JHarris at 5:27 PM on May 3, 2012
Check out Scriptshadow. It is a blog that reviews unfilmed scripts.
posted by Sebmojo at 10:00 PM on May 3, 2012
posted by Sebmojo at 10:00 PM on May 3, 2012
I'm not a screenwriter but here's three :
Lajos Egri (as mentioned above)
"On Directing Film", by David Mamet.
"On Filmmaking" by Alexander McKendrick.
posted by devious truculent and unreliable at 9:57 AM on May 4, 2012
Lajos Egri (as mentioned above)
"On Directing Film", by David Mamet.
"On Filmmaking" by Alexander McKendrick.
posted by devious truculent and unreliable at 9:57 AM on May 4, 2012
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posted by fivesavagepalms at 9:59 AM on May 3, 2012 [1 favorite]