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Sep 07, 2010

Laurie rated it:

This book is a classic, but it was written in the 1970s and I think better writers have since copied Field's ideas and written stronger books that use them. Syd Field may be a great screenwriter, but his writing in this book is not so hot. His phrasing is clunky, his chapters are disorganized and rambling, and his examples are sometimes difficult to follow. At times he contradicts himself from one paragraph to the next and at other times he repeats himself word-for-word, paragraph-for-paragra More...

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Jun 25, 2011

Jay rated it:

Screenplay (1994) by Syd Field (3rd Edition).

"When cotton candy goes bad..."

I thought Fred Saberhagen's _Berserker Fury_ (1997) was redundant. While Syd Field's _Screenplay_ offers plenty of reassurance to the wanna-be screenwriter, pretty soon I got the point and was tired of all the cheerleading.

Field may indeed have something substantial to say, but I couldn't help wondering if this book started out as photocopied handouts (since Field apparently taugh More...

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Sep 08, 2007

sallie rated it:

structure is a beautiful thing. i carried this book around in my purse for weeks.

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Feb 11, 2012

K.M. rated it:

I’ll preface by saying I’m a novelist, not a screenwriter. But I enjoyed and gleaned from this book on so many levels, not least in quenching my curiosity about some of the behind-the-scenes crafting of movies. Strictly from a novelist’s point of view, however, I found the book worthwhile for two primary reasons. 1) Its stripped-down, simple view of structure is fabulous. It allows you to see the basics of structure at a glance, break it down to manageable chunks, and realize the big picture. 2) More...

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Oct 04, 2011

Sean W. rated it:

Syd Field knows it all! Very few questions about screenwriting and screenplays are left unanswered, and many, many films are referenced for the sake of understanding. As an example, Mr. Field makes mention that screenplays are, on average, 120 pages, because one page equals one filmed minute. He also mentioned that there are exceptions, the most extreme being The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, which had a screenplay of around 120 pages, but runs for 178 minutes. Great book. More...

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Aug 13, 2008

Amanda rated it:

I read this book because it was recommended in The DC comics guide to writing comics.

The idea was to use this book to help solidify an idea for a comic I'm wanting to create.

I'm really not sure how to review this book.

It's really bad in some areas and really good in others.

It has a few tips and tricks that I found helpful and a nice breakdown/description of all the different screenplay formatting and camera direction.

There are a couple More...

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Mar 04, 2008

Osahi rated it:

De pionier in scenariohandboeken. Hij volgt de klassieke verhaalanalyses (drie act-structuur van Aristoteles bv) en heeft heel wat scenario-'regels' voor het eerst geformuleerd of door analyses van 'goede' en 'slechte' scenario's zelf bedacht. Het boek is erg strak qua regelgeverij. Field lijkt vaak te zeggen: 'zo en niet anders' en veel van zijn dingen zijn door sommige films gewoon voorbijgestreefd. In deze revised edition lijkt hij af te zwakken, maar hij blijft erbij dat op alle goede scenar More...

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Dec 11, 2007

Toby rated it:

i'm going to say i've finished this book, though i skipped a lot of chapter 14 & left 15 for some other day, or need of reference.

syd field is a no-nonsense, bridle no shit, formulaic bastard - but this book is an indispensable reference to those who are, actually writing a screenplay. granted, this is more for those who are "writing to sell a screenplay to Hollywood" than those who want to experiment with the form. mr. field is relentlessly capitalist about his notion More...

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Sep 09, 2008

Laura rated it:

The author is truly a genius. This book is a guidebook written to teach the reader. I took copious notes while reading the book that I later highlighted in a notebook. The only negative thing I can think of is that because of the many examples of movies cited in his book, I started watching more movies than writing and watched them all with a critical eye. Now, It's more challenging than ever to enjoy a movie as I am always thinking, was that the best way to show this, should this be omitted, wa More...

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Apr 27, 2009

Kevin rated it:

For someone who had a pretty rudimentary understanding of screenwriting parts of this book were extremely helpful. They usually involved structure. When it came to the writing process, though, or execution, it was pretty condescending and simplistic. It's an easy read, though, and for someone who already has a writing process and is interested in screenplays I highly recommend it. Field explains the structure and function of a screenplay very well.

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Dec 11, 2010

Michael rated it:

This series by the guru of modern screenwriting provides thoughtful insight into the structure and techniques of the craft, which makes both writing and watching all the more enjoyable. Includes some in-depth analyses of several important movies.
"All drama is conflict. Without conflict you have no character. Without character you have no story. Without story you have no screenplay."

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Jul 08, 2010

Mostafa rated it:

كتاب مهم ليس فقط لمن يسعى لتعلم كتابة السيناريو ، لكن برشحة لكل حد بيحب السينما كمشاهد وعادى ولاى كاتب ، الكتاب فية بعض الفصول المهمة على مستوى العلاقات الانسانية وفصول اخرى مهم بالنسبة للكاتب ورحلتة مع الكتابة من استكشاف للذات ونجاحات وفشل

الكتاب لة ترجمة باللغة العربية لواحد عراقى مش متذكر اسمة لكن الترجمة صادرة فى السبعينات مشكلة الترجمة ان اسماء الافلام اللى مذكورة فى امثلة الكاتب فى النسخة القديم اغلبها مش معروف دلوقتى لكن فى النسخة الجديدة اغلب الافلام معروفة More...

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Nov 25, 2008

Amang rated it:

As it said in the title: this is truly a book which give you the foundation -- "the Three Acts Rule of Syd Field" --

The book help me a lot to put down everything in my mind into a film structure that easily to be discussed and be critised by others. A little bit having difficulties to find the Taxi film that been used as the example...

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Apr 19, 2011

David rated it:

Pretty much the basic text for screenwriting. An enjoyable read that lays out simply the paradigm (not formula!) for good film storytelling, complete with examples from classic films. It's a bit dated -was written in the 70's and the choice of films analyzed reflects this- but still a good primer for anyone interested in writing for movies.

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Aug 26, 2010

Mark rated it:

I'm about 125 pages into the book, and have also watched about 45 minutes of Field's audio/video seminar on this same topic. He's been super insightful on writing for clairty and purpose. I've used his insights for sermon preparation. Go here for a little more: http://rivercitypastor.blogspot.com/2010...

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May 10, 2011

Philip rated it:

Syd Field walks the reader through the process of creating a screenplay for the Hollywood market. Indespensable for anyone who wants to be a screenwriter in the "Studio System". This newly updated edition is a must for anyone who wants to understand how movie scripts are written, by a true master of the craft.

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Apr 06, 2009

Katrina rated it:

Absolute master piece to drafting an interesting, mind-riveting and attention-grabbing screenplay. Syd Field's writing is as fluid, consistent and accessible as his teachings. His three act structure is the key to any good storyline. The book is sprinkled with excellent tips and wise suggestions.

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May 03, 2011

Daniel rated it:

These foundations are very solid; not only for screenwriting, but for any kind of storytelling as well. The beauty of scriptwriting is that scriptwriters have no qualms about writing popular, enjoyable stories, so it's well-worth checking out this kind of work for writing of any kind.

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Jun 14, 2009

Danielle rated it:

I had to read this for a screenplay class I took and it was actually really interesting. I enjoyed reading it very much. It describes different elements of good screenplay writing and gives examples in movies both past and current. It gave me a better grasp on film making for sure!

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May 18, 2011

Anthony rated it:

Like it or hate it, this book defines the Hollywood formula for screenwriting. If you ever expect to go any where within the realms of screenwriting, you will have to learn Mr. Field's theories, plus how can you expect to break the rules without knowing what they are?

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May 10, 2011

Ana rated it:

A must read for anyone that wants to write a screenplay. It's mind blowing, honestly. And if you're like me and you start thinking about your screenplays as you read this, you'll come up with better stuff to write in it. It's like *reading* "Hey, what if I do this? That would be awesome!"

Honestly, read it if you ever want to write a screenplay. It's amazing. Syd Fields is a screenwriter guru, hands down. I love when he talks about the first time that he saw Chinatown and othe

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Aug 20, 2011

Amanda rated it:

A must for wanna be screenwriters.
The well-respected author, Field makes the art of film writing accessible to beginners. He also helps experienced writers improve their writing techniques.
He concentrates on the elements of characterization and plot. He makes a big deal of why the first 10 pages are so important.
I liked the format help.
He also explains terminology which baffled me before - collaborations and adaptations make sense now.

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Mar 07, 2011

Jeroen rated it:

One of a number of screenwriting books I have in my possession, bought in a time when I had a dream of becoming a screenwriter. It is no more or less useful than the others in this genre, though Syd Field is a teacher that many have turned to.

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Aug 21, 2009

Rayrumtum rated it:

This had a lot of great information on writing screenplays. Even if you just like to watch movies. there is a lot to learn. The sole negative is for a professional writer, he could have and should have brought the book in much shorter.

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Sep 15, 2011

Alshia rated it:

I dabbled (and researched) in screenwriting before I got back into novel writing and stumbled up Syd Field. I feel like I learned from the book and so to me, it was worth the money. What else can I say? It's an informative book.

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Jun 10, 2009

Sebastian rated it:

This book gave me a better insight on how to write a script and really helped me with the idea of "three act structure". It was very professional and the author knows a lot about what he is doing.

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Oct 02, 2010

Ty rated it:

If you need a quick review or preview of writing screenplays, this is a good book to start with. The proof is in the pudding. I am an avid library buff but, I bought this book.

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Nov 28, 2008

Roger rated it:

I know of only one other writer who comes even close in nailing down the Aristotelian principles of classical scrpt writing - and that's me!

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Mar 24, 2011

Heather rated it:

A good section on three act structure for my high school film students. Could be great but many of the references are for films they haven't seen...

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Apr 07, 2011

Patrick rated it:

Screenplay added depth to my understanding of plot structure, useful for all forms of writing and not just screenplays. Highly recommended.

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