Crafty Screenwriting: Writing Movies That Get Made

by Alex Epstein

The most innovative and creative screenwriting book yet, from an author who knows first-hand what it takes to get a movie made.

Based on an award-winning website hailed as "smart enough for professional screenwriters and accessible enough for aspiring screenwriters", Crafty Screenwriting is the first book not only to offer a successful screenwriter's tricks of the trade, but to explain what development executives really mean when they complain that the "dialogue is flat," or "the hero isn't likeable." Fresh, provocative, and funny, Alex Epstein diagnoses problem that other screenwriting books barely address, and answers questions they rarely ask, like "Why is it sometimes dangerous to know your characters too well before you start writing," or "Why does your script have to be so much better than the awful pictures that get made every day?" As a development executive who has accepted and rejected countless screenplays, and a produced screenwriter himself, Epstein can take you into the heart of the most important question of "Is this a movie?" A crucial book for anyone who has ever wondered what it takes to get their movie made.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Film, Reference

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2002

About the author

A native New Yorker, Alex Epstein studied Computer Science and English at Yale University. After a year in Paris, he studied filmmaking at the University of California, Los Angeles in the School of Theatre, Film and Television, finishing with an MFA.

Throughout the 1990s, Epstein worked in the motion picture industry as a development executive. His first book, Crafty Screenwriting, came out of his experiences developing movies.

Epstein moved to Montreal in 2000 and began his career as a professional screenwriter. He co-created the comedy series Naked Josh, which ran for three seasons, and co-wrote the hit buddy cop comedy Bon Cop / Bad Cop. He is also the Narrative Director of the video games Contrast and We Happy Few.

Epstein lives in Montreal's Old Port with his wife, Lisa Hunter (author of The Intrepid Art Collector) and his two children.

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this isn't the first book you read about writing a script, it ought to be the second. The author has very pointed and practical advice about all of the phases of the process of getting a script actually made into a movie. He starts with the concept (the hook) and follows it all the way through to the rewrite and then shopping it around. Every step focuses on making sure that the script you have will capture the attention of a producer that will pay money to make it.

[Marsena Adams-Dufresne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of all the screenwriting books I've read, this is the most sensible and useful. Epstein writes with humor and humility. I would highly recommend this book to anyone attempting a screenplay.

[Ana GLdeC · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not usually a fan of the "How to..." books, but Alex Epstein is definitely in another category. The information this author provides is useful, full of various tips I have not found on the internet, and his prose is not boring to read as many other books that make you feel like you're reading a very long manual. He does have a very particular sense of humor and conversational tone that makes you feel you're listening to him in person and not reading.
This book does focus on the importance of the process of writing a good script, going over every single step in detail. He also provides several examples of different films we've all definitely know of, and doesn't use vocabulary or terms that would result or pretentious or incomprehensible.
In "Crafty Screenwriting", the author also explains how the whole business for screenwriters work: how to submit your screenplay, what to expect from a pitch, how agents and editors choose the scripts, etc. Even if you're not thinking that far ahead in your writing progress just yet, it does result useful and informative to know about these things.
If you are an aspiring writer as myself, who cannot say has had an extensive preparation or experience with scripts, "Crafty Screenwriting" should definitely be part of your reading list in this very moment. I dare to say it's probably one of the best screenwriting books out there.

[Pauline Butcher Bird · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book despite writing a stage play rather than film script. I found lots of useful advice in it, eg

What is each character risking in your story,
what are the three obstacles each faces,
that a story might have a main character drawing one moral and a secondary character drawing an entirely different moral,
try to make each scene tell a truth about the theme, all the main characters should in some way reflect the theme,
you want bad luck for the hero, and good luck for the anti-hero.
The bad guys get all the lucky breaks. If the villain makes mistakes, they are forced errors because the hero is harrying him right and left and he blows his cool.
The hero should come up with a clever solution that would work in our world
Hero and beloved should not get along until the final scene - or not
Characters need to be opposites. If the hero's mainly intellectual, then the heroine should be mainly physical so they get on each others nerves but also so each can do something the other can't. He's practical but uncontrollable, she's romantic but controlled.
Make a secondary character strong rather than weak so they can give your hero a maximum of trouble. If they can't be strong, they should be devious or mysterious.
What makes a character feel real is specific, unusual details that the audience couldn't predict.

Hope that whets your appetite.

[Arpit Srivastava · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a great book which tells you step by step process of making a film from the development stage to the selling and copyright stage and also includes how to bind the script and present it manually and digitally. Covers all the aspects and is fun and short. Most importantly, at least it has scriptwriting in it to show examples for god's sake.
Got a lot to learn and pretty interesting as a read. Informative as hell and everything makes sense and the writer has a point stated for every point of his own.
Recommended!

[Erin Konarski · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hated reading a vast majority of this book. It's probably because most of the concepts weren't new to me, but it's probably also because this book is a product of its time and the industry (and the language we use to describe human beings) is a little different today.

[Jason Prugar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great tips from a former exec, who knows why certain scripts get made. As a writer as well, he sees both sides.

[Liv Mello · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books on screenwriting. I appreciated his no-bullshit advice.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book nicely dispenses with the hard dictum of the screen craft that you must adhere to the template of the three-act structure. After all Shakespeare wrote five act plays. What the book offers is an insider's voice full of suggestions to make your script work. For example, don't put a coincidence at the end of the story, it must come at the beginning if at all, before the audience can rationalize away the contrivance. So I stop and think about that. I will order this from the book factory and keep reading. Also a tv script need be only 93 pages, versus a feature length film script at 110pp. That is by my calculation one hour and fifty minutes of film. Already way too long to sit for a movie unless you are engrossed. What they do to your script is just add scenes, and rarely take out scenes in the shooting process. But by that time the writer is already in the Azores writing their next script. Lots of good info here.

[Peggy Bechko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book by Alex Epstein on Screenwriting. Alex was formerly a development executive and has plenty of real life experience - lots on which to base tips on writing screenplays that will get optioned, and produced. Great addition to your writing library. Oh, and don't forget to make good use of all that helpful guidance and info.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad addition for the aspiring screenwriter. A bit too wry for me at times, and also, it is quite outdated, from 2002. I recommend Save the Cat! for really innovative plot structure breakdown but this novel's got lots of the basics covered.