Screenplay: Writing the Picture

by Robin U. Russin, William M. Downs

This is a complete screenwriting course -- from developing a theme, researching a story, plotting and structuring a script, developing characters, and plying methods that aid the actual writing and rewriting processes to understanding the ins and outs of marketing and pitching scripts. Well-written, comprehensive, and filled with illustrative screenplay examples, both innovative and tried-and-true writing techniques, sage advice from veteran writers, and pertinent writing anecdotes, this one-of-a-kind screenwriting book will help both novices and working screenwriters to improve and sell their scripts.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Film, Media Tie In

424 pages, Paperback

First published August 13, 1999

Reviews

[Knyszard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Świetny zbiór wiedzy przydatnej przy pisaniu scenariuszy. Regularnie wracam i będę wracał do konkretnych fragmentów.

[Jason Luna · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the subtitle of this book implies, this book is about you writing a screenplay for a motion picture. It's not really a book about being read.

That being said, while all the bullet points are hit on what it takes to write a screenplay, it doesn't feel like it's either creating new ground in its approach, nor does its techniques directly motivate to write the script, don't lay the groundwork for your work.

It's nice to have some notes on genre, or format, but it often feels like more about the telling of what a movie or a script is (borderline bragging about how good a writer they are).

I said in my intro that this is not a book to be read, but isn't it fair to expect two published screenwriters to write with some cleverness of prose, some imagination in outline. Sure, one person wrote a Steven Seagal movie, one person wrote for the sitcom "Amen",

but this book seems to open rest on its laurels of being long and full of different things more than being a good book. Easily one of the worst on the scale of screenplay must haves, like "Save The Cat", "Story", and if you count William Goldman's two memoirs "Adventures In The Screen Trade" and "Which Lie Did I Tell?" (those books still offer better counsel in small doses than this one).

If you're new to screenwriting, this book won't hurt, and will give you new things to consider. But for a more learned reader, this solid but forgettable tome just seems kind of clumsy.

Obviously only read if you're really into screenwriting, no literary merit,

a "I feel like I'm being harsh" 3/5

[Morriah Lisowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

A professor in college recommended this book to me and I read it years back. I decided to reread it more recently and it's a great way to understand the structure and format of a script with helpful exercises if you're suffering from writer's block. A lot of great places to highlight and make notes. A lot of the advice is a bit outdated and I wish there was more time spent on the outline of a series compared to a feature length film but all in all a great refresher on structuring a script in terms of characters, narrative, and scene layout.

[anna maziarska · Rating 2 out of 5]

Całkiem porządna, mądra. Dotyczy głównie amerykańskiego rynku filmowego (czego sami autorzy nie kryją) i osadza się na popularnych tam schematach. Jednak masa literówek, brak korekty książki, przerwy między literami w środku słowa, urywane akapity sprawiły, że całość czytało się koszmarnie. A szkoda - bo sami autorzy podkreślali, jak istotne jest oddawanie dzieła bez błędów interpunkcyjnych, gramatycznych i ortograficznych, żeby nie zniechęcić potencjalnych czytelników i czytelniczek.

[Sean Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice text, well-written, good progression of information covering all aspects of screenwriting. Studying this form of writing is beneficial for fiction writing in learning to adhere to your story and keep things clear and concise.

[RONALD NENGERE · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best screenwriting books out there

[Melisa Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid guide for beginner.

[Zygger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Na rynek amerykanski spoko, do polskiego przydaloby sie pare poprawek ale i tak fajnie uklada podstawy

[T.J. Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the very best I have read (so far) on writing. Even if you never plan to write a screenplay, there is some extremely valuable information in here. I particularly liked how they related story elements to movies everyone knows. It goes into the details of writing a screenplay, but it also delves into characters development, plot, pacing and more. Really good.

[Jonathan O'Brien]

One of two top screenwriting books.

[Scott]

Another art of writing a screenplay book.

[Chanelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very easy to read and understand...especially for someone that has never planned to write a screenplay!

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Explains the craft in simple terms, while still being thorough and thought-provoking. Highly recommended for beginners.