The Definitive Guide To Screenwriting

The Definitive Guide to Screenwriting

By Syd Field

Book Review

In a perhaps misguided attempt to become the most magnificent screenwriter the world has ever seen, I have recently bought a screenwriting manual. Up until now I have tentatively attempted to write scripts but always felt as though I was writing in the dark. There are only so many times a man can enter unexpectedly with a gun before that method of injecting excitement draws attention to itself, and the room becomes full (besides which, it feels at odds with the overall style of my Mother Teresa biopic). Syd Field's “The Definitive Guide to Screenwriting” can hopefully cure my script of these problems, and tell me how many times my main character can use the f-word before the movie is denied a PG rating.

Syd Field is a well known screenwriting teacher, who, besides holding workshops has authored several books on the craft, including the one which lies dog-eared on my desk. The cover, in typical hyperbole, quotes him as being “The Guru of all screenwriters”. So, after rubbing the book magic lamp-style with no joy, I decided to read it to see what he could do for me.

The style of the book is easy to read. Its written in a conversational tone, though there are convenient problem sheets (little boxes containing frequent screenwriting errors) dotted throughout the chapters. Field does his best to provide pointers to counteract these problems, and is mostly successful. Sometimes though, his advice falls short of helping, or even motivating the reader. For instance, he does have some good ideas on how to improve the clarity and effectiveness of dialogue, but one of his assertions is that some people are just good at fabricating words for their characters. Oh well, never mind then, back to my job at the video shop.

Field introduces the three act structure of a screenplay early on. At its most basic, its this; act one, set up story and character, act two, create obstacles between your character and their goal, act three, tie up all the loose ends and resolve the plot. When first explained, the system seems like a straightjacket waiting to subdue the talents (such as they may be) of any budding writer. The advantages of using the system though, are twofold. First, the movie business being as formulaic as it is, you won't have a hope of getting any script you write made if it doesn't stick at least semi-rigidly to the archetype supplied. Also, the structure has the benefit of adding, well, structure to any attempted script, providing a series of waypoints which should help fledgling writers produce a screenplay that will attract positive attention from more than close friends and family.

If you decide to buy the book, which you should if you're in any way serious about improving your output, please do one thing. Open it and flip to the page after the titles. Here you will find a list of all of the movies referenced in the book. Before turning to page one, immediately buy/rent (or download) and watch all of the movies on this page which you haven't seen. You have no idea how many movies Field ruins throughout the course of the book, and there are a few classics such as Chinatown which *gasp* I haven't seen, nor now very much want to.

The main drawback of any book like this is that instructions will only take a writer so far. In writing, like most any endeavour, it’s the urge to keep on trying that really leads to success. Writing is mostly a learn by doing experience. Sometimes you hit on the good stuff straight away, but you mostly find out what works purely by Holmesian process of elimination, which I presume becomes sharper the more you write.

Writing down helpful hints as I read, I came away with five A4 pages of notes, which isn't a lot, if you consider that the book weighs in at 387 pages. The book is a good start for any aspiring screenwriter, but don't expect it to wave a magic wand over your writing. Now, back to my screenplay. I've decided to add a sassy robot sidekick for Mother Teresa in order to give my script some conflict. Hollywood, here I come!

6.5/10