Screenplay
The Foundations of Screenwriting
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Screenplay
Buy Now for $26.99
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Narrated by:
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Eric Michael Summerer
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By:
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Syd Field
About this listen
Hollywood's script guru teaches you how to write a screenplay in "the 'bible' of screenwriting" (The New York Times)—now celebrating forty years of screenwriting success!
Syd Field's books on the essential structure of emotionally satisfying screenplays have ignited lucrative careers in film and television since 1979. In this revised edition of his premiere guide, the underpinnings of successful onscreen narratives are revealed in clear and encouraging language that will remain wise and practical as long as audiences watch stories unfold visually—from hand-held devices to IMAX to virtual reality . . . and whatever comes next.
As the first person to articulate common structural elements unique to successful movies, celebrated producer, lecturer, teacher and bestselling author Syd Field has gifted us a classic text. From concept to character, from opening scene to finished script, here are fundamental guidelines to help all screenwriters—novices and Oscar-winners—hone their craft and sell their work.
In Screenplay, Syd Field can help you discover:
- Why the first ten pages of every script are crucial to keeping professional readers' interest
- How to visually "grab" these influential readers from page one, word one
- Why structure and character are the basic components of all narrative screenplays
- How to adapt a novel, a play, or an article into a saleable script
- Tips on protecting your work—three ways to establish legal ownership of screenplays
- Vital insights on writing authentic dialogue, crafting memorable characters, building strong yet flexible storylines (form, not formula), overcoming writer's block, and much more
Syd Field is revered as the original master of screenplay story structure, and this guide continues to be the industry's gold standard for learning the foundations of screenwriting.
Narrated by Eric Summerer. Produced and published by Echo Point Books & Media, an independent bookseller in Brattleboro, Vermont.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2018 Syd Field (P)2024 Echo Point Books & Media, LLCThat said, there are a few things that grated on me. Without exaggeration, more than an hour of this audiobook is spent reading the screenplay for Chinatown. Field clearly adores it — it’s his benchmark for perfect screenwriting — but hearing long stretches of screenplay read aloud doesn’t translate well to audio. If you haven’t seen the film, it’s hard to follow, and even if you have, it becomes tedious. I happened to be driving during that section, and it filled an entire hour-long journey.
There’s also quite a bit of repetition throughout the book — the same excerpts and examples reappear, and I occasionally thought the recording had skipped. It hadn’t; he just revisited favourite scenes again and again.
Some of the dated references also stand out, particularly his comments about “housewives” and domestic expectations — reminders of the book’s original era more than anything else.
Still, it’s a valuable listen. Field knows his stuff, and when he’s focused on the principles of structure and storytelling, he’s excellent. I just wish he’d spent more time teaching the craft — and a little less time in Chinatown.
The narrator, for what it’s worth, does a great job.
Insightful classic but with far too much Chinatown
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