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The Definitive Guide to Screenwriting
 
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The Definitive Guide to Screenwriting (Paperback)

by Syd Field (Author)
3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
RRP: £14.99
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Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee

The Definitive Guide to Screenwriting + Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting
Price For Both: £23.97

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Product details

  • Paperback: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Ebury Press (7 Aug 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0091890276
  • ISBN-13: 978-0091890278
  • Product Dimensions: 23 x 15.2 x 3.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 268,788 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #60 in  Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Film > Guides & Reference > Guides for Film-makers
    #88 in  Books > Poetry, Drama & Criticism > Drama > Film & Television Screenplays
    #88 in  Books > Music, Stage & Screen > Film > Film & TV Scripts

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Product Description

Review

'The most sought after screenwriting teacher in the world', Hollywood Reporter .'Impressive...His easy-to-follow, step-by-step approaches are comforting and his emphasis on right attitude and motivation is uplifting', LA Times Book Review


Steven Bocho, writer/producer/director LA Law and NYPD Blue

"If I were writing screenplays...I would carry Syd Field around in my back pocket wherever I went"
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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
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 (1)
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Average Customer Review
3.3 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The best screenwriting book I have read yet!, 10 Sep 2003
Syd Field is a respected individual in Hollywood - His knowledge is indespensible for people who want to break into this type of work - If you're a writer who wants to write great stuff but also want to correct any past errors or bad writing habbits then this is a great book - Its completely in depth and covers the screenwriting process from start to finish - Syd writes in an easy informative way while also being very entertaining and giving classic Hollywood movie examples - The book is nearly 400 pages long and a worthy purchase for any screenwriter (Amateur or professional.). Its like a complete screenwriting course in book format.
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7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars The definitive guide to writing cliches, 26 Feb 2005
By A Customer
After hearing about Syd Field, I read "The Definitive Guide", and feel compelled to warn people away.

While at times some the advice he offers is useful, such as the "After it's written" chapter, other's reduce the art of screenwriting to an ill-thought out formula. His whole notion of "Plot Points", and the delusion they always occur at two places is ridiculuous.

But the worst thing about the book is that it will force its readers to produce cliches; example: I couldn't believe it when he advised giving your protagonist a pet to make them a more interesting character. Other parts of the book are mildly interesting, but he neither truly understands the art nor knows how to teach its principles.

How on earth Syd Field has gained such a reputation is beyond me. In my opinion, next to Aristotle's Poetics, the truly definitive duide to Screenwriting is a book which recognises not only the Art of Screenwriting, but also the wonders that are stories in general - Robert McKee's "Story".

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Proof in the pudding!, 25 Jul 2007
Syd Field's book contains some usefull pointers, however you could outline the jist of this in ten pages. His rules are there to be broken, yeah its good to know them but sticking rigidly to them makes for a formulaic movie.
After reading this book I wondered about Syd Field's credentials so I looked him up on the internet. Turns out Syd has "Collaborated" on two movies; White Palace and City of Joy. I can't comment on them as I have never seen either but Its hardly a prolific or particularly succesful output from the supposed "guru of screenwriters".
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for beginners
This book is far from perfect, but it answers the questions that most beginning screenwriters will have: where do I start, which steps do I have to take and how can I fit it all... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Roberto Henrique

5.0 out of 5 stars Read it, then read it again!
Syd Field was recommended to me by my screenwriting lecturer as probably the most comprehensive and best guide to screenwriting around. Read more
Published on 26 Feb 2007 by Max

1.0 out of 5 stars Repetitive. Repetitive. Repetitive. Did i mention...
After trawling through numerous screenwriting books in the shop (sorry amazon, it was waterstone's), I finally decieded to plump for the one with the quotation "the guru of all... Read more
Published on 5 Feb 2007 by A. Howard

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive guide to screenwriting
I picked this book up with a skpetical mind, afterall screenwriting is a creative process how can it be sum-ed up in a book? Read more
Published on 12 Sep 2006 by Frank

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