Foundations of Screenwriting, Essay Example

This is by far, the most prolific book on screenplay writing in modern times. Syd Field has once again demonstrated his immense ability in writing a book that many observers think is indispensable in the film industry.  As defined, a sript as a document that shows behavioral,lingual, visual and aural, the writer makes this elements well understood and goes further to indicate why the are of utmost important in any writing. This is a book that meets the needs of all levels of script writers, beginning from the novices to the established Hollywood script writers.  In essence, he has taken trouble in giving a step-by-step process of proficient script writing (syd,2006).

For beginners, developing an idea around which the script will be build has been emphasized as the first step in the right direction. A successful movie should have a story-line that brings out a theme. This should act as the center of attraction that the audience can associate with.  It is with the idea in place that the writer can create a model. He emphasizes writer should should show their plays and not telling their story, it should be visual. This thus calls for creating characters that will attract audiences attention. The play should therefore have a theme that will be progressive and able to leave viewers with suspense of what could have happened. This, in practice is the paradigm that most professionals follow. Like other professions, film making tailors its raw ideas into reality through modeling. In this book, Field has stressed the importance of putting the best in the first ten pages but also keeping the fire burning up to the last page. It should not be lost that giving life to characters in any movie is a very central role of any writer. The kind of life and by extension the type of characterization that the players assume in the writer’s script determines the level of success of the play or movie (Wright, 2004). The characterization is a direct result of the dialogues present in the script. It is therefore very important that a writer worth his or her salt should be very creative and witty while developing conversations and dialogues in the play. Enticing dialogues are critical in creating better characterization, and the success of the movie largely depends on this.

The author has clearly illustrated how the lead character is brought into conflict, and step by step he has demonstrated how the conflict can be resolved through a series of scenes and plot points. Perhaps the introduction of excerpts from several screen-plays epitomizes the lengths to which Field has gone to bring a better understanding of his subject of discussion. The experts from Chinatown and Encounters of the Third kind have been successfully used to show how the writers built suspense while at the same time reveal conflict. Conflict having created, the author goes ahead to educate readers how it is eliminated through various plot points and twists (syd, 2004).

The book also answers a fundamental question that haunts most people. The concept of creating a movie from a novel has been a fascinating phenomenon.  A whole chapter is devoted to explaining the process that is used in the adaptation of a novel into a movie including safeguarding the rights of both the novel writer and the writer of the adaptation. It is worth mentioning that the book has exercises at the end of every chapter for the readers to test their level of understanding. Also present, is an overview of the available softwares for those technology savvy script writers. The writer being a Hollywood-insider gives his audience a taste of what the real Hollywood is and this helps to demystify the myths that are created through rumors. All in all this is a book that any aspiring script writer or even the most established can not afford to ignore (Ibid).

Work Cited

Field, Syd. The screenwriter’s workbook A Delta Book. New York: Delta Trade Paperbacks, 2006. The author comes out clearly in advising upcoming and existing screen writers on ways that need to be followed in order to eventually have a play that will sell to audience. He is a known writer in this field  and have good experience in this field. The book is very educative and guides even the beginners on how to come up with a selling play.

Field, Syd . Screenplay: the foundations of screenwriting. New York: Delta Trade Paperbacks, 2005. Author shows guidelines that need to be adhered to in writing a play that sells and interesting to the viewers. In the guidelines, relevant examples  are used  thus making it easier for people to understand the concepts and widen their thinking power. This book acts as a brain opener on how to win the audience.

Wright, Kate. Screenwriting is storytelling: creating an A-list screenplay that sells. New York: Perigee, 2004. The author demonstrates clearly step to step methods of creating a play that sells to the audience. He further explains into details the major importance  of having a good play and how one can use characters to make the play more demanded. The suspense is very well emphasized  and how one can create it in the play and ensure its timeliness.