Syd Field - Screenplay. The Foundations of Screenwriting

Table of Contents

To all those who went before
and to all those who follow ...
and
To the great Siddha Saints and Masters
who lit the flame and keep the fire burning ...

PRAISE FOR SYD FIELD

[Syd Field is] the most sought-after screenwriting teacher in the world.

Hollywood Reporter

Syd Field is the preeminent analyzer in the study of American screenplays.

JAMES L. BROOKS, Academy Awardwinning writer, director, producer

I based Like Water for Chocolate on what I learned in Syds books. Before, I always felt structure imprisoned me, but what I learned was structure really freed me to focus on the story.

LAURA ESQUIVEL, writer, Like Water for Chocolate

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

STEVEN BOCHCO, writer/producer/director, NYPD Blue

Syd Fields book[s] have been the Bible and Talmud for a generation of budding screenwriters.

Salon.com

SCREENPLAY:
The Foundations of Screenwriting

Screenplay is one of the bibles of the film trade and has launched many a would-be screenwriter on the road to Hollywood.

Library Journal

[Syd Field is the] guru of would-be screenwriters.... Screenplay is their bestselling bible.

Los Angeles Herald Examiner

Full of common sense, an uncommon commodity.

Esquire

Quite simply the only manual to be taken seriously by aspiring screenwriters.

TONY BILL, Academy Awardwinning producer, director

Impressive because of its rare combinations: a technical book, apparently mechanically sound, thats quite personable and lively and also seems to care about us, about our doing things right and making good. His easy-to-follow, step-by-step approaches are comforting and his emphasis on right attitude and motivation is uplifting.

Los Angeles Times Book Review

A much-needed book.

FRANK PIERSON, Academy Awardwinning screenwriter; president, Writers Guild of America, West

The basics of the craft in terms simple enough to enable any beginner to develop an idea into a submittable script.

American Cinematographer

A much-needed book ... straightforward and informed ... accurate and clear, and should be enormously helpful to novices.

Fade-In

The complete primer, a step-by-step guide from the first glimmer of an idea to marketing the finished script.

New West

Experienced advice on story development, creation and definition of characters, structure of action, and direction of participants. Easy-to-follow guidelines and a commonsense approach mark this highly useful manual.

Video

Great advice for screenwriters. I always tell young writers to pick up Screenplay and read it right awaythen either embrace it or rebel against it, but itll certainly get your mind turning in the right ways.

DAVID KOEPP, award-winning writer, director, Spider-Man, Secret Window, War of the Worlds

THE SCREENWRITERS WORKBOOK:
Exercises and Step-by-Step Instruction for Creating
a Successful Screenplay

One of the standards in the industry.

Amazon.com

SELLING A SCREENPLAY:
The Screenwriters Guide to Hollywood

A wonderful book that should be in every filmmakers library.

HOWARD KAZANJIAN, producer, Raiders of the Lost Ark,
Return of the Jedi, Demolition Man

An informative, engaging look at the inside of the dream factory. This is a terrific aid for screenwriters who are trying to gain insight into the Hollywood system.

DAVID KIRKPATRICK, producer, former head of Paramount Pictures

FOUR SCREENPLAYS:
Studies in American Screenplay

A book that writers will stand in line for and studio executives will Xerox.

JAMES L. BROOKS, Academy Awardwinning writer, director, producer

What does it take to write a great script? Youll find the answer here.... This is Fields masterpiece and a required purchase for all film collections.

Library Journal

A first-rate analysis of why good screenplays work: a virtual must for aspiring screenwriters.

LINDA OBST, producer, How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days,
Sleepless in Seattle

A fascinating view into the most overlooked process of filmmaking.

MICHAEL BESMAN, producer, About Schmidt

Theory comes alive with this hands-on approach to what makes four great screenplays tick.

DEBORAH JELIN NEWMYER, producer, executive vice president,
Amblin Entertainment

Four Screenplays is not only Syd Fields most instructive book ... its the most fun to read.

ANNA HAMILTON PHELAN, screenwriter, Girl, Interrupted

One of the very best books I have read on movies or screenplays. Syd writes both with passion and an astute understanding.

HANS ZIMMER, film composer, Gladiator,
The Last Samurai, Thelma & Louise

THE SCREENWRITERS PROBLEM SOLVER:
How to Recognize, Identify, and Define Screenwriting Problems

Whatever your problem, screenwriting guru Syd Field can help.

Amazon.com

GOING TO THE MOVIES:
A Personal Journey Through Four Decades of Modern Film

The master teacher of screenplay writing ... reveals himself to be a true Hollywood character. No one sees films quite the way Field does.... An original thinker worth appreciating.

Kirkus Reviews

Although cloaked in modesty, his illuminating, consistently entertaining memoir displays enough wit, intelligence and empathy to inspire a host of great films.

Publishers Weekly

Syd Field knows movies inside and out, and this, his most personal book yet, is charming, warmhearted, and very wise. Grab some popcorn, sit back and share some big-screen magic with the master.

TED TALLY, Academy Awardwinning screenwriter,
The Silence of the Lambs

What really makes this book is how well he conducts us on his journey... [and] his true love for the movies.

Booklist

Those of us whove wondered why Syd would devote himself to raising the bar for screenwriting now learn whya lifelong and passionate love for movies and filmmaking.

MARC NORMAN, Academy Awardwinning screenwriter,
Shakespeare in Love

A fascinating journey through thirty years of moviegoingasking the question we all ask: What makes a movie work? and finding the answers.

FAY KANIN, former president,
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Field forges new pathways into understanding the transforming powers of the screenplay. In this insightful testament to film craft, Fields influence on generations of film devotees represents a climate of opinion, respected and imitated. Nothing is more rare.

JAMES RAGAN, director, Professional Writing Program,
University of Southern California

Fields passion for cinema shines throughout.

Library Journal

Syd Field has spent a lifetime seeking answers to what makes a great movie. Now he shares his own remarkable story about the movies and the legendary filmmakers who inspired his extraordinary career.