Syd Field - The Screenwriters Problem Solver: How to Recognize, Identify, and Define Screenwriting Problems

Applause for Syd Field And his critically acclaimed books

FOUR SCREENPLAYS

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

J AMES L. B ROOKS , writer-director-producer, Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and The Simpsons

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

D EBORAH N EWMYER , Senior Vice President of Development, Amblin Entertainment

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

L INDA O BST , producer of The Fisher King and Sleepless in Seattle

Its a fascinating view into the most overlooked process of filmmaking.

M ICHAEL B ESMAN , Executive Vice President of Production, TriStar Pictures

One of the very best books I have read on movies and screenplays. Syd writes both with passion and an astute understanding I only wish hed written his chapter on Thelma & Louise before I started work on it because it would have made my contribution a lot better. But then, by reading Syds book I get the chance to carry some of the clarity he brings to a project forward into my future work.

H ANS Z IMMER , film composer, Thelma & Louise

SCREENPLAY

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

T ONY B ILL , coproducer of The Sting, director of My Bodyguard

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

New West

A much-needed book straightforward and informed facts and figures on markets, production details, layout of script, the nuts and bolts, are accurate and clear, and should be enormously helpful to novices.

Fade-in

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

Video

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

American Cinematographer

Full of common sense, an uncommon commodity.

Esquire

Impressive 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

SELLING A SCREENPLAY

Syd Field is the preeminent analyzer in the study of American screenplays. Incredibly, he manages to remain idealistic while tendering practical how to books.

J AMES L. B ROOKS , scriptwriter, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News

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.

D AVID K IRKPATRICK , producer, former head of Production, Paramount Pictures

A wonderful book that should be in every filmmakers library.

H OWARD K AZANJIAN , producer, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Return of the Jedi, More American Graffiti

A Special Thanks to:

Doug, Steve, Jim, Adam, Michael,
and all the others in my
Thursday-night class for their
continual help, encouragement, and
extraordinary insight;

To Trish Todd, who took what I had,
turned it inside out, and pointed
me in the right direction;

And to Jessie, Hugh, Steve, Gabriele, Mark,
and the rest of the staff at
the Writers Computer Store;

And, of course, to Aviva,
and the path weve
chosen to
follow together,

Grateful acknowledgment to the following: To Frank Darabont for The Shawshank Redemption; to David Koepp for letting me quote from Jurassic Park; to Quentin Tarantino for letting me quote from Pulp Fiction; to Lisa Chambers and Patricia Troy for letting me quote from the article Lethal Weapon from Written By, the Journal of the Writers Guild of America; to MDP Worldwide for granting me permission to discuss Loved.

And, a very special thanks to Jim Cameron and Will Wisher for their keen insight in Terminator 2: Judgment Day; to Jerry Bruckheimer for supporting my efforts to analyze Crimson Tide, to Alvin Sargent for his great insights, and to Doug, Cherry, and Joan for letting me pick apart and analyze their screenplays.