By Patrick M
Syd Field's instructional guide Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting goes through anything and everything you need to know about how to write a screenplay. The book presents screenwriting as a step-by-step process on how to turn an idea into a finished script. Jumping all the way from basic plot and character structure to what to do after the screenplay is finished it really does cover it all. As well as being instructional, the book also features hundreds of examples from successful films both modern and classic.
The mission statement of the book is to make sure the reader knows how to write a screenplay for whenever he or she would feel so inclined. It lives up to this with flying colors. The instruction is both comprehensive and deep, offering many examples from films known and loved. I particularly appreciated the parts describing how to structure a story, as pacing my own screenplays had always been a messy process. After reading Field I feel fully prepared to write something fit for the screen and it has immensely improved my understanding of the craft.
The book operates on the basis that writing is easy and that the hard part is knowing what to write. Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting makes this true. It introduced me to aspects of screenwriting I had never considered while offering a depth of knowledge from existing films and a good deal of inspiration coming from quotes at the beginning of each chapter. After reading Field I feel truly prepared to put my stories into words once of course I figure them out. This book is an essential read for any aspiring screenwriter feeling lost, and probably good for those who aren't.
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