"Have you ever wondered what a screenwriter is and how one writes for the screen?"

Have you ever wondered what a screenwriter is and how one writes for the screen?

Prior to my reading this book I had no idea how a screenwriter went about practicing his craft. In all honesty the only knowledge I had of screenwriters is their name flashing on either a movie screen or a television screen. Who are these writers, what do they do, how do they write for the screen? All of these questions are very effectively dealt with in The Complete Idiot's Guide to Screenwriting authored by Skip Press.

Skip Press may not be a household name, however, he has had extensive experience in many forms of media such as radio, television, screen, stage, CD and the World Wide Web. He was also a Silver Medal Winner at the New York International Film Festival.

The guide is written in a crisp clear style that cuts away all of the fat and gets right down to the fundamental elements of effective screen writing.

As soon as you open the book you are presented with a tear out reference card outlining the ten mistakes made by the novice screenwriter: lack of knowledge of the history of drama and filmmaking, how does Hollywood work, ignorance of Hollywood tradition, not writing from derivative material, not understanding core demographics of movie going audiences, screen plays that are not properly formatted, misunderstanding concepts of conflict of sex and violence, ignorance of the Hollywood vocabulary, ignorance of screenplay structure and failure to rewrite until it is acceptable.

With these ten topics or building blocks in mind the author, as he states, "endeavours to furnish the reader with a blueprint in order to build a cinematic world." In other words, if you are going to write a screenplay, here are the materials needed in order that it will be read and accepted and eventually may perhaps thrill us all.

The topics are divided into five distinct sections: the evolution of storytelling, what to write, how to write the screenplay, post-script possibilities and it's all in the details.

Each chapter is preceded with a short outline indicating exactly what the author intends to convey to the reader. This is followed by the actual explanation of each of the concepts and ending with a resumé the author calls "the least you need to know."

For example, if you refer to the history of screenwriting section we are presented with a brief synopsis of what the Greeks, Romans, Christians and Italians contributed and why it is very important to understand their contributions. We are then presented with a more in depth study of these contributions and finally what we should try to remember when we are using the information in our screenwriting.

To liven up the information and as an added feature there are sidebars sprinkled throughout each chapter giving us various tips and interesting Hollywood tidbits. For example," Chekhov believed that if you had a gun hanging over a fireplace, the gun should be used during the play. If it is not used, don't write it in. Such attention to detail goes a long way in writing screenplays."

No doubt the book is meant as an instructive manual for the aspiring screenwriter. However, it will also prove very useful for those of us who wish to have a better understanding as to how the movies are written and accepted by the producers and directors.

"Copyright 2002, Bookideas.com. Orginally published at Bookideas.com"

Reviewed by Norman Goldman
Courtesy Bookideas
Posted June 20, 2002

Summary

This guide is for anyone who has ever thought of screenwriting. Written by someone who has "been there, done that," and lived to tell the tale, it reveals the most popular genres, explains how stories need to be structured for feature films and TV movies, offers the freshest look at workshops and online classes, and disusses how to set up a step-by-step path to success.