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Four Screenplays: Studies in the American Screenplay
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About Four Screenplays: Studies In The American Screenplay
Product Description Understanding how and why screenplays work is one of the surest paths to writing your own successful script. Few people have known this better than Syd Field, who dissected thousands of films and screenplays in order to discern the vital elements that all great screenplays share. His books, lectures, workshops, and classes brought clarity and confidence to a great many accomplished screenwriters, a quartet of whom are featured in this one book: Callie Khouri, in her first film script - Thelma & Louise - rewrote the rules for road movies by challenging long-entrenched gender stereotypes to create a revolutionary American classic. James Cameron, writer/director of Avatar and Titanic, is also responsible for Terminator 2: Judgement Day, in which he crafted a sequel integrating innovative special effects and storyline that transformed the Terminator - a quintessential killing machine - into a sympathetic character. This is how spectacular action films are written. Ted Tally adapted Thomas Harris' chilling 350-page bestseller, The Silence of the Lambs, into a riveting 120-page script - a critical lesson in the specialized art and craft of adapting novels for film. Michael Blake, in Dances with Wolves, achieved every writer's dream as he translated his own epic novel into an uncompromising film. Learn how he leveraged the theme of transformation as a spiritual dynamic in this memorable work of mythic sweep. Informative and utterly engrossing, Four Screenplays belongs in every writer's library, next to Field's highly acclaimed companion volumes: Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting, The Screenwriter's Workbook, The Screenwriter's Problem Solver and Selling a Screenplay. From Library Journal What does it take to write a great script? You'll find the answer here, in the latest of Field's critically acclaimed books on the subject of screenwriting (e.g., Selling a Screenplay, LJ 10/1/89). This time he tackles four box office behemoths, explaining what makes these films work and why. In discussing Thelma and Louise, Terminator 2, The Silence of the Lambs, and Dances with Wolves, Field focuses on structure, characters, and story. His interviews with the films' screenwriters are of particular interest. Whether you're a James B. Cameron wannabe or just a fan of the silver screen, this is Field's masterpiece and a required purchase for all film collections. Marty D. Evensvold, Magnolia P.L., Tex. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. Review “I based Like Water for Chocolate on what I learned in Syd's books. Before, I always felt structure imprisoned me, but what I learned was structrure really freed me to focus on the story.” —Laura Esquivel “If I were writing screenplays . . . I would carry Syd Field around in my back pocket wherever I went.” —Steven Bochco, writer/producer/director, L.A. Law, Hill Street Blues From the Publisher In a field being transformed by technology, Syd Field shows you what works and why and how to find new ways to create a truly outstanding film using four extraordinary examples: Thelma & Louise, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, The Silence Of The Lambs, and Dances With Wolves. "I based Like Water For Chocolate on what I learned in Syd's books. Before, I always felt structure imprisoned me, but what I learned was structure really freed me to focus on the story." -- Laura Esquivel From the Author Screenwriting is a craft that occasionally rises to the level of an art. Like film, it is a unique and special form that is constantly shifting and changing, mirroring the needs and concerns of our time. As a result, each generation brings a new eye and a new sensibility to the screenplay. The screenplay is a unique form; it is neither novel nor play but combines elements of both. A screenplay is a story told with pictures in dialogue and description placed within the context of dramatic structure. Structure is the foundation of all screenwriting
