Hey world, One of my friends has decided she wants to start a career as a screenwriter and is currently applying to film school (fingers crossed). Her birthday is coming up and I am looking for some books that would give her some good food for thought. The only real book I know about is "Save The Cat" however I was hoping for a few more suggestions. She's really into ScFi so if anyone knows a good book that covers the art of writing good Scfi that would be amazing! I did google around and check amazon but the problem is most books off a generic search have very few reviews so I was hoping some of the more seasoned professionals online could recommend a good book? I'm a bit stuck with my search so any help would be absolutely amazing!!! PS: i'm open to any good gifts for a screenwriter so if you know of something really obvious that every writer must have please suggest.
Screenwriting : Gift advice by Alexandre Ross
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Three suggestions 1) Screenplay, The Foundations of Screenwriting by Syd Field. 2) Story by Robert McKee. 3) The Screenwriter's Bible by David Trottier. They've all got useful info and advice, but none should be taken for gospel or seen as a single way to write.
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"Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy" by Analog and Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine Probably the best book for a writer starting out wanting to pursue that topic. It's not screenplay centric by any means, but I've always appreciated the way it breaks down story layout and character development.
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"The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters " http://www.amazon.com/The-Habits-Highly-Successful-Screenwriters/dp/1580...
Nah, I think 2 hours worth of Brian Koppelman Vines would get her further.... He's true professional and more encouraging! (and he even suggests some good books in these vines!) https://vine.co/briankoppelman
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Every spec writer should have a copy of David Tottier's - The Screenwriter's Bible to learn correct formatting.
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Screenwriter's Problem Solver by Syd Field is another helpful guide!
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Very true Elle. I like to peruse Internet Movie Script Database. http://www.imsdb.com
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You might take a look at Dan O'Bannon's Guide to Screenplay Structure, by O'Bannon with Matt R Lohr. He covers all the "systems" from Aristotle to McKee, then chimes in with his own revelations. A fun read too.
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Scripts on the internet are good but the formatting varies and the shooting scripts are misleading plus free scripts from the web does not make a very nice gift.
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Ha, ha, true! Unless you take her fave movie and print it out!
Look up J. Michael Straczynski's Complete Book of Scriptwriting. It might be dated, but for a sci-fi fan it could be fun.
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WOW! you guys are awesome! Thanks so much for the recommendations. at this rate I'll have her covered for xmas as well ha ha! Anthony - All 3 books look top notch and I agree with you that she needs to find her own style but that comes in time. Elle - big thanks on the tips I also like the ideas of pens and index cards very simple but helpful. Dustin - This is probably gonna be the best one for her as she love scfi so much so thanks for the tip although looks like I might have to order that one in. Lisa- Thanks sounds very interesting also the Vine stuff is just amazing ha ha Alle- Solid advice thanks :) Pierre - Cheers dude been mentioned a few times def adding this to the basket. Ralph - cheers mate found a few reviews and it looks very good. Shelly - Awesome thanks for the tip :) Think thats everyone? Thanks for all the replies i owe you all one you guys rock!
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Hey something else that's fun.... I get a lot of screenwriting T-shirts, cups and other items at Cafe Press! http://www.cafepress.com/+screenwriter+gifts
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Hey, I like those, Lisa.
Making a Good Script Great Linda Seger
'Writing Screenplays That Sell' by Michael Hauge is at the top of my list. There are also DVDs available at The Writer's Store if she responds to the lecture experience: http://www.writersstore.com/dvds-audio/screenwriting-dvds/ I also agree with Elle on 'Your Screenplay Sucks! 100 Ways To Make It Great' by William M. Akers. ~ I know scores of people love 'Save The Cat'. I read it and it's okay, but I can't recommend a book written by the same guy who wrote two of the worst movies in cinematic history: 'Blank Check' and 'Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot'. The book is also too rigid in places (Snyder insists that the inciting incident MUST happen precisely on page 12, which isn't true). It also strays from the three-act structure and makes its own rules. 'Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting' by Syd Field is good, but I found the information repetitive and it felt a little scattered in places -- the subjects jump around a little too much for my taste.
John Truby's 'Anatomy of Story' goes deeper than most.
Hero's Journey: google Joseph Campbell, Christopher Vogler and Kal Bashir