Product Description: This is six books in one. Book 1 - A screenwriting primer that provides a concise presentation of screenwriting basics. Book 2 - A workbook that walks the writer through the writing process, from nascent ideas through revisions. Book 3 - A formatting guide that presents correct formats for both screenplays and TV scripts. Book 4 - A spec writing guide that demonstrates today's spec style through sample scenes and analysis. Book 5 - A sales and marketing guide that presents proven strategies to help you create a laser-sharp marketing plan. Book 6 - A resource guide that provides addresses and contacts for industry organisations, schools, publications, support groups, services, contests, etc. Among its wealth of practical information are sample query letters, useful worksheets and checklists, hundreds of examples, sample scenes, and straightforward explanations of screenwriting fundamentals.
Amazon.com Review: How does a spec script differ from a shooting script? What kind of fasteners should one use to bind a script? How did the term MOS come to mean without sound? You'll find the answers to these pressing questions and much more in David Trottier's eminently usable Screenwriter's Bible. The avuncular Trottier--a writer-producer, script consultant, and seminar leader--has written a friendly guide through the Hollywood morass. He touts it as six books in one: it's "a screenwriting primer, a screenwriting workbook, a formatting guide, a spec writing guide, a sales and marketing guide, [and] a resource guide."
Much of Trottier's advice is common sense: "Don't write anything that cannot appear on the screen"; to keep casting options open, don't make your physical descriptions too specific; "don't say Ron Howard is looking at the project if he is not." But there are things to know about Hollywood that are, well, quirkier. Don't write the title of your script on the front cover or side binding; present action sequences using the "stacking action" style; in query letters and scripts alike, avoid "big blocks of black ink." Trottier's guidance--from character development and revision to queries and pitches--is invaluable. Getting in the door can seem impossible, but it's not, necessarily. "If you write a script that features a character who has a clear and specific goal," says Trottier, "where there is strong opposition to that goal leading to a crisis and an emotionally satisfying ending, your script will automatically find itself in the upper five percent."
(By the way, MOS is said to have "originated with German director Eric von Stroheim, who would tell his crew, 'Ve'll shoot dis mid out sound'"). --Jane Steinberg
MUST buy for every beginner I have read at least 10 screenwriting books before and while I was writing my first script. without a doubt this one helped me the most
If you want to write a screenplay - this book is all you really need.
GREAT BOOK FOR BEGINNERS!! I'm very new to screenwriting. I like the step by step guide and instructions the book gives. I just purchased the book a few weeks ago and I'm already working on my draft. This is a great book for beginners I would recommend to anyone!!
The Only Book You Need Whenever someone asks which book they should buy to learn about screenwriting, I always say The Screenwriter's Bible. It is the book that helped me break into the business and I cannot recommend another.
Let's face it. If you know how to tell a story then you're half way there. If you don't know how to tell a story then this book isn't going to help at all. This book is about structure and fine tuning your skills. It isn't about helping Joey Wannabe become a million dollar screenwriter even though he has never written one word in his life.
If you have the chops and you want to know what the industry is looking for in a screenplay (speaking of course about format) then this is the book for you. Don't waste your time with another book.
Valuable and Clear Guide to the Art & Craft of Creating a Screenplay The Screenwriter's Bible is more than advice, more than a compendium of rules and directions. This book breaks down the art and step-by-step process of writing a screenplay that works and has a chance of success in the market. What are the plot elements? What goes into making good characters, how are they created, and how do they work in a script? What is the step-by-step process, and how does it all come together? And when it's all done, how is the product formatted (right down to preferred fonts), how does one find and work with an agent, and how is it sold?
All this is in The Screenwriter's Bible, the information related with enthusiasm (and the insight of a professional) by David Trottier. Ever wondered how a script proceeds from idea to finished product to movie? This is a fascinating account of that process. Want to try your hand at it yourself (or are you already a screenwriter who would like some good insight into your craft)? This book is definitely something you want to check out.
Worth many times the price!
a must for new screenwriters I learned a lot from this book about screenwriting. I don't have the time or space to elaborate but if you want to be a screenwriter this is a very wise investment.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
