The Screenwriter's Bible: A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script
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
The Screenwriter's Bible 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 organizations, 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. The "Bible" was a featured selection of The Writer's Digest Book Club.
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Additional Product Information
- ISBN: 9781879505841
- Manufacturer:N/A
- Reviews: Read Reviews | Write a Review
460 ![]() 460 reviews |
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| From: Amazon Posted: Dec 10, 2007 Type: User Review |
It is what it says it is depending on what the meaning of is is.
I bought this book hoping to find out the basics of screenwriting in preparation for an upcoming college course. I was pleasantly suprized to find a comprehensive volume of information. Every aspect of writing AND selling a screenplay are...
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| From: Amazon Posted: Dec 05, 2007 Type: User Review |
A really good book to have
if you're just starting to write, having this book will be of immeasurable value to you.
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| From: Amazon Posted: Oct 13, 2007 Type: User Review |
I carry it with me on a daily basis.
Being a first time screenwriter, this has been absolutely priceless to me. I would highly recommend this to newbie's and people that have been doing it for a while. It's a must have.
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| From: Amazon Posted: Sep 23, 2007 Type: User Review |
warning
The book is full of good information butif in browsing it, you see the website www.clearstream.com and hope to find the promised additional help on line, forget it. That web site is owned by a German investment company (for the past year or so)....
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| From: Amazon Posted: Sep 21, 2007 Type: User Review |
Must have for screenwriters
IT gives you what you need to have a screenwriting foundation - especially the technical aspect.
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