Customer Rating:  
Summary: Cookie Cutter Movie Scripts
Comment: Ever wonder why so many movies are exactly the same. Blame this guy, he has his formula and every script needs to follow it or it is no good. I don't think so. The irony of this book is that the films he admires the most are the ones that don't follow his writing formula. The other thing that bothers me, is the book is all about drama's. There is little or nothing on action, sci-fi, comedy, westerns, animation. There are so few insights that I really felt this book was really more about the writers ego and the 'look how great I am' attitude than providing the real nuts and bolts that an aspiring film writer needs to know. I threw away his formula and guess what? See you at the movies!
Customer Rating:
Summary: A reasonable approach to story bandaiding
Comment: Syd Field is, of course, the master teacher when it comes to screenplay writing instruction and story theory. He has written many books about how to develop great characters and put them into an engaging story.
His book, The Screenwriter's Problem Solver, is an attempt to help writers work through story glitches by setting up common story problem scenarios and explaining how to iron them out. Though this book is good in principle, I didn't feel it helped me tremendously.
I have written many screenplays. I also watch and analyze many movies and stories. I think most of what this book teaches is pretty much known to the experienced screenwriter. Though, for a newbie to the craft, it might be a good read. I would recommend some of Field's other books, like Screenplay or The Screenwriter's Workbook.
Hope this helps.
-Craig Nybo, co-author of Total Human: The Complete Strength Training System
Customer Rating:
Summary: Problem solved
Comment: Syd Field writes about problems of screenwriting in such a way that every problem becomes a challenge and a new beginning. You lear to love your problems because they take you to the next level.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Very Helpful Guide for Screenplay Writers
Comment: My son references this book often when he has writer's block, is uncertain of film techniques & rules of practice, and when he needs a little creative inspiration. Extremely helpful, and easy to read for first-time writers!
Customer Rating:
Summary: FOR ANY STORYTELLER
Comment: Although written for screenwriters, Syd Field's The Screenwriter's Problem Solver is full of useful advice for any kind of storyteller; as a novelist in the middle of writing my next novel, I found Problem Solver very helpful. Unlike most screenwriting books, which are about building your story from the ground up, The Screenwriter's Problem Solver is for the writer with a story-in-progress, exploring the relationship among character, plot and structure, and how each fit into the whole story -- and ways to troubleshoot if one or more of these elements needs to be strengthened. Field draws examples from screenplays that worked (and those that didn't), with liberal examples from a variety of popular films, including The Shawshank Redemption, Thelma & Louise, Crimson Tide, How to Make an American Quilt and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The end result is a useful text for any storyteller wanting to build a better story.
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