Screenwriting books
As I work on my own mexploitation screenplay, I’m reading some screenwriting books. I’ve read some before, and I think I have a good idea of how structure works, etc., but it’s good to review. I got two of the most essential books a while back, Syd Field’s Screenplay and Robert McKee’s Story. Screenplay is perhaps most known for being the first text to formalize modern three act structure, when it was first published in the late Seventies. Story, on the other hand, is quite a bit newer, and has a more artistic, less formulaic approach. Both contain good information on screenwriting, I can say that much.
But if you’re looking for an enjoyable read with good prose and eloquence, stay away from Screenplay. It’s a pretty horrible text, full of overstretched metaphors (that are repeated almost verbatim several times), bombastic proclamations, not to mention misspellings and other problems. Story, on the other hand, is very well written, and McKee obviously has a passion for the craft. He’s also much more inclusive in his approach, which might appease those who have misgivings about “learning to write” in general.