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Summary: The screenwriting book you've been waiting for!
Review: Great properties are defined by, "Location, location, location." Great screenplays are defined by "Structure, structure, structure." Linda Cowgill's new book, SECRETS OF SCREENPLAY STRUCTURE, articulates the concepts of successful screenplay structure in a clear language, based on the study of great films from the thirties to present day. SECRETS OF SCREENPLAY STRUCTURE does not tell the reader how to write a screenplay, nor how to lay out structured paradigms to follow. It does, however, help writers understand how and why great films work as well as how great form and funciton can combine to bring a story alive. SECRETS OF SCREENPLAY STRUCTURE can be used in an interactive format if readers follow Cowgill's suggestions to view the recommended films on video before beginning each chapter. Ms. Cowgill includes many helpful anecdotes, insider strategies, as well as "do's" and "don'ts" which will help readers make their writing more professional and, therefore, more marketable. Linda Cowgill is the author of WRITING SHORT FILMS. She received her Masters in Screenwriting from UCLA after winning several screenwriting awards and fellowships. Ms. Cowgill resides in Los Angeles, California.
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Summary: Too Wordy
Review: Great stuff, but this book could have been half as long. I don't have it in front of me, but lines like "you have to intrigue your readers, listeners, or, in our case, viewers" are torture and they're found on every page. Just say "audience." If scripts have to be lean and relevant, why not books about them?It's a pretty good book, but it's too expensive. I need more value for my script procrastinating dollar.
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Summary: And here are three MORE reasons for buying this book...
Review: I agree with the observations of all the positive reviewers of this book. As an aspiring novelist, a psychologist, and a movie fan I can add three more: First, this book was tremendously helpful in writing my first novel. The points Cowgill makes about structure in film go beyond simple "how to do it" or "how to sell it" gimmicks, and leave you with a far better appreciation of how, and why, "structure" works in ANY medium, be it film, fiction, or even nonfiction. It's made all the difference in my own writing. Second, as a psychologist I liked both the general depth of her writing and her ability to demonstrate just HOW good structure affects the audience (Robt McKee does, too; his "Story" and this book comprise a great two-volume complete set on this stuff.) Third, as a movie fan, I'd give my greatest recommendation: literally every movie I've seen since reading this book, whether a new flick or an old favorite, has become a completely different and richer experience. If for no other reason, read her to increase your perceptiveness and appreciation of the films you see!
Rating:
Summary: And here are three MORE reasons for buying this book...
Review: I agree with the observations of all the positive reviewers of this book. As an aspiring novelist, a psychologist, and a movie fan I can add three more: First, this book was tremendously helpful in writing my first novel. The points Cowgill makes about structure in film go beyond simple "how to do it" or "how to sell it" gimmicks, and leave you with a far better appreciation of how, and why, "structure" works in ANY medium, be it film, fiction, or even nonfiction. It's made all the difference in my own writing. Second, as a psychologist I liked both the general depth of her writing and her ability to demonstrate just HOW good structure affects the audience (Robt McKee does, too; his "Story" and this book comprise a great two-volume complete set on this stuff.) Third, as a movie fan, I'd give my greatest recommendation: literally every movie I've seen since reading this book, whether a new flick or an old favorite, has become a completely different and richer experience. If for no other reason, read her to increase your perceptiveness and appreciation of the films you see!
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Summary: Packed with information, it's terrific, enlightening.
Review: I didn't think a book on feature screenwriting could contain so much information that is helpful, clear and new. This is a wonderful book, written in a clear style that doesn't tell you how to write a screenplay, but what goes into making a great screenplay. And instead of analysing the screenplays, which are often quite different from the films we see on the screen, she discusses the actual films in screenplay terms. Unlike many other books, this book is not filled with references to films no one has ever seen or the popular films everyone says they like, but they don't remember why. Instead, she has limited the number of reference films making for manageable and helpful examples. The films discussed were excellent (although I might lose some of those listed in the appendix). This book also has 2 meaty chapters on ENSEMBLE FILMS and NONLINEAR FILMS. I've yet to see another book that gives more than 2 or 3 pages on these topics. These 2 chapters alone are worth the price of the book. It's a must-read.
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Summary: A Great Find.
Review: I found this book incredibly helpful. It has concrete examples which I find make the difference in understanding. If like me, you are still trying to get a good handle on this whole, sometimes mysterious writing process, this is a great manual.
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Summary: The one screenwriter's book if you could pick only one.
Review: If you are a writer, and you need to understand the screenwriting genre fast, without confusion and at a high level, this is the book. I don't know what drew me, but I'm glad I picked it from the countless others available. If you want to write screenplays and you're not near a film school, or feel you need a good teacher to guide your through the beginner's minefield, this author's clear voice and uncommon understanding of the details that went into structuring the scripts of great films is a must. One of the best teaching books I've read on any subject.
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Summary: Go for it!
Review: It may seem academic by its blue cover but it covers all the bases and gives loads of helpful examples so that the oft-repeated principles of good screenwriting actually become comprehensible.
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Summary: BEST SCREENPLAY WRITING BOOK ON THE MARKET
Review: Linda Cowgill's Secrets of Screenplay Structure is the finest example of accessible scholarship I have ever read. (I say this as a UCLA Ph.D. in Comparative Literature). Not only is it evident that Cowgill is someone who has what it takes to write REAL screenplays with depth and intelligence (we need more of those!), it is clear that she also has the ability to take the best films apart--like swiss watches--and help us understand exactly what makes them tick. And like a swiss watch, Cowgill's book is exceptionally well put together. A listing of the titles of the 18 succinct chapters of Secrets of Screenplay Structure might help give an indication of the tremendous scope and depth of Cowgill's book, which analyzes and illustrates all of the major elements of story through film. Each chapter features a current or classic "study film," to illustrate its chapter's main points. The book is divided as follows: 1)The Essence of Dramatic Structure; 2)The Three-Part Nature of Screenplay Structure ("Witness"); 3) Five key Focal Points (focusing on the THREE-ACT structure and its segments) ("Risky Business"); 4)Characterization's Relationship to Structure--including the vital point of character development and its relationship to plot structure("Casablanca"); 5)Theme's Relationship to Structure ("The Piano"); 6)The Structure of Plotting ("Chinatown"); 7) Review, which includes detailing the mechanics of what characters WANT and what,in contradiction, they NEED ("Quiz Show"); 8)The Structure of Subplots ("Tootsie"); 9) Structure and the Ensemble Film ("Diner," "Parenthood," "The Best Years of Our Lives,"Grand Hotel"); 10) Structure and the Nonlinear Plot ("Citizen Kane" and others); 11)Building Momentum: Structuring Scene and Action Sequences ("The Last of the Mohicans"); 12) Openings and Main Exposition ("Jerry Maguire"); 13)The Middle--the Rising Action; ("North by Northwest") 14)The Main Climax and Resolution ("One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"); 15)The Structure of Planting and Payoff ("Groundhog Day"); 16)The Structure of Scenes ("Se7en"); 17)Dialogue ("It Happened One Night"); 18)The Subtext of Meaning ("Thelma and Louise"). Cowgill's study films are works that have been used as examples in many other current screenplay writing books. However, Cowgill presents these films with a fresh, exceptionally insightful perspective, never wavering from the point she wishes to teach through the films' specific examples. Her thought is ORGANIZED; her writing is exemplary: clear, concise, lively and engaging. I highly recommend Secrets of Screenplay Structure to new and established writers of any form of fiction. It is an elegant work of scholarship and practical advice by an artist in her own right. The only name that comes to mind right now who could pull off such dual and contradictory roles is that of T.S. Eliot. Carol Zapata-Whelan, Ph.D. California State University, Fresno
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Summary: Eye-opening, inspiring study...
Review: Ms. Cowgill's book is, simply, the most engaging screenwriting book I have read. At last, someone doesn't talk "around" screenwriting and bring up the occasional example; on the contrary, her book is one big example! By watching the study film in each chapter, you have an immediate point of reference where the concepts you just read about come alive on the screen and make complete sense in your head. I continue to read the various chapters over and over. Note: Some chapters tend to be repetitive, especially as she brings up plot structure in various chapters, but it doesn't harm the overall brilliance of this book.
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