The Elements of Screenwriting

Rating:
Summary: An excellent guide for writers.
Review: Although the title would seem to aim this book at a specialized market, this is in fact an excellent guide for writers in all markets. The theme of the book is that a well-written story will be much easier to sell than a poorly written one. The majority of the book is devoted to guidelines for plot and character development in the context of the specialized requirements of film and television. Many of the directions in the book are applicable to writing aimed at a wide variety of markets. There are several useful examples of actual scripts and other industry-specific forms that serve as bluprints for the aspiring film and television writer. There are also examples of synopsis and treatments as they are used in the industry. The second half of the book is devoted to the mechanics of the visual entertainment industry and how the script and writer fit in. The appendices deal with the Writers Guild and include an agency list. This book is a must-have for the aspiring film and television writer.

Rating:
Summary: Not Just for Scriptwriters
Review: This is a small, compact book at a relatively cheap price, but its contents is priceless. It covers everything a scriptwriter needs to know (and any writer for that matter!), including conflict, dialogue, setting, and so on. The chapter on dialogue alone makes this book worth every cent. If you're a writer of any genre, or a budding scriptwriter, this is the one book you must get before spending hundreds of dollars on other books which don't deliver. By the way, Blacker taught scriptwriting to people who became very succesful scriptwriting (Back to The Future writer). Get it and you'll never look back!