''Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting'' is a non-fiction book and filmmaking guide written by
Syd Field
Sydney Alvin Field (December 19, 1935November 17, 2013) was an American author and speaker who wrote several books on screenwriting, the first being '' Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting'' (Dell Publishing, 1979). He led workshops and s ...
. First published in 1979, ''Screenplay'' covers the art and craft of screenwriting. Considered a bestseller shortly after its release, to date it has sold millions of copies. It has served as a reference for
Judd Apatow
Judd Apatow (; born December 6, 1967) is an American comedian, director, producer, and screenwriter, best known for his work in comedy and drama films. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he produced and directed the films ' ...
,
James Cameron,
Frank Darabont
Frank Árpád Darabont (born Ferenc Árpád Darabont, January 28, 1959) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. In his early career, he was primarily a s ...
,
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1997–2006) and for creating the ...
and many other professional screenwriters. Now translated into more than a dozen languages, ''Screenplay'' is considered the "bible" of the screenwriting craft.
Overview
''Screenplay'' is noted as the first book to identify the
''three-act screenplay model''.
At the heart of Field's explanation of how his screenplay model worked was ''the paradigm''.
The Paradigm
In the book, Field outlines the
paradigm to which he says most successful screenplays adhere. In Field's view, successful screenplays are made up of three distinct divisions. He calls these ''setup'', ''confrontation'', and ''resolution'', and each of them appears in its own act within a screenplay.
* Act I contains the setup. It is approximately the first quarter of a screenplay, and reveals the main character, premise, and situation of the story.
* Act II contains the confrontation. It lasts for the next two quarters of the screenplay, and clearly defines the main goal of the
protagonist.
* Act III contains the resolution. This is the final quarter of the screenplay. This answers the question as to whether or not the main character succeeded in his or her goal.
Between each of these acts, the paradigm states that there is a ''
plot point
In television and film, a plot point is any incident, episode, or event that "hooks" into the action and spins it around into another direction.
Noted screenwriting teacher Syd Field discusses plot points in his paradigm
In science and philoso ...
''—an event that spins the plot into a new direction, and transitions into a new act of the screenplay.
Reception
* After selling millions of copies, the book is credited with starting the "how-to-write-a-movie-script industry."
* ''Screenplay'' is used in more than 400 colleges and universities worldwide.
* Filmmaker
Judd Apatow
Judd Apatow (; born December 6, 1967) is an American comedian, director, producer, and screenwriter, best known for his work in comedy and drama films. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he produced and directed the films ' ...
said, "Whenever I write a screenplay, I take out his book and reread it...to see if I screwed anything up."
See also
*
Three-act structure
*
Dramatic structure
Dramatic structure (also known as dramaturgical structure) is the structure of a dramatic work such as a book, play, or film. There are different kinds of dramatic structures worldwide which have been hypothesized by critics, writers and schola ...
References
Books about film
Handbooks and manuals
1979 non-fiction books
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