Video Editing Books

If you are thinking of enrolling in a film school to study how to write scripts, GET THIS BOOK FIRST. You might save a lot of money. This book has everything. It's easy to read. I wish I'd found this book before wasting tons of money on U*LA.

Screenwriters Bible?

This is what your girl friend would give you in her return visit from the library; she would "make you a tape"; she would go to the library, get a whole bunch of things that have the label "screenwriting" and shove them in this little file when she heard your going to be screenwriting.

I honestly thought that this thing would be a large book that deals exclusively with script format.

The truth is that this guy basically went to the Screenwriters section in a library, tore out a whole bunch of pages from everything he could get his hands on and shoved it into this little book.

It is everything and nothing at all.

Sorry. If you dont have access to many things as is, if you dont have access to a library, a book store, the internet, if you are in the Amazon Jungle where no signs of life exist for hundreds of miles, then this might be the best book out there.

If you are truly void of all resources,
cannot get your hands on anything in regards to Screenwriting,
this collage of snipets from everything under the sun might be for you.

One of the most useless books out there. (But then again, so are most screenwriting books).

Not the best for Format. Thats for sure.

This book is most helpful on formatting tips, story arc and how things look on a screenplay. That aside the book isn't entirely necessary because of screenplay writing programs such as Final Draft or Screenwriter which tackle the formatting and appearance issues so the writer doesn't have to. Also, don't take a lot of the advice and "rules" Trottier gives and lays out too seriously or set-in-stone because it's all coming from a guy who hasn't sold a single screenplay all his own. He's a teacher and the old saying, "those who can't do, teach," definitely applies to this guy. If you want to learn the screenwriting craft, reading this book certainly does not hurt one bit; so, pick it up and draw your own conclusions.

I've read a few books on screenwritng and I find this this book just as helpful as the others. It's fun, and puts the prospective writer at ease. Well worth reading and doing the homework. Now get that screenplay written and stop just reading about :)

THE SCREENWRITER'S BIBLE, in one volume, comprises six substantial guidebooks:

Book I: How to Write a Screenplay--A Primer;
Book II: 7 Steps to a Stunning Script--A Workbook;
Book III: Proper Formatting Technique--A Style Guide;
Book IV: Writing & Revising Your Breakthrough--A Script Consultant's View.
Book V: How to Sell Your Script--A Marketing Plan;
Book VI: Resources and General Index.

The book's large format 386 pages, eleven by eight-and-a-half inch, would equal more than 600 pages in the more common format of nine by six inch.

Book I: How to Write a Screenplay. Aptly subtitled a primer, this book presents a compact introduction to screenwriting. In particular, Trottier focuses on the three-act structure with six key turning or plot points: the catalyst; the big event; the pinch (or midpoint); the crisis (low point); the showdown; the realization. Throughout, the author includes examples from well-known films.

Book II: 7 Steps to a Stunning Script. This workbook includes 25 checkpoint lists and a character/action grid - highly useful in constructing the screenplay.

Book III: Proper Formatting Technique--A Style Guide. "The spec script is the selling script, sometimes called the writer's draft. You write it with the idea of selling it later or circulating it as a sample. Once it is sold and goes into pre-production, it will be transformed into a shooting script, also known as the production draft. The spec-script style avoids camera angles, editing directions, and technical intrusions" (page 114). This book convinced me to use the author's software "Dr Format" instead of "Final Draft." To illustrate formatting a spec script, Trottier includes his humorous three-page script "The Perspicacious Professor." I have enrolled in his online Formatting course.

Book IV: Writing & Revising Your Breakthrough--A Script Consultant's View. In this book the author includes tips on "how to direct the camera without using camera directions" and exercises based on his clients' scripts to instruct the reader on how to revise to current spec writing style.

Book V: How to Sell Your Script--A Marketing Plan. In addition to numerous suggestions on marketing, Trottier cautions the screenwriter to protect your work. "Registering one's copyright and displaying the copyright notice on the script's title page is no longer seen as something done by paranoid writers." In this book I learned that Writers Guild of America will register one-page synopsis, longer treatments, as well as draft(s) of a screenplay.

Book VI: Resources and General Index. This book comprises several lists containing "carefully selected entries." I promptly looked up the first entry: "Updates to The Screenwriter's Bible" on the author's website [...] and found a useful tip on formatting as well as revisions on one of the exercises in Book IV. Presumably these changes will be included in the next edition.

Five shining stars to this book.

I hadn't read Monkey Wrench Gang for 15+ years, and I don't know why, but back then I kind of blew it off. Re-reading it really surprised me. It may even be more timely now than then. Peabody Coal's descendants continue to rape the West(and anywhere else they can get their hands on), land is gobbled up for yuppie hives, planned communities, and SCD's(suburban cluster developments). While I don't totally agree with the Eco-Warrior ethos, Monkey Wrench Gang really got me thinking, and I've started renewing my old acquaintance with Ed Abbey, Wallace Stegner, & someone I've never lost touch with, Ivan Doig. Oh, by the way, this book was a serious page-turner....my vitals were elevated for quite a few pages.

The book on amazon was cheaper than at my college bookstore and local bookstores. Brand new, came in time, and all together fantastic service, plus the free shipping was nice.

I received a pre-publication copy of The Monkey Wrench Gang at an American Booksellers Convention and took it home, along with a lot of other freebies. A few weeks later, my teenage son said to me, "Mom, you have GOT TO READ THIS BOOK!" This was 30 years ago. I read it then, and I have read it at least once a year since then, so that the characters have become my good friends. I love this book, and over the years I have given copies to many people. I grew to love Ed Abbey, too, through biographies about him, and I wept and grieved at his death.

Yes, buy this book and see for yourself!

The story is fun, though, especially if you're familiar with the remote desert of Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. The dialogue was really terrible at times and the characters were interesting but strained credulity. The meat of the story is the landscape and the political implications of the tale. This book would make a perfect read on a backpacking trip in the Glen Canyon Wilderness area.

Fast-paced tale of anarchy and revolt against the destruction of the natural beauty and majesty of the American West. Funny at times and always gripping, this book is also disturbing in that it provides perhaps too much "how-to" information and could be dangerous in the wrong hands. Mr. Abbey's point is well made, though, and graphically brought home through his excellent descriptive powers of the West that Was vs. the West that Is Becoming. His deep love for nature and pain for its degradation are evident in every syllable of his writing.

I was referred, by a professional screenwriter, to read this book. Making of a Good Script by Linda Seger is a must read for all screenwriters.
Back from the Bardo: Three Short Stories by James Cage

If so, you will love this book. As someone who reads all the books I can on screenwriting over and over as I write, I find this book invaluable. What separates it from the others? The chapters on subplots and scenes really help. I also have found Rob Tobin's book, John Truby's course, Kate Wright's book, Blake Snyder's book, Michael Hauge and Chris Vogler's DVD/books instruction to be helpful. These books don't just tell you to reveal character and move the story forward; they show you how.

Linda Seger teaches or taught script writing at some school somewhere. She loves to tell you this in her book. I don't think she actually ever wrote any movies in her life that I can tell. According to the Internet Movie Database she was listed under Miscellaneous Crew in the "Never Ending Story II: The Next Chapter". Not exactly a block buster. So I think she should work a little harder on her craft. My guess is that she has made more money teaching and writing about movies than actually writing a movie. She is listed as script consultant in some random movies I've never heard of. Probably worth the $3 I paid used but not much more. Here's a tip for the author. Go write a movie we've heard of and then write a book.

Reading a screenwriting book by Dr. Linda Seger is like taking a hundred meetings with Hollywood's best writers and directors, and listening in as Seger helps them mold their stories and scripts into a hit. Seger's experiences are vast, and she's generous with her advice, which is smart, visual, commercial, and practical. If you do what she says, your chances at selling and getting your screenplay made are tremendously magnified. Making a Good Script Great, for instance, is one of those books that every screenwriter should read (again-and-again) before starting the next project. A good screenplay is complex and sophisticated, but must read simply, easily, and enjoyably. The task is a multifaceted, intense, and long-suffering. Seger, however, provides the chisels and rouges to take your diamond in the rough, sharpen its edges, and polish its faces, until your script gleams and sparkles like a Hollywood star.

Linda's writing was helpful in the writing of my own book on screenwriting published by Michael Wiese Productions -- THE MORAL PREMISE: Harnessing Virtue and Vice for Box Office Success.

This book offers some good insight. This 'is' about "Making a Good Script Great" as the title says, so it's not for someone looking for a starting guide. For those people, I would reccomend "Lew Hunters Screenwriting 101."

I must warn, that the book references 'Witness' allot. So if you haven't seen it, see it. And see Ghostbusters too!

Overall though, this guide is one of the few that actually delivers, and is a quick and easy read.

-Matt

I've read many writing books and this is one that works for any type of writing. With this book, you can write a script or at least a decent rough draft in 21 days. I took a month and was able to do two drafts. One by hand and the other when I transferred the draft to computer. The author's warm and encouraging voice along with the way she breaks the task of writing a longer work are extremely helpful and motivating. I'd recommend this excellent, easy to read text to any of my writer friends and plan to use it in any workshop I give related to writing a script, novel or even a longer short story. The system she provides really works and has lots of application to any genre.
Terrific doesn't cover it.

This book is the perfect guide to not just screen writing, but also writing in general. In contains exercises of finding and getting to know your characters. The 21 days are well planned and will keep you busy. It's helped me create a realistic plot with realistic characters.

Don't let the size of this book fool you, there is a lot of valuable knowledge locked within its covers. This book leads you along the landmarks of a good film to create the structured path that Hollywood loves. This book helped me to write 2 screenplays that went on to make it into the final rounds of 6 screenwriting competitions. I didn't write them in 21 days, but I did finish them and receive a lot of praise.

HOW TO WRITE A MOVIE IN 21 DAYS take the complete novice to a level of competency I never thought possible from a single book. It is clear, concise and very readable. It is must reading for anyone who wants to learn how screenplays get done. Master the contents of this book before reading any other book on screenwriting. After reading this book and applying its contents, I did not read the Screenwriting for Dummies book I bought because I already had all the skills and information I needed on the subject.

The book does a good job of going over the common blocks to finishing a screenplay and how to overcome them. I love the writing prompts.

I was not able to write a screenplay in 21 days, and the reason is that I did not follow her prompts time line or her suggestion to keep to a random draft (instead of putting all the details and craftmanship later on). However, I did get through the first act and should be done with my random draft soon.

This is a motivating book with lots of useful information. Just be sure to do everything else to help yourself finish what you start: join a screenwriter's group, read screenplays in the genre you are attempting to write, watch movies, go to theater, listen to music, go to the art gallery, exercise, etc.)

Break a leg:)

This is my second purchase of this series. I work with quite a few photos and found Richard Harrington's suggestions to be extremely helpful. The book provides insights that I haven't found elsewhere. This book is for those new to working with Photoshop for video as well as more seasoned users.

I bought this book since I'm studying motion graphics and compositing/visual effects at college and my Photoshop knowledge isn't quite at the level I'd like it to be. The nice thing about this book is the techniques are all geared towards those using PS for video related work - an excellent resource and a good companion book to "Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects" by Chris and Trish Meyer...

As an "old school" Avid editor from big post houses, Photoshop was used for simple titles and the rest went to the graphics department or our hands were slapped.

The book only goes through the usefulness and purpose of nearly all Photoshop tools and their relevancy to video. It has tutorials showing all common video uses from cutting out photos, lower thirds, backgrounds, creating elements for motion graphics programs like After Effects, uses of masks and alpha channels and the many ways you can create them depending on circumstance and content. In addition, the book points out some of the differences with different versions of Photoshop so you can work through aspects even if you haven't updated to CS3 yet.

The accompanying DVD not only includes all the elements needed to complete each task, there's also supplemental "Podcasts" in which Richard Harrington actually SHOWS you how to do many of the key aspects of each tutorial.

This is a must have book for video editors who must now do it all since Photoshop is the Swiss Army Knife of video graphics.

I have been in multimedia for 5 years and is always learning. I like the fact that i don't know everything!
This book is a must for anyone in multimedia and graphic design.

I found this book to be very informative with plenty of step by step tutorials. I think beginners as well as experienced photoshop uers will find this book very handy. I keep it on my bookshelf as a handy reference.

This book has a wealth of information for the inexperienced and beginner, film editer, or anyone who is looking for a good book on the subject. I have found it to be very helpful, as I am still learning how to do professional editing!

This is NOT a "how to" book for what some students may be looking for, but it is however, the best book I've read on the "ART" of editing. Insightful and well written, it helped me to really understand when to make a cut that works and when to avoid those that don't work. I would recommend it to all my friends who are editors.

This book was required reading for my editing film class in LA. I had little editing experience and needed a book to improve my editing. THIS BOOK IMPROVED MY EDITING by 200%!!! I learned where, when, how, and why to make a cut, dissolve, etc. I learned something new in every chapter and highlighted lots!!!

P.S. This book is clear, concise, and easy to read.

One frame out of place can make all the difference. This book gives you the tools you'll need to approach editing like the pro's. "Blink of an Eye" is mandatory reading at the NW Film Centers' School of Film in Portland, OR... it's that good.

This book was a required reading for my national university on-line class in digital video editing. The book is a short read that can be accomplished in two sittings. I read the second part of the book on digital editing first, as I have been editing for the past 10 years and have made the leap from analog to digital, myself. Murch relates the changes from a professional's point of view. He compares analog versus digital editing He outlines how the workflow of the editor and, indeed, the whole industry, as filmmaking is such a collaborative art, is changing due to the inevitable transition to a totally digital medium. I read the first part of the book next. Smartly, this saved the best for last as his most profound advice for editing is contained in the middle of the text, at the end of part one. Here he explains a moment in editing when he understood the essence of his editing choices on a particular movie, thus revealing the title of the book. This is a gem of a read for anyone interested in the working mind of a seasoned editor. I recommend it to film fans, students, and anyone interested in getting into the industry professionally.

Well, Skip Press has done it once more...written a very good descriptive plan for any potential screenwriter to follow. Although he does conflict with a few other similar writers, it's hard to knock his accomplishments. This is an excellent book, easily recommended.

What I want to know is, who is the complete idiot of the title? The author or me? After reading THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO SCREENWRITING, I'm not sure. It is not a complete guide, that's for sure. The author introduces a variety of components and considerations but explores none in depth.

The strengths of the book: before he gets to what and how goes on paper, Press insists that the reader go back to storytelling boot camp and read Aristotle's POETICS and Joseph Campbell's HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES. He also recommends a number of other resources, including books, websites, organizations and software that can prove helpful.

The weaknesses: the reader whose mission is to learn correct formatting will be frustrated to find that such nuts and bolts information does not really get underway until half way into the book, and should be warned that it is merely an introduction, not exhaustive. While suggesting that there are many ways to offend Hollywood with how a script is formatted or bound, Press waffles on exact rules. Most of his reasoning and support evidence come from half invoked anecdotes that are vague enough to keep him out of the YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO EAT LUNCH IN THIS TOWN AGAIN fire. When he does name names, the stories are very old news, even to those who do not watch "Entertainment Tonight!" In the format of the Complete Idiot's series, the pages are littered with sidebars that distract from the text without providing much more than the author's usual "I know a guy" stories. Typos are a presence.

So, this is what I know as a result of reading this book: my idea is right on, but I am too old, live too far from Hollywood, and don't know anyone there to make it count. I still have no specifics on what Press has scripted that has made it to the big screen. I do know he has written other books on the topic because he promotes them shamelessly.

there is information in it which is undispensible like many websites listed offering newsletters and stuff like that. Not only for the beginner it's helpful but also for an advanced screenwriter. Of course, one should read other books about creative- and screenwriting - as many as possible, in order to help structure ones phantasy. But this still is the one I always come back to when in need of substantial information. It offers for example a simple structere to put a screenplay in the right format, although I would recommend one of the software programs with additional advantages - but - it is not necessary for a beginner. The advice regarding this item (of many others) in Skip Press's book is sufficient for the time when one starts - and this is much more than many other books offer.

Skip Press does an excellant job in not only educating you on the process of writing, but in inspiring you to look beyond conventions. I found it easy to follow and entertaining (a first!) and refer to it often. I recommend this book to anyone seriously considering a career in screenwriting!

Have you ever wondered what a screenwriter is and how one writes for the screen?

Prior to my reading this book I had no idea how a screenwriter went about practicing his craft. In all honesty the only knowledge I had of screenwriters is their name flashing on either a movie screen or a television screen. Who are these writers, what do they do, how do they write for the screen? All of these questions are very effectively dealt with in The Complete Idiot's Guide to Screenwriting authored by Skip Press.
Skip Press may not be a household name, however, he has had extensive experience in many forms of media such as radio, television, screen, stage, CD and the World Wide Web. He was also a Silver Medal Winner at the New York International Film Festival.

The guide is written in a crisp clear style that cuts away all of the fat and gets right down to the fundamental elements of effective screen writing.

As soon as you open the book you are presented with a tear out reference card outlining the ten mistakes made by the novice screenwriter: lack of knowledge of the history of drama and filmmaking, how does Hollywood work, ignorance of Hollywood tradition, not writing from derivative material, not understanding core demographics of movie going audiences, screen plays that are not properly formatted, misunderstanding concepts of conflict of sex and violence, ignorance of the Hollywood vocabulary, ignorance of screenplay structure and failure to rewrite until it is acceptable.

With these ten topics or building blocks in mind the author, as he states, "endeavours to furnish the reader with a blueprint in order to build a cinematic world." In other words, if you are going to write a screenplay, here are the materials needed in order that it will be read and accepted and eventually may perhaps thrill us all.

The topics are divided into five distinct sections: the evolution of storytelling, what to write, how to write the screenplay, post-script possibilities and it's all in the details.

Each chapter is preceded with a short outline indicating exactly what the author intends to convey to the reader. This is followed by the actual explanation of each of the concepts and ending with a resumé the author calls "the least you need to know."

For example, if you refer to the history of screenwriting section we are presented with a brief synopsis of what the Greeks, Romans, Christians and Italians contributed and why it is very important to understand their contributions. We are then presented with a more in depth study of these contributions and finally what we should try to remember when we are using the information in our screenwriting.

To liven up the information and as an added feature there are sidebars sprinkled throughout each chapter giving us various tips and interesting Hollywood tidbits. For example," Chekhov believed that if you had a gun hanging over a fireplace, the gun should be used during the play. If it is not used, don't write it in. Such attention to detail goes a long way in writing screenplays."

No doubt the book is meant as an instructive manual for the aspiring screenwriter. However, it will also prove very useful for those of us who wish to have a better understanding as to how the movies are written and accepted by the producers and directors.

(...)

In short 178 pages Michael Rubin covers the essentials of making home videos. This is a book for beginners. It follows a structure (and approach) smilar to an English composition college course - Rubin teaches techniques (types of shots, as you would cover paragraph structure), but also fundamental stylistic considerations (movies ,not unlike Enlgish compositions, must have structure, e.g. beginning, middle and an end).

There is much I liked about the book:

(1) Comprehensive - covers everything a novice would need (a) products (out of date - see below), (b) camcorder handling technique, (c) shooting techniques and (d) editing

(2) Less product covereage; more focus on techniques - spends almost no time on discussion regarding camcorder choice (which seems to be the area where most other similar book allocate too much attention) .

Thechniques are described in detail and author's views are clearly argumented.

For example, chapter 3 "Shooting" introduces camera holding techniques, gives Rubin's summary 11 rules of shooting and covers major techniques:
(a) structure - beginning, middle and ending shots; close-up, medium, large shots;
(b) coverage - establishing shots, over the shoulder shots, cut-away shots.

Or, Chapter 6, Editing, provides the following brakdown of approximate time required for postproduction of 20 min of material:
- 20min capturing the material on computer
- 45min creating the "first cut"
- 30min recutting and trimming
- 15 minutes creating titles and effects
- 10 min finalizing

(3) Clearly expressed opinnions - Rubin is not afraid to articulate his position (the market is otherwise full of "decriptive" books whose authors are afraid from taking a point of view).

For example, regarding close-ups, Rubin states, "...because your camera's viewfinder and LCD are so small, there is a real tendency to shoot everything too close...when you are shooting someone's face, don't be afraid of cutting off the top of their head. It's the eyes, not the head, that make for a powerful close-up of a person."

(4) Rubin is an able teache - and he teaches substance, not just technique, which is to say - he suggest a style of thinking while making movies.

For example, here is how Rubin puts forward his idea that making movies is what he calls, "shooting to edit" - "Shooting to edit involves nonlinear thinking - tha is, thinking "out of order". The last shot you make may turn out to be your opening shot..."

(5) Practical examples and exercises - Rubin illustrates with pictures many of his ideas (I would have loved a cideo-CD with the book). He also suggests exercises. For example - shooting at a dog park, so that one fine-tunes techniques (such as allowing subjects to "exit" the frame).


I also have a concern (or two) about the book:

(1) Technical material is dated - the book is published in 2002 and largely focuses on discussion of tape-based camcorders. There is no discussion of high definition videos.

(2) Limited additional information - a CD/video CD or web-site supplied with the book would have been nice. While illustrations (in black and white) in the book are OK, real video examples will have been useful.

All-in-all, this an excellent book for beginners.

This can by no stretch of the imagination be considered a comprehensive guide to digital video. It cannot even be considered an adequate "operator's manual". It serves a much different purpose. It helps one who knows nothing or practically nothing to get started, to learn the right questions to ask and to determine if this is really a field of interest after all. For those purposes, it is excellent.

In addition to some very basic general priniciples, this book also contains a lot of practical advice and entry level explanation. Why is time code important? Why should tapes be logged? What is the best way to capture the kids' birthday party and not completely bore everyone? Each of these questions, and others, is important but their importance may not seem at all obvious to a beginner. This book answers question like that so that people who will take this hobby further will get started on the right track.

The place I see this book as particularly valuable is for someone considering the purchase of video equipment. It will provide insight as to what is involved. Someone who has already bought some expnesive equipment might be better served by a book that is a bit more advanced.

My home videos are better already because of this book! This book is not necessarily aimed at the pros, but at the amateur who wants to make better home videos. The information and tips are excellent, but some of the writing style could have used editing.

This is NOT a book for those people who already know and practice video making skills. It is an excellent book for the person with little or no introductory knowledge of digital video however.

Great book for beginners. Demonstrates everything from shooting the video to editing on the computer. The author covers nearly every video editing program available.

This book focuses on creating small projects. The book provides exercises that help you get going. They demonstrate what you should try, as well as what you should not try.

This is not a lengthy book. You will probably get through the entire book in a few days. But it is great to refer back to as you begin your own video projects.

this really isn't the best guide for documentary filmmaking. especially if your goal is to create an independent project. i wanted a "step 1, step 2. step 3..." guide. this was not it. also, the author's bias is toward behavioral documentaries, for profit.

I took a two week documentary filmmaking course recently and this book was our text. The majority of the class had no prior experience with making a movie of any sort so this book became our life. I felt it was very easy to comprehend and gave ALOT of great advice. For those who did have experience in filmmaking, which included shooting, editing, and distrubution, this was a refresher for them. Overall I'd say it was a great reference book to rely on.

I found this book extremely useful and does as it claims-- covers all aspects of documentary production. Although written intially before NLE, it has adequately been updated to cover NLE. I found the planning part very useful but had to make my own notes to organize the author's thoughts. Otherwise would have deserved 4 stars.

great book for his main points regarding the style and elements one should have in the documentary, mostly revolvong around the point of not having too many 'talking head' interviews and 'showing' the point more,,, the book isn't relevant at all regarding technologies, however, as it seems to be written before 1998 or so,,, but it's probably helpful to see everything from the past,,,
overall a great book, i think, for someone like me who is just starting out and doesn't know where to begin,, this book definitely has given me a great idea of the directions i want to be heading in,

If you have absolutely no experience whatsoever in writing to tell a story, filmaking, photojournalism, videography or communicating in any significant way, this book will be helpful if you're suddenly called upon to produce a documentary film or video.

The advice given here is very basic and really doesn't have all that much to do with making a documentary. For example, Hampe describes the roles of the people who might be found on a typical documentary crew, such as the scriptwriter and camera operator. In sum, this is really a book that describes the entire process of creating a documentary from coming up with an idea, capitalizing it, putting a crew together and so on. It really is for someone who has absolutely no experience whatsoever - and while there are many people who may dream of making a documentary, this book will not provide them with the experience they actually need.

The book is also increasingly outdated. Almost all of the technology Hampe describes for lighting, capturing images and sound, editing has been superceded.

The good thing about the book is that it is thorough: Hampe really does cover every step. But its odd that a book on documentary and reality video creation has not a single illustration. Very strange. Another thing in Hampe's favor is his writing style. Except for way too much patting himself on the back for his own work, Hampe writes in a clear manner.

Overall, this is a quick read and useful to those who have no experience whatsoever with the film making process, but have dreams of making documentaries. This book will not really teach you anything about actually making a documentary, but it does an okay job of describing the process.

Jerry

Hi all,

I am a seven time award winning moviemaker with two features to my credit. Many moons ago, before I became a screenwriter, I read quite a number of books about breaking into the "biz." All of the information was vague, overwhelming, lacked focus and a straightforward strategy that I desperately needed. To make matter worse they even peppered their information with limiting beliefs about why you would never be able to break into writing for the big screen unless you lived in LA, etc.

It was truly disheartening and I was about to give up the dream when I found Michael's book. It was a revelation. Here was a guy in the know, dashing all the stereotypical myth's, while presenting his material in a clear and concise manner. I finally had a winning strategy. I jumped into writing and was rewarded with seeing my stories come to life on the big screen. What a high!

If you want the dream, or you need a refresher course, then buy this book.

Steven Kahler
Moviemaker

I'll go straight to the point: the part on character creation and development is worth all the books published about the subject in the last twenty years. The simple-straightforward-logical method displayed here is simply unbeatable.

This is really an old book, but don't make the mistake to think of it as outdated. Sure, it's kind of weird read things as "recent films like Rambo" but all the eighties movies that he mentions and uses as practical examples are totally time tested.

Also, I would pay its full price for the single analysis of The Karate Kid included. Laugh if you want. I'm sure you will learn a lot.

A final thought: There are two kinds of "how-to" books. The ones that should be called "how-should" (yeah, that ones that tell you how a good script should look judging by the subsequent movie, i can do that too) and real "how-to's", that guide you step by step with a logical process so you can learn.

Obviously, Hauge's book stands proud among the last ones. Thank you, Mike, wherever you are.

I just finished taking a continuing education course on script writing at my local college and this book has been very helpful with supplimenting what I learned. It is packed with all kinds of info and is very easy to read. There are several good books out there and this is one of them.

I purchased this book and Mike's Hero's Journey DVD and he has a great way to explain the magic of screen writing, his advices and examples are clear and helps you apply right away to your screen writing. I enjoyed very much reading his book and seeing his DVD. I highly recommend any book or materials from Mike to anyone that might be aspiring to become a screen writer or wants to improve your screen writing techniques.

First of all, I feel I have to say that English is not my mother language, but never mind; I have read this book easily. To be honest, I've just read only a first half of the book; the second part - An Analysis of The Karate Kid - I was not interested in.

However, the first half (which is about 160 to 170 pages) gave me the full insight of the ingredients of a good screenplay and how to obtain them. Although the book is not perfect, I think that after reading it you can easily write your first screenplay with the confidence.

These days I am reading Ray Frensham's Teach Yourself Screenwriting which (in my opinion) has more extensive approach to screenwriting, although it is more concise written. However, the knowledge gained from the Writing Screenplays that sell helps me great to absorb the material from that book very easy.

So, if you want to start learning how to write screenplay from the beginning, first read Writing Screenplays That Sell, and you will not regret. On the contrary, you will be very satisfied with that decision. After that, you can read any book you like or immediately start writing you first screenplay, whatever you wish.