Top 3 screenwriting books ?

Randall_Oelerich

Randall_Oelerich

Veteran
What are your top 5 screenwriting books? I am looking to box up much of my collection, declutter. And just plain curious. Top 5 books that really lay it out, what to know and do to write a winning feature screenplay. My short list, in no particular order:

  1. Save the Cat Strikes Back (Blake Snyder)
  2. The Screenwriting Formula (Rob Tobin)
  3. Story (Robert McKee)
  4. Writing for Emotional Impact (Karl Iglesias)
  5. The Hollywood Standard- The Complete and Authoritative Guide to Script Format and Style (Christopher Riley)
 
1. Screenplay - Syd Field
2. The Hero's Journey - Christopher Vogler
3. Screenwriting 434 - Lew Hunter
4. Save the Cat - Blake Snyder
5. The Art of Dramatic Writing - Lagos Egri
6. On Directing - David Mamet
 
My favorite, and the way I learned to write---
Just reading screenplays from movies I liked. The Matrix, the Bourne series, Planet Terror-- I learned more from reading these than I did from any book.
I can study story structure, script structure, character development, believable dialogue and more from reading scripts.
 
Ted, and Shutterspeed,
You have some books on your short list that I have also read and highly value. I think I really need a list of ten. So merging your favs with my top five I should come up with a top ten, box up the rest for the spiders in my basement to read. And of course beyond the books, reading scripts, and the how-to DVDs, and lecture notes.
randall
 
Of all, I think Dara Marks' "Inside Story" has been the most influential for me. It puts the essence of cinematic storytelling (at least as she regards it, and I agree) in the clearest, most front-and-center way, and is almost unique in that respect amongst the numerous other books I've read on the subject. My very highest recommendation.
 
I'll give Dara's book another look, have it around, hardcover. Just got back from seeing Shutter Island, gotta go puke and get rid of the trashy crap theater food, lol (just kidding).
 
EDIT: Just found Inside Story. looks like i had not even read it, no yellow highlighting. Going to make for a good read up at the coffee shop tomorrow morning. Thanks for reminding me about this title.
 
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The most helpful book I've read about actual writing, meaning how to put words on paper clearly and effectively is The First Five Pages. Its focus is on manuscript writing but all of its no nonsense tips on things to avoid to make your writing flow smoothly for the reader are all very helpful. A screenplay is also a reading experience, and most screenwriting books only tackle structure and plot but never get into the details of writing effective prose description.
 
Batutta said:
The most helpful book I've read about actual writing, meaning how to put words on paper clearly and effectively is The First Five Pages. Its focus is on manuscript writing but all of its no nonsense tips on things to avoid to make your writing flow smoothly for the reader are all very helpful. A screenplay is also a reading experience, and most screenwriting books only tackle structure and plot but never get into the details of writing effective prose description.
Click to expand...

Stephen King's "On Writing" was similarly useful across-discipline.
 
Story-Mckee
Writing in Restaurants-David Mamet, while very much geared to the stage I found it very useful and a really good read. Someone nabbed my copy a long time ago so it may not be as useful as I remember.
 
I second Story by McKee...in fact, if someone asked me "How do you write a screenplay?", I'd tell them to read a screenplay of a movie they know really well to see how it was written to translate to screen and then read "Story" for the basic fundamentals of the craft itself.
 
About 1/3 through Dara's book. Powerful writing. Sigh, I am asking myself how many more such books are there in this gauntlet of learning? Am I about done reading the great how-to writers of this craft? Seems there is always another one just around the corner when I think I have read them all! But her material is most excellent.

Okay, so I have read Syd, reading Dara, read Snyder, Vogler, Cowgill, Seeger, Campbell, Walker, McKee, Hauge, Iglesias, Truby, Billy Mernit, Trottier, Rob Tobin, Sager, Kitchen, Gulino. (And yes, finding time to write along the way, and read scripts). Any other big guns authors I should be looking out for? Or am I nearing the end of the reading list?!
randall
 
Story

Story

Am I the only one that finds McKee insufferable? The guy comes across as a pompous windbag writing about blatantly obvious generalities.

Granted I am only about 1/3 of the way through Story, so correct me if I can expect it to get better.
 
Story
Save the Cat
Screenplay
Intent on Laughter

Intent on laughter was not about screenplay writing, rather it was a thesis on the psychology of humor. Written back in the 50s (I think) and last published in '77 its a bit hard to find. What I found to be frustrating was that McKee would write a bunch of stuff then follow it up with 'of course this is true for all story types except comedies' which ticked me off because at the time I was writing a comedy. I ended up using his advice anyway and wrote a piece that turned out to be a screwball comedy (or dramedy in modern speak). Shot it last summer and I'm editing it now...

Bob
 
landogarner said:
Am I the only one that finds McKee insufferable? The guy comes across as a pompous windbag writing about blatantly obvious generalities.

Granted I am only about 1/3 of the way through Story, so correct me if I can expect it to get better.
Click to expand...

I wasn't going to say anything, but I definitely don't think that Story should be the beginning screenwriter's first choice. Far too dense and dry to be read for pleasure or understanding.
 
I loved "Story" the first time I read it, and was very impressed by his grasp of the subject. After reading several more books on screenwriting, notably "Inside Story" by Dara Marks (twice), then reading "Story" again, I was surprised at how little of the enthusiasm I felt for it the first time was there the second. I still liked it, but like some others here found it a bit obvious in many aspects. A fine book though nonetheless, and I'd still recommend it pretty highly.
 
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