Resources

Scripts

There are many sites from which you can download free screenplays but choices may be limited.

A great resource is Scriptfly. You can purchase screenplays for $15.00 USD at: scriptfly.com. Scriptfly has a huge selection of screenplays and it is always up to date. They will email you PDF versions so you can avoid shipping charges.

You may also buy published scripts from The Newmarket Shooting Scripts Series at The Newmarket Press.

Books: Film

There is an abundance of books about screenwriting including those that deal with specific genres.

Here is an alphabetically-listed selection of books I recommend.

The Way of the Screewrite The Way of the Screenwriter by Amnon Buchbinder This book has a spiritual bent that makes it seem preachy and a little bit hokey. Nonetheless it’s full of information and good advice. The book suffers from not having an index. Buchbinder is a Canadian filmmaker and teaches film at York University.

The Art of Dramatic Writing The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri First published in 1946, the book focuses mostly on plays. It is an inspiring read. The book’s subtitle - Its Basis in the Creative Interpretation of Human Motives - says it all. Everyone else’s ideas are pretty much a reworking of the ideas in this book. Egri freely acknowledges his debt to Aristotle’s Poetics.

Screenplay Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting by Syd Field Before McKee there was Syd Field and his book is still useful. He’s very precise and fanatical about the three-act structure, right down to the page numbers on which things should happen.

Screenplay Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee Unless you have been to one of McKee’s ubiquitous three-day workshops, you’ll find this book a bit chaotic and rather labyrinthine. For better or worse, McKee’s ideas have certainly become dominant and he acknowledges his indebtedness to Lajos Egri.

Making a Good Script Great Making a Good Script Great by Linda Seeger Seeger’s great strength is that she is a very readable writer and she knows how movies work. Her books on character and on adaptation are also useful but this is her best book.

Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need Blake Snyder This is a more recent entry into a fantastically crowded field. Snyder is brash and a little crass but the book is very readable.

 

Books: Television

Both of these are excellent introductions to the conventions of television writing.

Television Writing from the Inside Out Television Writing from the Inside Out
Larry Brody

Successful Television Writing Successful Television Writing
Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin

 

Books By Directors

If you are thinking of directing your screenplay, these three books are essential reading.

Making Movies Making Movies
Sidney Lumet

On Directing Film On Directing Film
David Mamet

Thinking in Pictures: The Making of the Movie Matewan Thinking in Pictures: The Making of the Movie Matewan
John Sayles