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Title: 500 Ways to Beat the Hollywood Script Reader: Writing the Screenplay the Reader Will Recommend by Jennifer Lerch ISBN: 0-684-85640-9 Publisher: Fireside Books Pub. Date: 01 July, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.86 (43 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Essential Information Made Simple
Comment: As a story editor for a major production company in Hollywood, I would recommend this book highly to budding screenwriters. Ms. Lerch has encapsulated over ten years of experience into under 200 easy-to-understand pages, that impart VERY PRACTICAL advice on getting a reader's recommendation. After reading "500 Ways" you will know to avoid the common mistakes that prejudice a reader before page 10. More advanced writers will still find it a helpful reminder on how to keep each page fresh and engaging. I have not seen any other book that so focusses it's attention on how your script will be read - and judged - at this first critical step on it's ambitious pilgrimage toward the screen.
Rating: 3
Summary: Good, could be better.
Comment: I think I might have thought more highly of this book if I hadn't tackled it right after I read "How Not to Write a Screenplay" by Denny Martin Flinn. Flinn's guide to the most common pitfalls in screenwriting is a wonderfully funny and instructive text that every writer should own. This book, while containing some helpful nuggets, offers a lot of advice that directly contradicts Flinn's. While Ms. Lerch obviously has no obligation to align herself with Flinn's advice, her comments often seemed counter-intuitive to me. Whereas Flinn instructs us to be as clear and succinct as possible, shaving away all unnecessary and confusing descriptions (i.e., don't write what the audience can't see), Lerch would have us add all sorts of superfluous character and location description, in the hopes of catching the eye of an already-exhausted Hollywood script reader.
I just have a hard time believing that this approach would really work. I've studied screenwriting with some of the best teachers in the business, and I've got to say that their tips generally fall into the "less is more" camp.
Having said that, the book is a quick, easy read, and there are many tidbits which do make sense, especially about ratcheting up the conflict in your script. By no means, however, should this be the only book on screenwriting you buy, but it can serve as a light after-dinner mint following a hearty meal of "How Not to Write A Screenplay."
Rating: 5
Summary: Short, sweet and straight to the point
Comment: Lercher pulls no punches. She tells you exactly what you need to win over the Hollywood reader, and many are things you didn't think of. She gives suggestions on how to reinvent your story, as well as how to mantain a professional look at all times.
This is an excellent resource for screenwriters. A quick read with no filler, I'd suggest it to anyone.
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Title: How Not to Write a Screenplay: 101 Common Mistakes Most Screenwriters Make by Denny Martin Flinn ISBN: 1580650155 Publisher: Lone Eagle Publishing Company Pub. Date: 01 May, 1999 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: The Screenwriter's Bible: A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script by David Trottier ISBN: 1879505444 Publisher: Silman-James Press Pub. Date: August, 1998 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters: Insider's Secrets from Hollywood's Top Writers by Karl Iglesias ISBN: 1580625509 Publisher: Adams Media Corporation Pub. Date: 01 October, 2001 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Crafty Screenwriting: Writing Movies That Get Made by Alex Epstein ISBN: 0805069925 Publisher: Owl Books (NY) Pub. Date: 08 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Creating Unforgettable Characters by Linda Seger ISBN: 0805011714 Publisher: Owl Books (NY) Pub. Date: 01 July, 1990 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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