Can anyone recommend a good book on screenwriting? I've been asked by a friend to turn some of our more comical ramblings into an independent film script. Needless to say, some brushing up on the ins and outs of the process couldn't hurt.
Inkwell ----------------- "The difference between a writer and someone who says they want to write is merely the width of a postage stamp." -Anonymous
Posted by TL 601 (Member # 2730) on :
I think there was once something called 'The Complete Book of Scriptwriting' (or close to that) by J. Michael Straczynski
In my opinion that's your best bet.
There are a lot of other titles out there, but most of them aren't worth the paper they're printed on.
They're full of arbitrary, arbitrary stuff.
But Straczynski -- he's nuts and bolts, man. His book is really valuable, if you can still find it.
Posted by HSO (Member # 2056) on :
You can find everything you need to know about writing for film on the internet with very little effort, including a shareware template to download that will format your script: http://www.apotheosispictures.com/Download.htm
The usual caveats apply: some info is correct, some isn't, and it's important to note that writing a screenplay is much, much harder than it looks. It's almost an artform. But for indie scripts, you can get away with most anything, so don't sweat the particulars so much.
Good luck.
Posted by Spaceman (Member # 9240) on :
Straczynski was personally recommended to me by David Gerrold (of Star Trek fame) as the best book available.