J. Michael Straczynski, writer/producer of Murder, She Wrote and creator of Babylon 5 teaches scriptwriters how to write and sell work for television, movies, animation, radio and the theatre. Straczynski covers each medium in depth. He reveals facts, tells stories and offers observations from the vantage point of a career in the business.
Working writer/producer Straczynski has revised his 1981 text -- a standard in many institutions -- and brought it into the '90s, with updates on fluctuating markets, speculation about opportunities in CD-ROMs and anecdotage about Writers' Guild strikes that have occurred in the interval. A handy tome for the novice, since Straczynski covers much basic ground in key areas of writing for film, television, radio, animation and stage. Strongest in the movie/TV areas and also valuable for animation scribes, playwrights might note that their chapter is the thinnest; perhaps it was all apportioned according to what the various disciplines pay?
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
OK, I'm a FAN:
Hard to not love a writer who answers email from hundreds of fans a year, including me. That said, if you watch or read him, you know that his insights into the human condition frequently give pause, smiles and tears; and that's totally outside of the action. This book is a must read for anyone developing skills as a screenwriter. You'll get an idea you can use on just about every page.
My First Book, Pretty Good:
This was the first book I ever got on screenwriting, and found it useful, but long. Try The Bare Bones Book of Screenwriting for a simple beginner's guide to format, story and business.
Solid information and a entertaining read.:
I have the hardcover of this book from when it came out. I read this book cover to cover before I even considered what it meant to be a writer. I've produced a few scripts and read dozens more now and can promise that the information inside is both interesting and reasonably accurate.
For someone who isn't a published author, this book is filled with sound reasonable advice. If you need someone to teach the basics of grammer, how many lines on a page, how wide the margins should be and other such... more info
Uninformative and Unimaginative:
I purchased this book thinking it would give a basic outline RE script formatting and such. No such luck. It's a shallow skate over a thin pond of ice. It yammers on and on with useless advice, such as "make sure you keep the original copy of your script" (from back when typewriters were great). . . to the "history" of motion picture (who cares?) to advice about "radiodrama" screenplays . . . RADIODRAMA?? Little, if any of the information was useful or is relevant post-2000. Don't buy this book.... more info
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