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Instead, his book gives you some great insight and overview of the craft and business of screenwriting and it's all done in a very entertaining way (much like when you hear him speak live). Richard Walter knows whereof he writes. I wouldn't make this the first book I read about screenwriting--lots of others offer more basic theory.
Written clearly and without jargon, Walter explains all aspects of the writing to-how as well as how to sell the script. Screenwriting: The Art, Craft and Business of Film and Television Writing is an excellent resource for the aspiring writer.
Walter offers tremendous insight and fresh ideas and reminds us of the basics at the same time. On the other hand, for those willing to sift through the self indulgent prose, there are a great many fabulous tips to tighten and polish story, structure, and dialogue. I read this book through twice and the second time, highlighted the good parts for reference. OK, first the bad news out of the way: This book is often very pompous and uses a lot of lengthy descriptions to illustrate simple points. Walter loves the sound of his own keyboard and often diverges into long lists and lofty philosophy on how your screenplay should leave audiences misty eyed and gasping in awe at the glory of humanity.
There is a section at the end regarding technology that should probably be out. Stick with what you know. I read this book twice. It kind of felt like my grandpa was writing a chapter on computers after using one for the first time. The rest is excellent. It is written very directly but is entertaining at the same time. It does well at explaining what to do and what not to do.
Walter is a proponent of the Aristotelian three-act structure and he does such a good job of explaining why that, of course., I understand it to be wholly applicable.I particularly like the way he explains without the excessive prose other authors on the subject seem to think necessary. McKee uses; it almost impedes knowledge transfer. It was on a whim that I decided to read this book and boy, am I glad my muse was alert. `Story' by Robert McKee is a brilliant piece of work, but one of its downfalls is the flabbergasting language Mr. This is not a problem with `Screenwriting': it's simple, clean writing that imparts maximum knowledge with maximum efficiency, it's screenwriting Judo.Witness this list from chapter 4 (Character: Only Human, Humans Only):There are three basic rules for creating audience-worth movie characters.First: No stereotypes.Second: Render everybody, even the foulest, most evil villain somehow sympathetic.Third: Instead of having them lie there on a slab, static and stale, require your characters to grow and develop throughout the tale.He goes on to expound brilliantly (and again, simply) on each of those points.This should be a staple in every writer's library; in fact, I wish I'd read this book before Syd Field's `Screenplay' which, while it's actually good, is "flow" challenged. The information contained here is gold, and to the point. That latter reason is why I gave it a five-star review: there's no bushwhacking going on here, it's succinct and immediately useful information.I knew it was going to be a different experience when I read chapter 3's (Story: Tale Assembly) opening story about Mozart's unfinished "doooo" furnishing one of the best examples of tension and resolution I have read.
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