This book should have been titled "Scriptwriting for the Silver Screen" as it contains a black cover with silver letters. Story ideas are influenced and deeply rooted in our life experiences. Charlie Moritz follows the strict rules of writing for film. As quoted in his preface, "there can be no shortcuts." If a story is good, you have to show that by your quality of writing, dynamics, technique and dedication.
A little overview of writing history merges into the proper way to format a screenplay. Settings and conflict are closely elaborated on. We all experience conflict and are aware of overcoming the obstacles. Something has to occur to spin the story into another direction. Sub-plots challenge the characters and the main plot. Meritz gives substance to screenwriting in an academic approach.
This book is simple, doesn't contain pictures to distract the reader and only concentrates on the various levels of how to expand your idea to make it a good script. If you can make it to that level, you can shoot higher for a more expert written script. This book will allow you to follow a basic blueprint that will make a great tool to build on a strong script.