The Everything Screenwriting Book Book Summary

Robert Pollock, The Everything Screenwriting Book, Adams Media Corporation, 2003, 273 pages. This book contains everything you need to know to write a screenplay. It provides inside tips on how to write and sell your screenplay. The book begins with a page highlighting ten points needed to write the perfect screenplay. It then goes into to the many aspects of knowledge needed to write your screenplay. The first chapter deals with the history of filmmaking and the movies. The second chapter introduces you to the screenwriting process - creating a script that will eventually become a successful movie; the process by which it gets to be a successful movie; how much money you will make if successful; the collaborators; plagiarism; and copyright laws. The third chapter is about coming up with ideas, intent, and exactly what your story will be about. Here he lists the 10 top grossing films and discusses the genre your movie should take. The genres are Action/Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Epic, Horror, Juvenile, Musical, Science Fiction, War, and Western. He also discusses film length and naming your movie. Next, in chapter four he talks about how to write a treatment and the synopsis. A treatment is a short few paragraphs of what your movie is about from beginning to end with an explicit movie idea. A treatment will give you a more in-depth plan as to writing your screenplay and can be used as the selling tool for your screenplay. The synopsis is longer than the treatment and gives a summary of each scene. He gives an example of the treatment. The next chapter, a short chapter deals with plot and breaking your movie up into the three acts. Next is discussed the Protagonist, the hero of your story, and the supporting actors. Then he discusses conflict and how this is of prime importance in developing your screenplay. The next three chapters deal with dialogue, writing techniques, and auditory cues. Next he discusses how to become a disciplined screenwriter. The next three chapters are about other ways of writing film such as adapting another''s work, independent film producing, short films, documentaries, writing for television. The last chapters are about Hollywood, marketing, working with an agent, and the screenwriting life. The appendix consists of a glossary and gives a list of screenwriting reading material, screenwriting periodicals, professional organizations with addresses, and screenwriting software with addresses and phone numbers.