Rating: 
Summary: Solid as Stone
Review: As a member of the film industry, I found the principles in Dan's book to be right on. They do not limit the screenwriter but give a firm "backbone" on which individual creativity can be expanded. Dan offers solid advice for filmmakers entering the business.
Rating:
Summary: Solid as Stone
Review: As a member of the film industry, I found the principles in Dan's book to be right on. They do not limit the screenwriter but give a firm "backbone" on which individual creativity can be expanded. Dan offers solid advice for filmmakers entering the business.
Rating:
Summary: great look into character development
Review: Dan Decker has written the only screenplay book I know of that deals with what makes a charactor. The needs and wants. He also deals with the roots of what makes a good story that people will want to see.
Rating:
Summary: Separation of Writer and Book.
Review: First, as this is a section for book reviews, I would rate this book 4 of 5 stars. This is the first book I've read that simply states that the character is the basis for great movies and not plot. It's the character's story, personality, and decisions. Creating the story through plot results in *thinking* you have a better story than you do. If this isn't evident in a first draft, it is very obvious in rewrites. Adding twists/turns/wrinkles to plot makes a movie seem forced. Adding dimension to characters makes the story seems real. Strong characters attract the talent that gets movies made.'Anatomy of a Screenplay' is straightforward. It's not beautifully written (hence my 4-of-5 star book review). Though it teaches structure, it would be erroneous to read it as one way to write a movie. The book starts with the basics and moves on from there. If you're writing cookie-cutter scripts because of this book, you read it wrong... I would rate Dan Decker and his screenwriting organization 5 of 5 stars... No collection of books is going to teach someone enough to write a professional screenplay, play basketball, play jazz, or be a doctor. You need to learn... If you are looking into screenwriting, I recommend this book. It may be more technical and dry than some other books. There is a lot of information, and the straightforward writing allows this information not to get cluttered in flowery language...
Rating:
Summary: Separation of Writer and Book.
Review: First, as this is a section for book reviews, I would rate this book 4 of 5 stars. This is the first book I've read that simply states that the character is the basis for great movies and not plot. It's the character's story, personality, and decisions. Creating the story through plot results in *thinking* you have a better story than you do. If this isn't evident in a first draft, it is very obvious in rewrites. Adding twists/turns/wrinkles to plot makes a movie seem forced. Adding dimension to characters makes the story seems real. Strong characters attract the talent that gets movies made. 'Anatomy of a Screenplay' is straightforward. It's not beautifully written (hence my 4-of-5 star book review). Though it teaches structure, it would be erroneous to read it as one way to write a movie. The book starts with the basics and moves on from there. If you're writing cookie-cutter scripts because of this book, you read it wrong... I would rate Dan Decker and his screenwriting organization 5 of 5 stars... No collection of books is going to teach someone enough to write a professional screenplay, play basketball, play jazz, or be a doctor. You need to learn... If you are looking into screenwriting, I recommend this book. It may be more technical and dry than some other books. There is a lot of information, and the straightforward writing allows this information not to get cluttered in flowery language...
Rating: 
Summary: Just Awful
Review: How can you take advice on writing from a book that is poorly written? Based on the title I was expecting a high quality guide to the art of screenwriting. The book though is one of the worst pieces of writing I have read. The writing is just awful.
Rating:
Summary: An essential guide to Hollywood screenplay structure
Review: I learned the foundations of mainstream screenwriting from this book. Decker's principles will force you to reexamine your script for inevitable soft spots in story and character development.
Rating:
Summary: One of the two best screenwriting books I've ever read.
Review: If you want a practical, "how to" book that treats the reader with respect and assumes a high level of intelligence this is it. More in depth than other screenwriting books on the market. The other book of quality I would look at is "The Writer's Journey" by Vogler.
Rating:
Summary: Flawed
Review: Not a very well written book. Based upon what I know of the industry, the advice is flawed.
Rating: 
Summary: McKee's STORY is better
Review: This book isn't bad, but it came after and is really a luke-warm reworking of material and ideas in McKee's seminal text, STORY. Read the "big" book, instead. STORY has more to say, reads better, and has received more praise and recognition from the film industry, as well as from other arenas of story-telling.
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