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The Screenplay Workbook: The Writing Before the Writing

The Screenplay Workbook: The Writing Before the Writing

List Price: $18.95
Your Price: $12.89
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Type away, Now you know how
Review: A phenomenal piece that would allow anyone to create a professional well structured screenplay, including our two star buddy from Canada, whom criticized this book because Canadians are known for their superior film making (sarcasm), and apparently they need "examples", so they can fill out user-friendly worksheets. This book breaks down every aspect of the screen writing process, steering the potential filmmaker in all the right directions. I particularly like the emphasis this masterpiece stresses on "CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT", on that account preventing our little film making guru from Canada not to get too far ahead of himself, by writing another Canadian blockbuster in a week, completely forgetting the importance of character depth. This book showcases the importance of knowing the fictitious characters inside and yes my friends... out. I LOVE CANADA

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very Happy
Review: All the worksheets in this book are great, but I have three favorites.

I found the plot structure worksheet extremely helpful because it includes all three acts, seven story elements (rising action, conflict, etc.) and a chart to show how plot points fit in with traditional story structure.

The character arc worksheet lets you work out the 12 steps in a character's story arc, including their physical and emotional changes. This also lets you see how the character's arc occurs within the three acts and in relation to plot points. Amazing!

I also found the scene worksheet helpful and "Jeremy's Inside Scoops" are funny and straightforward. All of the worksheets are great. I can't recomend this book enough. It's helped me immeasurably.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Keeps its narrative advice brief and to the point
Review: Co-written by Jeremy Robinson and Tom Mungovan (a pair of experienced and knowledgeable screenplay writers who currently have two of their own projects currently in pre-production), The Screenplay Workbook: The Writing Before The Writing is a superbly "user friendly" instruction manual to all aspects of writing in the strict screenplay format. In place of an overabundance of instructions and dialogue, The Screenplay Workbook keeps its narrative advice brief and to the point, as well as packing its pages with character development worksheets, character arc worksheets, scene worksheets, plot structure worksheets, and more. The Screenplay Workbook is confidently recommended as an especially useful guide for novice and aspiring screenplay writers looking for organizational and creative tools to craft projects that will succeed in being produced for a viewing public.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: From the Publisher
Review: Every time a screenwriter sits down to start a new screenplay, he has to grapple with the daunting question of, "Where do I start?"

The preparation time, "the writing before the writing," can be intimidating. Not only is writing a screenplay difficult, with its rigid format, page counts, visual writing style, and realistic dialogue; screenwriting demands preparation. Characters, layers upon layers of plot and subplot, and every emotional rise and fall the audience experiences are planned out in advance, like a blueprint. For years screenwriters have been creating this blueprint from scratch. But all that is about to change.

Tom Mungovan and Jeremy Robinson present an instructional manual combined with proprietary worksheets, charts and fill-in lists to give screenwriters better focus in approaching the task of writing a screenplay. The worksheets contained in this workbook will help the screenwriter with the creation of characters, plots and concepts, bringing it all together and giving screenwriters a better way to focus on the task of actually writing a screenplay. Instead of starting with a blank page, screenwriters can now start with a series of worksheets that ask all the right questions to get creative juices flowing. All of the organization is done. All of the right questions are asked. All of the important subjects are covered. The Screenplay Workbook brings together every element needed to not only start a screenplay, but, more importantly, to successfully finish one. Enough worksheets to write several screenplays.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: From the Publisher
Review: Every time a screenwriter sits down to start a new screenplay, he has to grapple with the daunting question of, "Where do I start?"

The preparation time, "the writing before the writing," can be intimidating. Not only is writing a screenplay difficult, with its rigid format, page counts, visual writing style, and realistic dialogue; screenwriting demands preparation. Characters, layers upon layers of plot and subplot, and every emotional rise and fall the audience experiences are planned out in advance, like a blueprint. For years screenwriters have been creating this blueprint from scratch. But all that is about to change.

Tom Mungovan and Jeremy Robinson present an instructional manual combined with proprietary worksheets, charts and fill-in lists to give screenwriters better focus in approaching the task of writing a screenplay. The worksheets contained in this workbook will help the screenwriter with the creation of characters, plots and concepts, bringing it all together and giving screenwriters a better way to focus on the task of actually writing a screenplay. Instead of starting with a blank page, screenwriters can now start with a series of worksheets that ask all the right questions to get creative juices flowing. All of the organization is done. All of the right questions are asked. All of the important subjects are covered. The Screenplay Workbook brings together every element needed to not only start a screenplay, but, more importantly, to successfully finish one. Enough worksheets to write several screenplays.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Screenwriting for the Kindergarten Set
Review: Here is one of the best examples of a waste of paper I've
recently encountered. Many of the "worksheets" are actually
little more than simplistic forms -- like the kind you were
given to do your homework on back in grade school.

A good example of this is the Plot Points worksheet. It consists
of three large, empty boxes. Calling this piece of paper a
worksheet takes the business of euphemism-making to new heights.
The other worksheets fare little better, ranging in quality from
the mediocre to the middling.

More remarkable is that the book lacks actual movie examples.
This striking deficiency demonstrates just how lazy an effort
this book represents.

For screenwriting novices who have successfully graduated
kindergarten, skip The Screenplay Workbook in favor of Dave
Trottier's Screenwriter's Bible. It's a billion times better. On
the other hand, if you're in kindergarten, maybe this workbook
is the right choice for you. Crayons recommended but not
included.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Book! Fine writing and awesome worksheets.
Review: I found the writing in this book to be not only humerous, but also very informative. And the comic strips at the start of each chapter are insightful and very funny. But what is best about this book is the worksheets. I found them easy to use and very helpful. I've never been so prepared to write a new screenplay as I am now. And I've used the book to find plot holes in older screenplays. I've been a screenwriter for six years and this is one of the best tools I've come across so far. It's a wonder no one made a book like this before. Definitely worth adding to your library if you're a screenwriter or thinking abou becoming one. Nicely done! :)

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Very disappointed
Review: I just had to post my opinion because I recently bought this book after reading the majority of positive reviews. This book simply doesn't have enough to it. The information is very basic and can be found in any screenwriting book or on the internet (for free). The main problem is the amount of worksheets, 4 or 5 pages of the same worksheet. They ideas aren't terribly original and they could have just included one copy and offered it as reproducible then there would be room for a wider variety of material. As it is there are only 7 types of worksheet in this book. Save your money and just organize your information the way any of the many quality books suggest. There are very few ideas in this book and none of them are new.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: the best new book out there!!!!
Review: I just purchased this book and I love it!!! I was amazed at how easily it was to understand and to navigate through. The worksheets are easy to understand and fun to do. The confusing breakdown of a movie is masterfully broken down here in fun and exciting chapters with easy to fill out worksheets. The Screenplay Workbook will most definitely improve your writing and conceptualization of your end screenplay. Definitely a must have for screenplay writers. If I were on a reality show I wouldn't vote this out!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Simplistic worksheets, no examples
Review: I own this book, and it's terrible. Many of the so-called worksheets are extraordinarily simplistic forms, the likes of which I'd not seen since grade school. An example is the Plot Points worksheet, which has three big, empty boxes. That's it. That's the worksheet. No joke!

Other worksheets are mediocre. And, perhaps most remarkably, there are no real examples given from movies. A far better choice for beginners is The Screenwriter's Bible, by Dave Trottier. It will give you a much stronger set of story creation tools, including some excellent advice on plot structure, and has plenty of solid examples from recent movies. But whatever you do, avoid The Screenplay Workbook.


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