7.8 /10 1 Votes
Country United States ISBN 978-0440582731 | 3.9/5 Goodreads Language English Originally published 1979 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Subject Filmmaking, Screenwriting Publisher Dell Publishing Company Similar Works by Syd Field, Screenwriting books | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting is a non-fiction book and filmmaking guide written by Syd Field. First published in 1979, Screenplay covers the art and craft of screenwriting. Considered a bestseller shortly after its release, to date it has sold millions of copies. It has served as a reference for Judd Apatow, James Cameron, Frank Darabont, Tina Fey and many other professional screenwriters. Now translated into more than a dozen languages, Screenplay is considered the "bible" of the screenwriting craft.
Contents
Overview
Screenplay is noted as the first book to identify the three-act screenplay model. At the heart of Field's explanation of how his screenplay model worked was the paradigm.
The Paradigm
In the book, Field outlines the paradigm to which he says most successful screenplays adhere. In Field's view, successful screenplays are made up of three distinct divisions. He calls these setup, confrontation, and resolution, and each of them appear in their own act within a screenplay.
Between each of these acts, the paradigm states that there is a plot point—an event that spins the plot into a new direction, and transitions into a new act of the screenplay.