The Whole Picture: Strategies for Screenwriting Success in the New Hollywood

A humorous and sage book on the craft of screenwriting, by the only full Professor and the Dean of Screenwriting (MFA), Dept of UCLA Film school (there are lots of lecturers, visiting and adjunct professors on the faculty). Walter's book has three parts: Show, Business, and The End of Adversity, divided into 9 chapters, an Intro and a Recommended Readings list. There is no index and no pixs or figures. Most Screenwriting principles are in the first 3 chapters of the book, about half of the entire content: Chap1: The Personal Screenplay: Integration and Gender Chap2: Creative Choices: Idea, Story, Theme Chap3: Identity: the ONLY choice The book's 25 principles are summarized in this review. p15 1. Whenever writers sit down before blank paper or glowing green (or amber) phosphor, their personal story is all they can write. p18 2. Screenwriters must embrace authentic self-disclosure, no matter how painful, as nothing less than the organizing principle of their creative lives. p25 3. If a screenplay is truly personal and genuinely integrated, it does not matter what the script is about. p35 4. Even if you do not know that you are writing your own personal story, that is what you are writing. Your own heart and your own hand make every script you write only that: your own. p43 5. All movies -- no matter how diverse their subjects -- treat but one and the same theme: identity. p51 6. The least important, most overappreciated element in screenwriting is the idea. p52 7. It is in the story, not in the mere idea, that the theme is ultimately articulated. p68 8. Audiences will tolerate characters on screen in situations they themselves would never be in, as long as the characters in the movie act the way the audience members themselves would act under those same circumstances. p93 9. In screenwriting there are but two genres -- 1) good movies and 2) bad movies. p95 10. In screenwriting, implication is always superior to expression. p98 11. Do not have one character tell another character what has already been told to the audience. p105 12. Writers should prefer what "appears" to be true -- even if it is not -- over that which is actually, verifiably true. p116 13. Every worthy screen story structurally models the romanticized, idealized human life -- short beginning, big middle, and even shorter end. Then Chap4 encapsulates all the principles into a ficticious screenplay titled "Deadpan" penned by the author Chap4: Challenges in Story Craft p123 Ch#1 Who is Warshaw? p124 Ch#2 What's on the Film? p128 Ch#3 Who's the Embezzler? Then in other stories proposed by students, p132 Ch#4 Backdraft -- Who's the Arsonist? p133 Ch#5 The Hand that Rocks the Cradle -- Who's the Nanny? Then there are inevitable revisions and corrections. Chap5 has a discourse on what make a script bad. Not many authors cover this tough exercise. There is a sample script with handwritten annotations in the margins on p179-82. There is lots of editing even though

This book is so complete that, at this point, I won't even consider taking instruction from any other source on the subject. I own both of Mr. Walter's books and have found them to be both inspirational and invaluable during my journey into the screenwriting craft. I am currently working on a screenplay and have two others outlined and waiting. As a novice of the trade with no formal training, I honestly don't beleive I would have grasped some of THE most important aspects of this craft were it not for Mr. Walter. The following principals, which can be found in this book, as well as his first, "Screenwriting: The Art, Craft and Business of Film and Television Writing", are the reasons why:(In my own words) (1) Every drop of ink which makes up your screenplay must be properly integrated in order to effectively advance story, plot and character. Simply put, your words should deliciously and tantilizingly seduce your audience from one scene to the next, all the way through to climax and conclusion. If a particular scene or piece of dialog hinders this progression, the audience becomes riders on a proverbial rollercoaster. This rollercoaster promises a great ride and may even get off to a magnificent start but soon begins to stop, start, sputter and chug; the boxcar barely makes it up the big hills, lacks the momentum to properly execute the loops and ultimately poops out to its disaterous end, leaving its "passengers" feeling angry, annoyed and immensely disatisfied. Screenwriters if you want to dazzle your audience take them for the ride of their lives at full throttle and don't you dare interrupt that "ride" with boring settings, dull characters, or uninspired dialog. (2) Movies utilize TWO SENSES ONLY: Sight and sound. That which cannot be seen or heard must never appear in your screenplay as it cannot be shown on screen. This simple rule should train screenwriters to become more skilled in conveying thoughts and feelings through dialog and action alone. (3) Movies are for AUDIENCES not WRITERS. Throw in "meaningless prattle" for no reason other than it suits or amuses you personally, and you may as well throw in the towel as this ranks number one on the long list of screenplay (and film) suicide. (4) To those screenwriters who like to write dialog in keeping with "the way people really talk", Richard Walter reminds us that "the way people really talk is free", but movie-speak costs! Dialog must be crisp, concise, brilliant and poetic yet, somehow, magically come across as natural as one hundred percent cotton. If this principal sounds contradictory, implausible, or downright impossible to you, I sincerely hope you work it out as this principal is the mark of a great screenwriter if not the very definition of screenwriting. (5) More can (and should) be said with less. (6) That which is implied is often superior to that which is actually spoken. Strive to craft scenes where, when appropriate, actions speak louder than words. (7) Respect your au

There are many books out there about structure and where to put what plot points where and Richard Walter has made an addition to that field itself with "Screenwriting: The Art, Craft and Business of Film and Television Writing. However, this is more about advice on issues of screenwritings, arguing such points about all screenplays being personal, which I might add he does so very well. He also gives advice on why writers write, agents and working within the industry. And a look into the process of rewriting a scene of a screenplay (very useful). I would describe it as Adventure's in the Screen Trade without the bitterness of Goldman.My only criticism being that it makes you so hungry and ravaneous for more advice. The Bibliography is more useful than what you find at the end of most books.It is a worthy addition to any screenwriter's or movie moguls bookshelf.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read on the art and craft of writing. It explained to me what makes a page-turner a page-turner, whether it be a short story, a novel or a screenplay. Mr. Walter explains, then shows, how the basic structure of every great screenplay is the same (and the details that make them beautifully different). He explains in simple terms why some stories make the reader keep reading, and the moviegoer keep watching. Mr. Walter clearly has read thousands of scripts from the best in the business and from many newcomers to the craft, and he draws heavily on this extraordinary breadth of experience. He explores the elements that make a screenplay worth our attention, and what goes wrong when a screenplay turns the audience off. He shares his insights with great and gentle humor that teaches without offending. I doubt I'll ever write a great screenplay, but this book certainly gives me reason to try and an encouraging voice to guide me. Best of all, even if I do not write the next, great screenplay, the book taught me a lot about why I find so few movies worth my while any more.

If you don't know what's wrong with your screenplay, this book can tell you. Richard Walter's notes section is by far the best thing I've ever read on cleaning up your screenplay. I recommend this book mostly for people who have written more than one screenplay, but who are still puzzled about why they aren't getting any attention. I also strongly recommend Walter's earlier book, Screenwriting.