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Syd Field




Syd Field is an American writer who has become one of the most popular screenwriting gurus in the movie industry. He writes books and holds workshops that help aspiring Screenwriter s to produce the kinds of Screenplay s that will sell in Hollywood. Field's ideas about what makes a good script have become very influential on Hollywood Producer s, who increasingly use his strictures as guidelines to whether or not a proposed screenplay has potential.

THE PARADIGM

Field's most important contribution has been his articulation of the ideal ". The final quarter of the film then depicts a climactic struggle to finally achieve the goal, and the aftermath of that struggle.


CRITICISM

While Field's strictures have helped many screenwriters to tailor their ideas to the Hollywood model, his rigorous demands (sometimes stipulating that the first turning point must happen in exactly the 27th minute of the film) have been accused of stifling innovation and experimentation; many studio executives now refuse even to consider a screenplay that does not perfectly match the three act structure. However, Field himself does not consider his guidelines for screenplay structure (or his 'paradigm') to be so rigid.


FILMS FIELD HAS CONSULTED ON



2005

In addition to his many workshops, Syd Field currently teaches screenwriting at the Master of Professional Writing Progam at the University Of Southern California

He is also included in the screenwriting software program Final Draft under the section "Ask the Expert" which gives help on writing screenplays.


PUBLISHED BOOKS

  • ''Screenplay'' ( 1979 )

  • ''The Screenwriter's Workbook'' ( 1984 )

  • ''Selling a Screenplay: The Screenwriter's Guide to Hollywood'' ( 1989 )

  • ''Four Screenplays: Studies in the American Screenplay'' ( 1994 )

  • ''The Screenwriter's Problem Solver: How To Recognize, Identify, and Define Screenwriting Problems'' ( 1998 )

  • ''Going to the Movies: A Personal Journey Through Four Decades of Modern Film'' ( 2001 )

  • ''The Definitive Guide to Screen Writing'' ( 2003 )