Screenwriting Tricks of the Trade (Revised)

by William Froug

Book Overview

Unlocks the mysteries of commercially successful screen drama. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1879505134
• ISBN13: 9781879505131
• Release Date: September 1992
• Publisher: Silman-James Press
• Length: 150 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.8" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Bill Froug -- the real article

Mr. Froug was my professor in a post-grad class at the University of Southern California Cinema Department which, by the way, also included Dan O'Bannon. None of the reviewers I've read has mentioned that Bill Froug was a contributor to and producer of certain seasons of Rod Serling's THE TWILIGHT ZONE. Mr. Froug was fluent in the language of film, respected in the film industry, and I assure you an insightful teacher respected by young film students. I was impressed with the man's wisdom even though I had no idea he had started the film program at our sometime rival UCLA. He was a real supporter of new talent; he once submitted my film essays (written for his class) to his own agent in New York in the belief that I should be writing film criticism. No result came from that (as is the norm) but it was just as well, because I stayed in Los Angeles for over 20 years, spending 9 years working in the Universal Studios film division and another 5 years at the Disney studios during the "glory days" of Michael Eisner's dream team. Mr. Froug is no pretender. His information about the film industry has irrefutable substance, and that makes his book well worth reading. If you should disagree with him, you would be well advised to figure out why he is right and you are wrong. You'll learn more that way.

The Vice President Of How To Screenwritng Books!

Screenwriting Tricks of The Trade by William Froug Froug a well known and more importantly and well respected teacher of screenwriting uses his years of experience and the same clever lessons he shared with his students as a teacher at two small schools you may have heard of USC and UCLA in this wonderful book. Screenwriting Tricks Of The Trade (STOT) is a fine gem amongst the many "How To Be A Screenwriter" books on the market. Automatically what separates this book from everyone else is that STOT has found the rare balance of juggling the classical elements that make up a screenplay (old-school) and the chaotic yet beautiful way movies are now being written (new-school). Like or not digital technology especially when it comes to NLE non linear editing has forever change the way movies can be made. Froug being the lover of film and screenwriting that he is has realize this and written a book taps into the creativity of Billy Wilder, Herman Mankiewicz and Scott Frank if these names are not familiar to you I suggest rethink this whole screenwriting thing. Yet at the same time Froug is one of the few authors willing to go on record and challenge all the so called screenwriting gurus who preach that all screenplays should follow a particular formula or template such Act I should end on page blah and by page blah you want to have establish blah. Now there are rules to everything but formulas like everything else become dated but art and screenwriting is an art just as much as it is a craft is about exploration and creativity and that becomes very difficult when one is bind by so many rules. Besides challenging the formulas, the paradigms and current screenwriting templates that plagued too many screenplays. Froug lays out some of best advice on creating excellent dialogue that I have ever came across in his simple dialogue test I will not share it, you have to buy the book. However, I will leave you with this, " great dialogue is immediately recognizable because the reader can immediately recognize if the screenwriter is putting words in the mouths of the characters or if the characters are speaking for themselves. " William Froug on creating dialogue. STOT is even delivered in a screenplay like fashion and by that I mean broken into three sections. Act I is Thinking About the Script. Act II is Writing The Script and Act III is selling the scripts and just as Act II is usually the longest part of the screenplay Act II is the largest part of STOT. Between challenging the template style of screenwriting and creating excellent dialogue this book is already worth the purchase but when you add the love that Froug has for screenwriting combine with is wit and insight this is a must have book for any screenwriter. STOT may not have information for some to be the only screenwriting book on one's shelf but it is definitely the best second book or an add on book you can have in your collection. Do not overlook this book.

Straight Talk - Pragmatic Advice

I've read about a dozen scriptwriting books and this was in many ways the best of the bunch.Froug has taught several of today's top-paid screenwriters. His methods are time-tested and proven effective. Many myths were dispelled in this book, and I found that it contained a great deal of very practical tips that other books simply didn't deal with. For example, how do you know if your script is boring? Will it get ripped-off? How do I keep from losing the "fire" for writing my script? These questions and many others are answered in the book.One of the best things about "Tricks of the Trade" is the way in which it strikes a balance between structure and "feel" in your writing. Froug isn't shy about questioning the rigid formulaic methods which Syd Field teaches. While acknowledging that a reasonable structure *is* important, he states that it is far more important to write from the heart. This is one of the first screenwriting books I've seen do this - to actually tell you that Act I doesn't have to end on page 25, that there musn't be a certain event on page 45, etc. While agreeing that certain elements need to be present to create a good, solid story, Froug boldly teaches us to write from out heart first.I would recommend reading "How to Write a Movie in 21 Days" as a companion to this. It is sort of an opposite approach, being very formulaic, but once you have that perspective then you can read Froug's book and learn about the importance of the "feel" in your writing. Lastly, what you'll find inside the covers...- the process of writing, from conception to final draft - creating a solid story - writing powerful dialog - finding ideas - finding an agent/producer - creating a strong protagonist - much, much moreEnjoy, and happy writing!

William Froug: Refreshing Words for a New Writer

As a new Screenplay writer, his book was a joyous relief that dispels some of the "old school" methodology and theory. You will learn to harness what you know already, as well as, apply new and refreshing techniques that will help you develop a top-notch story.This book is a perfect compliment to the "Screenwriter's Bible", by David Trottier. Both of these books are a must have.

Screenwriting Tricks of the Trade - Thumbs Up

The book was given to me as a gift 4 years ago. Since that time, I have written numerous screenplays and have found some success with it. This book is a book that I continue to use as a reference on almost every script I write. This book doesn't break down the basics for the novice screenwriter, but gives an overview of the writing process -- things that you might have forgotten as you are engrossed in a rewrite. I have found Mr. Froug's book to have been extremely helpful and his attitude on screenwriting and life refreshing.