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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful. Each film is subjected to a minute analysis, broken down into specific categories relevant to the particular story involved. The analysis is followed by 10 study questions to get you thinking. Then you’ll find interviews with each of writers of the scripts, and finally, there’s a story beats breakdown on each, with setups, turning points, and climaxes all clearly noted. The real strength of this book is how each movie is investigated in a different way. They’re such different movies, and they present different challenges to the analyst. Seger takes all this into account, and doesn’t try to cookie-cutter them with any sort of canned metrics. Each gets a custom treatment, keyed to the movie’s specific personality. Screenwriters will get their fill of tips and gambits here, not only from Seger but from the writers themselves, from their discussions of their own processes. You’ll get lots of ideas on your approach to story and how to go about realizing your vision. This book can also be read as work of critical analysis with background included…appealing to movie lovers everywhere! 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. The book is actually like two books in one: Insightful commentary by Dr. Seger on three Academy Award-winning screenplays (“Crash,” “Sideways,” and “Shakespeare in Love”) …. followed by in-depth interviews with the screenwriters themselves. Who hasn’t always wanted to know where Marc Norman stopped and Tom Stoppard started on “Shakespeare in Love”? Or the true genesis of “Sideways” as it made its (sorry) sideways journey through Hollywood? Or how Paul Haggis successfully navigated multiple story-lines in “Crash”? The answers are all here. This book is a must-have for anyone serious about the art of the screenplay. 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. In her new book, AND THE BEST SCREENPLAY GOES TO… Learning from the Winners – Sideways, Shakespeare in Love, Crash, Dr. Seger breaks down these top notch scripts intro myriad categories: the directing process, theme, nuance, story structuring, rewriting, etc., as they specifically pertain to the three scripts she uses. What an advantage: to see how the points can actually be applied. Theory and practice in abundance. Reading AND THE BEST SCREENPLAY GOES TO… made me realize how much, as writers, we truly are responsible for — if we are provided with the awareness of the opportunities themselves. Dr. Seger does just that. Her book opened so many roads into making my script better I needed teams of horses to keep me away from my script until I finished this masterful book. An added bonus, and a big one, is her voice. Dr. Seger makes it seem as if we’re sitting in a room together. Reading AND THE BEST SCREENPLAY GOES TO… has already led to many improvements in my own work, and I know the best are yet to come. |
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