The Secret Screenwriting Formula
December 29th, 2007 by Alec McNayrPosted in Writing |My acting teacher Paul Gleason used to always talk about talent as a series of learned characteristics. “What my colleagues call talent,” he’d say, “I call coordination.” I have continually taken that to heart, and have always that talent, in any field, is really a learn-able skill.
So, when I passed by a book called “Save The Cat! Goes to the Movies” in Barnes & Noble, I picked it up and thumbed through it. It applies Blake Snyder’s “screenwriting formula” — a series of structured elements with clever titles — to popular movies, and it’s amazing how easily he does it.
Not to be outdone, I just watched “Hollywoodland” and tested his structure… and it holds up. While I’m not writing feature-length films, I find myself constantly examining the structure of my work, online videos and TV series. I think Blake Snyder’s work will really be influential on me.
PS — Blake Snyder is coming the Barnes & Noble in Santa Monica on January 22. Anyone want to go?
