Syd Field's Screenwriting Workshop DVD
How to Write a Screenplay that Sells to Hollywood

Whether you are working on your first screenplay or are a seasoned professional looking for technical help from the master himself, Syd Field's Screenwriting Workshop is an invaluable writing tool that you will rely upon again and again. Available for the first time on video, this legendary course will help you convert your idea into a properly structured screenplay, one you will feel confident submitting to film studios and production companies worldwide.

Syd Field is regarded by entertainment professionals as the foremost authority on the craft of screenwriting. For over 25 years he has taught and guided thousands of professional screenwriters, many of whom have gone on to become the biggest names in Hollywood. Syd Field's exclusive course is limited to 12 students and is given only a few times a year. The video version takes you on the same educational journey, in the comfort of home, at your own time and pace.

View the a video clip of Syd Field's Screenwriting Workshop.

Read an interview with Syd Field.

Syd Field

Part I - Getting Started
Forming the idea into a dramatic entity with beginning, middle and end:
  • Isolating the idea
  • Creating the subject
  • Breaking it down into action and character
  • The nature of screenplay structure
  • Structuring your story line
  • Writing the four-page treatment

Part II - Creating Character
The heart, soul and nervous system of your screenplay:
• What makes a good character
• The essence of dramatic need
• Creating the character biography
• The tools of character
• The circle of being

Part III - Writing The Screenplay
Here's what we do and how we do it:
• Set up the story
• Write the story
• Structure the screenplay into acts
• Stress the importance of the first ten pages
• Determine the plot points
• Set up and prepare Act II
• Establish Pinch I and Pinch II
• Establish the sub-dramatic context

Part IV - Rewriting the Screenplay
All writing is rewriting:
• Approaching the rewrite
• Rethinking what you have written
• Redefining and re-establishing the theme, premise, and dramatic action
• The tools of rewriting
• Discovering character through action
• Sharpening and focusing character
• Setting up and paying off the elements of the story line