Secrets of the Screen Trade

Wisconsin Bookwatch, April, 2005

Secrets Of The Screen Trade

Allen B. Ury

Lone Eagle Publishing Company

5055 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036

1580650600 $18.95 www.hcdonline.com

Successful author and screenwriter Allen B. Ury presents Secrets Of The Screen Trade: From Concept To Sale, a practical guide to not only creating a screenplay that is coherent and salable, but also how to get it sold without getting ripped off. Writing tips, tricks, and techniques include a sample of overused premises to avoid (such as mysteries where the protagonist is the murderer), ten screenplay writing rules and when to break them (the first act should not occupy more than a quarter of the screenplay, unless there are so many funny jokes/action-packed events that the story is not dragging), and all too common errors to avoid, such as writing "at last he understands" in the screenplay description--the sure mark of an amateur, since "understanding" is an internal emotion and a screenplay must focus on external facets that a director can work with. Secrets Of The Screen Trade goes on to give the reader the basic low-down on submitting scripts, a process that has changed little in fifty years, and sharply warns writers not to be taken in by scam artists--such as agents who charge a flat rate instead of a sales commision, or internet sites that pretend they're doing you a favor by promoting your work online, when no serious film producer browses websites for his next movie script. A wittily written and highly recommended overview for anyone interested in the screenwriting trade.