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"BOOK REVIEW: COULD IT BE A MOVIE - How to Get Ideas Out of Your Head and Up on The Screen"
Author: Christina Hamlett
Book Review by Matthew Terry
Published by: Michael Wiese Productions
ISBN#: 0-941188-94-9
They come from all over the Seattle area. From the suburbs to downtown, they come to my screenwriting class. The first class I talk about ideas and, usually, one of the first things a student will say to me is: "Well, I have this idea and I think it would make a great movie!"
Then, over the next eight weeks, we take that idea, pick it apart and put it back together again in a form that resembles an actual movie.
In some ways, Christina Hamlett's book does the same thing. It challenges the ideas that you have. It certainly does not go into all the details of format, structure, type fonts and character development - but what she DOES do is touch on a lot of these things. Frankly, there are many other screenwriting books to help you with digging into the details and there are software programs to help with the format. She does provide you with a "FOUR ACT" breakdown that she recommends as opposed to the standard "THREE ACT" that God and everyone should know by now.
But, again, Ms. Hamlett's book challenges the ideas that you have to begin with. Would it be better as a play or a novel? Do you really want to do that adaptation of that book? Are you really keen on writing about that news story you saw the other night on the 11 o'clock news? She asks you the tough questions and forces you to think in different ways.
Once she has you thinking about your core idea and whether or not you want to nurse it along to fruition, she then takes on all the other aspects of Hollywood and selling your script, such as using a consultant, having meetings, entering contests, etc.
This book is extremely thorough but not in a detailed way. I do not mean that as a slight. To detail everything she writes about would mean that the book would be 800+ pages. She touches on something, like should you collaborate with another writer, asks you the questions, gives you some history of what she's dealt with and then moves on. Certainly someone could write an entire book on how to collaborate with another writer (and someone probably has) - but Ms. Hamlett hits the subject and moves on. Giving the reader something else to think about. In some ways this is almost a reference book with interesting stories.
Sprinkled throughout the book are interviews with a Writer, an Agent and a Producer. She also has laid out the book in a way that makes it easy to note where certain rules should apply, checklists to go by and dropping in other comments for your consideration. She doesn't tell you how to create your characters or everything that should go into your characters - but she does ask you to analyze them. She doesn't tell you what ideas are best to write about - but she gives you idea starters to get you kicked into gear.
If there is one consistent complaint that I have with this book, it is a consistent complaint I have for many of the books I have recently read: Lack of an "Internetography."
Ms. Hamlett FILLS the book with websites (at least two dozen) that can help you, the struggling writer. From researching out contests, to finding on-line scripts, to exploring other films, etc. It would be nice to see all these websites placed in one area in the back of the book and cross referenced as to subject matter and location in the book. Why hasn't someone done this yet?
Ms. Hamlett's book is a great book/reference guide for people who are questioning their idea and about to put it down on paper. She asks some tough questions and, using her years of experience, she provides plenty of stories (some very humorous) and examples to back up her opinions. She moves quickly from subject to subject (leaving the intricate details of "how-to" to other books and authors) - but she does do a thorough job of touching on most everything - some of which I haven't seen mentioned before (including thinking about copywriting your material and getting started in independent film).
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