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"BOOK REVIEW: SCREENWRITING FOR TEENS - The 100 Principles of Screenwriting Every Budding Writer Must Know"
Author: Christina Hamlett
Book Review by Matthew Terry
Published by: Michael Wiese Productions
ISBN#: 1-932907-18-1
I was a few years out of High School when I finally combined my love for films with my love for writing. I had already slogged through writing a couple mediocre novels when I finally thought: "Hey! Why don't I write a screenplay!" And the rest, as they say, is history. Well history in the sense that I haven't actually SOLD anything yet or had any of my screenplays made into hit movies or well...okay - back to the review:
"Screenwriting For Teens" takes a very simple and honest approach to screenwriting. Each principle (and there are 100 of them) is explained on one page and then the following page is broken down into two sections. Section 1: "Look & Learn" gives you examples to seek out to prove the principle being discussed. Section 2: "Brainstormers" provides you with three tasks to explore the principle more by giving you assignments to follow.
Some of the principles she talks about: "Aiming for High Concept," "Hooks, Foreshadowing and Uh-Ohs," "Motivation and Redemption," and "Genre Dictates Structure."
The book is well thought-out and written in a way that gets right to the heart of being a teenager. Examples like: "You are in the cafeteria when..." or "You find out a friend said..." This is not a book that, by title only, says it is for teens and then dispenses lots of advice using really big words. The principles are broken down cleanly and simply. For us who have been writing screenplays for years (and years), we may want a bit more "meat" behind the principle regarding subtext. We may want Ms. Hamlett to explain more about the nuances in regards to films in the Romance genre - but the reality is that this book is written for teens: simple and easy to follow. That doesn't mean she does not take on complicated principle or use the occasional big word, she does. But she never disregards or looks down at the core audience.
As excellent as this book is, I do have issues with a couple items. The first is in regards to the "Brainstormers." As good as these are, there are a number of "Brainstormers" that involve the writer writing 100 word essays. Unless this book is being used as a school text book, I cannot imagine teenagers, on their own time, sitting down and writing a 100 word essay on how a trick they pulled fooled the audience or any of the other dozen "brainstormers" where Ms. Hamlett encourages 100 word essays.
The other issue I have is the lack of a compendium of web addresses used within the framework of the book. At the end of the book Ms. Hamlett provides pages (and pages) of recommended films and other reading materials. But what about a list of the dozens of websites that she refers to in the book? This way the reader doesn't have to go back through the pages but can go straight to one area and see the web addresses.
One other note. A number of the films that Ms. Hamlett refers to, or suggests watching, are "R" rated. You may want to ask your parents' permission before you watch "Die Hard" or any of the other "R" rated films mentioned in the book.
Bottom line: Ms. Hamlett does a great job simplifying the principles and reality of screenwriting to fit around a teenager's mind. Where was this book when I was growing up? It would have saved me years of writing in the dark.
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