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"BOOK REVIEW: ROMANCING THE A-LIST - Writing the Script the Big Stars Want to Make"
Author: Christopher Keane
Book Review by Matthew Terry
Published by: Michael Wiese Productions
ISBN: 13-97819329077404
I'll admit it. One of the reasons I wanted to go into screenwriting and film making is that I wanted to meet movie stars. Well, actually, Tatum O'Neal - but that's a different story.
Christopher Keane's book is about story, where it comes from, where you are going with it but it is also about crafting wonderfully complex and interesting characters that transcend the story and come off the page.
Using his experience as both a writer and teacher Mr. Keane using examples of his own scripts and stories and examples of his students scripts and stories to get his points across.
Mixed in with these lessons Mr. Keane provides drills, much like he uses in his class, to help you think about your story and characters more clearly.
After he assists you in figuring out your story and getting it on the page - he then provides lessons in selling your script, breaking into Hollywood and creating new and exciting ideas.
As comprehensive as this book is, there was one area where I think Mr. Keane was lacking: Thinking visually. Very little time in the book is spent discussing how to think visually. Would the scene work better in a parking garage than a bedroom? In a seedy bar than a street corner? And showing characters visually - what do you know about the main characters in "The Big Chill," "The Breakfast Club" or "Rear Window" within the first few minutes? How did they show characters visually?
Bottom line: Mr. Keane takes an approach to the subject matter of screenwriting, breaking it down in new and different ways and giving the reader a whole new level of understanding of how to write a quality script. Even in a world where it seems that there are too many books on screenwriting, you can't pass up Mr. Keane's fresh look. It will help you immensely.
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