By Forris Day Jr.
I admit it. I know diddly about Shakespeare. Sure I acted in theater for quite a few years but I was never the bright one to study the masters. I just liked being the funny character, as I was cast, most of the time. I’ll be honest, I never knew what the big deal about Shakespeare was. I know that comment probably puts me in a class with the guy who says “Pass the jelly” in those TV commercials. After checking out J.M Evenson’s book “Shakespeare for Screenwriters” I now “get it”. (My fingers are making air quotations.)
Evenson’s book is a pretty fast read but filled with quick and to-the-point tips to help writers create great stories. She uses Shakespeare’s plays as a base, then breaks it down to prove her point, then uses a classic movie to compare it to the play. She shows that the stuff Mr. S. wrote 400 years ago is still just as valid today as it was then. His principles are used in most of the successful films today and she teaches us how to use them in our scripts.
At first I thought it was weird to use Shakespeare but once I got into the book I can see very easily how he is relevant even today. Each chapter covers one play. The chapters are formated with an analysis of a scene or section of the play. She then gives an example of the parallels from a well known movie. Then each chapter wraps up with a “Keys to remember” list. These keys are great and sum up each chapter. Then there is a list of movies to watch if you want to see the keys in action. I have seen or knew of just about every movie mentioned so these are not obscure films she suggests.
Then, as is true of most books published by Micheal Wiese Productions, each chapter wraps with exercises to get your brain in gear and to put what you have learned to practical use. As I’ve said in previous reviews with books that have exercises in them, do the exercises. It is the best way to get all you can get out of your investment into the book. These exercises are well thought out and rally help drive home the parallels between the Shakespeare play and the movie being compared.
The book is just over 130 pages so you can read it quickly but you will want to take the time to delve into doing the exercises. A nice clean format and written in a way that even a guy like me who knows nothing of Shakespeare enjoyed. It’s a book where anyone interested in creating awesome scenes in their script can gain lots of knowledge. The Bard seems like he was a pretty cool guy.
Rating: 8.5/10 – “To read or not to read, there should be NO question”