SYD FIELD

When I first read Screenplay by Syd Filed I did not actually finish it. I had to read it again for a class in my MFA. I remember thinking that the book was a collection of useful stories, the experiences Field used in order to create his story paradigm. To me the word paradigm was almost the same as guaranteed complication. In part I was jaded because I did not fully integrate the concepts from Robert Mckee's Story a book that employed graphs and pie charts into story telling. 

I decided to read Syd's book again because I wanted to see if I actually applied his concepts to my screenplay. I found that I had an awareness of plot points, pinch points, picking up pace and bringing it down. Syd Field's book was really like an autobiography of the writer's process, an effective process. Syd Field was the kind of individual whose writing was like light but incredibly insightful conversation.

I will always remember reading about Sam Peckinpah, and so many other influences of Syd Field's. Syd Field was a mentor to a veritable who's who of players in the industry. What I'm sure Syd Field was aware of but did not brag about was that his books and seminars mentored a generation of writers with a dream. Goodbye Syd, show em' how the hell to tell a story on the other side.