Your CUT TO: Is Showing: The Most Complete Spec Screenplay Formatting Guide Ever Written

This is a very detailed comprehensive guide written in a breezy and light manner. However I have two points of major contention.1). As mentioned in other reviews the index is almost unusable. It's actually more of a concordance than an index. In other words, every time a word is mentioned in the book it gets an index entry. For example if one is looking for the proper way to format Off Screen dialogue the index first takes you to p. 7 which has no information about off screen dialogue at all. The next index entry takes you to p. 10 where it says "On screen and off screen sounds are also in ALL CAPS." It's not until the fifth entry that you get the entry that describes the details of using off screen dialogue. To further confuse the matter, the index includes three similar entries: "Off Screen" "Off-Screen Voice" and "(O.S.)." Each has a different set by partially overlapping entry pages. As an index all that is needed is the "Off-Screen Voice" entry. The "O.S." entry should refer the reader back to the "Off-Screen Voice" entry. For an index to be useful it must be thoroughly thought through and proofread -- especially in the case of a purported reference book. The author has undermined his work by creating the index in a slapdash manner.2). Some of the advice given in the book is dead wrong. For example on p. 61 the author warns not to write camera direction in second person (e.g. "We SEE the detective as he looks behind the curtain"). He warns, in all caps, "DO NOT DO THIS!" Then follows up with the statement that those using this approach risk their script being "tossed in the trash quickly." I work at a major Hollywood studio and read spec scripts that have been picked up for pilots and television series. This approach at camera direction is common. I have no problem with the author calling this out as a suspect method. However making unequivocal statements about something as fluid as screenwriting damages the author's credibility.

One of the best books I've read on how to format a spec screenplay.

I have some experience with writing, so I am at least familiar with the concepts of action, character development, story arcs, and so on. But then I had an idea I thought would be better visually on the screen as opposed to a novel. So I thought, what the heck, I'll write it out as a script. It seemed like a fun writing exercise. Silly me.I quickly ran across the dreaded rules of script formatting. Not fun. Even using Celtx software to carry some of the grunt work, it was intimidating and confusing to the point that I shelved it for a year. Recently I decided to try again, and subsequently found and read a few well known books on screenwriting. They were excellent, but still not quite what I was looking for. It was too much on the art of writing, and how to sell your screenplay (uh...can't think about that now.) In addition, I discovered there was a difference between a Spec screenplay and a Production screenplay, which has a lot more direction. The resources I had were delving more into the production scripts than I needed and the mix of the two can get very confusing.I knew what I wanted - just a basic formatting guide. Just formatting and nothing but formatting. Laid out clearly and concisely. With examples. Specifically for a SPEC script. This book was EXACTLY what I was looking for. As to the typographical/grammatical errors referenced by other reviewers, I can't say I've noticed, but as a novice I'm so focused on what I'm learning those things are probably just slipping past me. Certainly they have not interfered with the usefulness of this guide.All in all this guide follows through on the promise stated on the book cover, and I would highly recommend it.

This book is a few years old but I still find it to be a great resource for beginning screenwriters trying to learn proper script formatting. But I can’t give my review more than three stars, because it’s filled with typos and incorrect word usage and in one cringing place: confuses “second person” with “first person.Ouch!My sense is that the book could have used two or three more passes to catch some pretty glaring mistakes.Still, I’m learning a lot, even though the author’s jokey film references now feel a little dated!

it's an easy read, the samples of the scripts is okay, at first i thought they were blury. but it shows how it should be written. i am able to look at the front and easily find what i need in my screenplay. There is some words which i hate which is beats and other stuff, so he does mention those words. He follows final draft, i follow movie magic so hence i follow Dave trotter bible. This is nice is a review but well written. yes i recommend it.

This book is a pretty good how to book on the basic rules of formatting screenplays explaining the various abbreviations of technical terms and how they are used. I find it a good desk reference but there are problems with the index. It's lousy. For example in reading screenplay I kept seeing the term CONTINUOUS. I wanted to know what it mean? What did it designate and how to apply it in my own writing. I checked the index and found 6 page reference 4, 6, 26, 27, 95-97. Neither of the first two page references made any reference to the term CONTINUOUS. It was only after wasting time and energy scanning the first two pages I finally found a reference on page 26. Page 27 and the final reference pages 95 and 96 gave me what I was looking for. Each time I pick up the reference I find I have decipher through irrelevant pages to get what I need. I hope the author finds a better index service if it tends to reissue another edition.

Everything is laid out very simple and easy to learn. It’s a good crash course in learning the standard formatting and usage. I wish I had this from the start of my writing. If you’re starting out scriptwriting, you might want this to accompany you.

Legit compliment. Currently, this book is highlighted all over, marked in red pen, coffee stains, with sticky notes everywhere.

I have just started working my way through this book. It appears to be very thorough, covering all aspects of formatting in considerable detail. It looks like it will be a very useful reference book and will be a big help as I work through my first (and other) screenplays.I see that the index has come in for some crticism and I think this is one area which could do with a revamp in any future edition. There are quite a few grammatical errors which are a bit distracting (and also surprising in a work that places so much emphasis on stylistic and grammatical accuracy). Hence the four-stars.The book includes lots of examples to supports what Alex writes. This is good but I would like to have seen more examples from actual and well-known screenplays. That would make it easier to relate what is on the page to what is on the screen.

Stumbled onto [...] last week, enjoyed all the info and figured I'd take a chance an buy the book....wow!I was expecting a little paperback to come from Amazon, didn't expect a huge, thick book full of info.I have been hunting for a one stop, definitive solution to help me with formatting, and I am so happy to have finally found one.Everything in the book just makes sense, have sold all of my other screenwriting books on eBay as they are now obsolete.To sum up: 'Your Cut To Is Showing' is the best Screenwriting tool around after Final Draft/Magic Movie Screenwriter.Regards, TreyUK.

I can see what the author is trying to do with this book but he never gives it enough time or effort. He also sets the standard too early in terms of over-the-top detail and so runs out of space - the second half of the book is just plain rushed and there's oodles of things that he doesn't go into. Just a bad book rally - nowhere near ready to be published and will never be a useful guide to go back to as it just isn't comprehensive enough.

Very easy to understand and follow. Some of his advice however, doesn't always translate when you hand it over to script supervisors as they tend to have been taught the classical way and so will be looking for some of the things that are currently "out of vogue" despite the fact that they might not be what screen writers are using these days. Even so, this book is clear and easy to understand.

Succinct and to the point. A great addition to a screenwriter's bookshelf. Will benefit the amateur to the novice screenwriter.