Michael Tierno

Great little book that not only helps in writing and film analysis, but thanks to Dan Miller's musings in A Million Miles and/or Stranger Than Fiction, it's got great advice for life--because "the elements that make up a good story, make up a good life."

This is not a book for someone who just wants to write a successful screenplay. If you're simply interested in advice on screenwriting, there are books like Screenwriting for Dummies and such that will teach you the craft in a much more linear fashion.

This book is for the writer who wants to understand screenwriting--why it works, how to align the screen with human experience. It dives into these inscrutable waters. Tierno's genius is his simple between philosophy and writing that is constructed with ancient advice and modern examples.

The book is broken up into short chapters with clear headings and classic examples for film. It's accessible to a wide audience, though may not have much appeal outside those who are already drawn to character study.… (mehr)

Although it's interesting to look at what the ancient Greeks had to say about storytelling, as for screenwriting books, there are lots of better ones on the market.

Michael Tierno "analysis" of different movie also leaves lots to be desired. For instance he devotes an entire chapter (5 pages) to Tarantino's Pulp Fiction but in the end only uses about ½ page on the movie itself. The rest of the chapter is spent on saying that it is important to have a tone to your movie. Yes, yes, it is.

Lastly, Michael Tierno end almost every chapter with something along these lines; "Do this and you'll sell your screenplay in a minute". I know that he's a story analyst but leave these things out. They just clutter up the message.… (mehr)