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A summary of the bookScriptshadow Secrets500 screenwriting secrets hidden inside 50 great moviesBy Carson ReevesSummary by Kim HartmanThis is a summary of what I think is the most important and insightful parts of the book. I can’t speakfor anyone else and I strongly recommend you to read the book in order to fully grasp the conceptswritten here. My notes should only be seen as an addition that can be used to refresh your memoryafter you ve read the book. Use the words in this summary as anchors to remember the vitals parts ofthe book.
ContentsConnect . 4Description from amazon . 51.Structure . 6Act 1 (20-30 pages long) . 6Act 2 (50-60 pages long) . 6Act 3 (20-30 pages long) . 62.Storytelling - Goal, Stakes, Urgency . 83.Mini-goals . 94.Demystifying dialogue . 10a)Structure the scene around a character goal . 10b)Set up your dialogue ahead of time . 10c)Conflict. 10d)Stakes . 10e)Subtext. 10f)Off-the-nose dialogue . 10g)Know your fucking characters (kyfc) . 105.6.The 8 secrets to a great character . 11a)Root-for-ability . 11b)A Fatal Flaw . 11c)Relationships . 11d)Backstory . 11e)Life Goal (your character’s dream) . 11f)Secrets . 11g)Characteristics, clothes, personality traits, grooming . 11h)Essence . 12Films. 14Alien . 14Stand by me . 14Up . 14Raiders of the lost ark. 15The Bourne identity . 15District 9 . 15The proposal . 151
The pirates of the Caribbean: curse of the black pearl . 15Good will hunting . 16Big . 16Avatar . 16Die hard . 16Taken . 17American beauty . 17Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind . 17Star wars . 18Lethal weapon . 18Back to the future. 18Fargo . 19Ferris bueller’s day off . 19The fugitive . 19The hangover . 20Crash . 20Notting hill . 20Inception. 20The empire strikes back. 20Bridesmaids . 21Training day . 21Jerry Maguire. 21The social network . 22Rocky . 22Pulp fiction. 22Goonies. 22Pretty woman . 22Juno . 23Super 8. 23The shawshank redemption . 23The 40-year old virgin . 24When harry met sally . 24Office space . 24The princess bride . 242
The ring . 24Titanic . 25The matrix. 25The silence of the lambs . 25The sixth sense . 26Star trek . 27Taxi driver . 27Terminator 2 . 277.Build a network . 28More book summaries . 293
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Description from amazonScriptshadow Secrets is the first book from popular screenwriting blogger, Carson Reeves. The bookwas written as an answer to the glut of tired A-Z screenwriting books that have flooded the marketover the years. Instead of another extensive How-To guide, Scriptshadow Secrets looks at 50 popularmovies from the past six decades and offers 10 (give or take) screenwriting tips from each. The idea isto not only teach screenwriters valuable lessons, but show how those lessons have been incorporatedinto successful films. This way, writers learn by example, instead of having to take the author's wordfor it. From Aliens to Pirates Of The Caribbean to The Hangover to The Empire Strikes Back, stfilmsofalltime.Author Carson Reeves began as a screenwriter himself, yet struggled to figure out the elusive formulafor writing a successful screenplay. Then, about seven years ago, he started getting his hands on specsale scripts and reading them. Within weeks, he'd learned more about screenwriting than he had inthe past seven years combined. He then turned his attention from writing to helping others write.The site blew up but quickly became controversial, due to Reeves breaking down material thatHollywood considered private. As such, the site's become a "love it or hate it" fixture in both Hollywoodand the screenwriting community. Still, the site has tens of thousands of aspiring screenwriters whovisit daily and make it the most popular screenwriting site on the web. The site's most popular feature,the "What I learned" section at the end of each review, was the main inspiration behind ScriptshadowSecrets, as Reeves saw how positively writers responded to quick context-relevant tips.5
1. StructureAct 1 (20-30 pages long) Act 1 introduces your hero then throws a problem at him. That problem will propel him intothe heart of your story. The “inciting incident,” which is a fancy way of saying, the “problem. We wouldn’t have a movie if the hero stayed put, so your character always goes after the goal.Act 2 (50-60 pages long) A lot of people get confused by Act 2, so let me remind you of its nickname: “Conflict.” Act 2is the act where all the resistance happens in your story. The more
screenplay. The more people you have going after things, the more characters will clash with one another, and that’s when it gets fun! Clash equals conflict and conflict equals drama and drama equals entertainment. Every scene you write, the characters in that scene should have a goal.
