Sydney Alvin Field (December 19, 1935November 17, 2013) was an American author who wrote several books on screenwriting, the first being Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting (Dell Publishing, 1979). He led workshops and seminars about producing salable screenplays. Hollywood film producers use Field's ideas on structure to measure the potential of screenplays.

In 2001, he was inducted into American Screenwriters Association's Screenwriting Hall of Fame.

Early life

Syd Field was born on December 19, 1935, in Hollywood, California. His uncle, Sol Halprin, was the head of the camera department at 20th Century Fox, and his neighbor was a talent agent who got him minor screen time in Gone with the Wind (1939) which was cut from the final film. but he eventually earned a bachelor's degree in English from University of California, Berkeley, where he studied under Jean Renoir and was cast in his play, Carola. Renoir recommended that Field attend UCLA Film School where Field collaborated on a short film with Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek of The Doors.

Field was also a freelance screenwriter and script consultant.

He wrote Hollywood and the Stars, National Geographic, and Jacques Cousteau Specials from 1963 −1965 for David L. Wolper Productions.

He was the head of story at Cinemobile System when founder Fouad Said decided to diversify the location services company into an entertainment studio.

Books

  • Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting (1979)
  • The Screenwriter's Workbook (1984)
  • Selling a Screenplay: The Screenwriter's Guide to Hollywood (1989)
  • Four Screenplays: Studies in the American Screenplay (1994)
  • The Screenwriter's Problem Solver: How To Recognize, Identify, and Define Screenwriting Problems (1998)
  • Going to the Movies: A Personal Journey Through Four Decades of Modern Film (2001)
  • The Definitive Guide to Screenwriting (2003)

References

  • Interview by Karel Segers