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Sydney Alvin Field (December 19, 1935November 17, 2013) was an American author and speaker 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
screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...
s. Hollywood
film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...
s use Field's ideas on structure to measure the potential of screenplays. 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 Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...
. His uncle, Sol Halprin, was the head of the camera department at
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
, and his neighbor was a
talent agent A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, and other professionals in various entertainment or sport ...
who got him minor screen time in ''Gone with the Wind'' (1939) which was cut from the final film. He also played the trumpet in ''State of the Union'' (1948). He attended Hollywood High School where he met
Frank Mazzola Frank Mazzola (March 7, 1935 – January 13, 2015) was an American actor and film editor. Career Mazzola was born in Los Angeles, California. As a child and young adult, Mazzola worked as an actor. In 1955, he acted in '' Rebel Without a Cause'' ...
, the "gang consultant" on ''Rebel Without a Cause (1955)'', who encouraged him to pursue acting. His mother passed away during his senior year, which caused him to drift across the US for two years. He considered medical school at the behest of his mother to consider a "professional life", but he eventually earned a bachelor's degree in English from
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
, where he studied under
Jean Renoir Jean Renoir (; 15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. As a film director and actor, he made more than forty films from the silent film, silent era to the end of the 1960s. ...
and was cast in his play, ''Carola''. Renoir recommended that Field attend
UCLA Film School The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA TFT), is one of the 12 schools within the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) located in Los Angeles, California. Its creation was groundbreaking in that it was the first time a leadi ...
where Field collaborated on a short film with
Jim Morrison James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, poet and songwriter who was the lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band the Doors. Due to his wild personality, poetic lyrics, distinctive voice, unpredicta ...
and
Ray Manzarek Raymond Daniel Manzarek Jr. (né Manczarek; February 12, 1939 – May 20, 2013) was an American keyboardist. He is best known as a member of the Doors, co-founding the band with singer and lyricist Jim Morrison in 1965. Manzarek was induct ...
of
The Doors The Doors were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential ro ...
.


Career

Field worked as a script reader in the 1970s. Field got his start in the shipping department of David L. Wolper Productions, where he later worked his way up to writer/researcher for the company's ''Biography'' series, hosted by reporter
Mike Wallace Myron Leon Wallace (May 9, 1918 – April 7, 2012) was an American journalist, game show host, actor, and media personality. He interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers during his seven-decade career. He was one of the original correspo ...
, in the early 60's. By the release of the expanded edition for ''Screenplay'' 1994, he was credited as writer/producer at Wolper Productions. Field was also a freelance screenwriter and script consultant. He wrote nine screenplays, one of which was produced as the Argentinian film, ''Los Banditos.'' Field wrote and produced the television series ''Men in Crisis'' in 1964 and the Vegas nightlife documentary, ''Spree,'' in 1967; the latter of which he also narrated. He wrote ''
Hollywood and the Stars ''Hollywood and the Stars'' is a 1963 NBC television documentary series produced by the David L. Wolper Production Company in association with United Artists Television. It was narrated by Joseph Cotten with the theme music and several episodes ...
'', ''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 Fouad Said (born 1933) is an Egyptian producer, cinematographer and filmmaker. Early life and education Said graduated from USC School of Cinematic Arts. He received his master's degree from University of Southern California in 1973. He comp ...
decided to diversify the location services company into an entertainment studio.


Teaching

Field taught screenwriting for the
Master of Professional Writing Program A Master of Professional Writing Program is a type of graduate degree program in professional writing. Chatham University in Pennsylvania has an online MPW program. The University of Southern California's MPW program ended in May 2016, at which poin ...
at
University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
until 2001. In the mid-1970s, Field began teaching screenwriting at the Sherwood Oaks Experimental College (now Sherwood Oaks College) in Hollywood. He also led screenwriting workshops across the world. Previous students include
Judd Apatow Judd Apatow (; born December 6, 1967) is an American comedian, director, producer, and screenwriter, best known for his work in comedy and drama films. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he produced and directed the films '' ...
,
John Singleton John Daniel Singleton (January 6, 1968 April 28, 2019) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He made his feature film debut writing and directing ''Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...
,
Anna Hamilton Phelan Anna Hamilton Phelan is an American actress and scriptwriter. She has been nominated for an Oscar for her work on ''Gorillas in the Mist'', and was also nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for her work on ''Mask''. Life Phelan grew ...
, and Alfonso Cuarón.


The paradigm

Field's most notable contribution is his paradigm " three-act structure". In this structure, a writer sets a film's plot within the first twenty to thirty minutes. Then the
protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
experiences a ''plot point'', providing the protagonist with a goal. About half of a movie's running time focuses on the protagonist's struggle to achieve this goal. The second act is called the ''confrontation''. Field also refers to the ''midpoint'', a turning point around the middle of the screenplay (such as on or around page 60 of a 120-page screenplay). This turning point is often a devastating reversal of the protagonist's fortune. The third act depicts the protagonist's struggle to achieve (or not achieve) his or her goal, as well as the aftermath.


Personal life

He met his second wife, Aviva, while leading a workshop in Vienna in the early 1990s. He had one daughter from a previous marriage. His brother is a doctor. Field died on November 17, 2013, aged 77, at his home in
Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. B ...
.SydField.com
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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


External links

* *
Interview by Karel Segers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Field, Syd 1935 births 2013 deaths People from Hollywood, Los Angeles Deaths from anemia Film theorists Screenwriting instructors University of Southern California faculty Writers of books about writing fiction UCLA Film School alumni Hollywood High School alumni