I Liked It, Didn't Love It

I Liked It, Didn't Love It: Screenplay Development from the Inside Out offers a good overview of the development process inside the studio system as well as production companies. Everything begins from a script, and I hoped I could gain an advantage as to find specific details about development process from this book. However, despite what Amazon reviewers said about this book, I felt the book lacked specific details and lacked concrete examples from the writers of this book who are development executives themselves. With light 176 pages, they fill the book with somewhat trivial info, like discoursing into the history of film itself in a chapter.

I would've more welcome their experience as how they developed materials into a full-fledging film production, to a theatrical release, but you won't find that in the book. I wonder if their UCLA feature film development classes' notes are any different from this book.

If you are completely unaware of a film development process AFTER a script is finished and enters a market, this book is for you. This book is intended for future development executives, and does a good job introducting that career path. But if you are somewhat familiar with the process, skip this book, and concentrating on the writing your scripts.