Syd Field, a legendary screenwriting instructor who tried to boil down filmmaking into an easily emulated “three act structure,” died Sunday of hemolytic anemia at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 77.
A script consultant for major studios and a lecturer, Field authored eight best-selling books on screenwriting and influenced a range of writers such as Judd Apatow, Kevin Williamson and Frank Darabont. Field’s first and most influential book, Screenplay, was published in 1979, and has been labeled “the Bible” of screenwriting.
Field’s death was announced by the Raindance Film Festival, which the man labelled the “screenwriting guru” was supposed to attend.