Entertainment, liveliness of writing and wit are not exactly the properties that we by default expect from a book entitled “Primer”. It would be intelligible and useful, and thank you for that. However, Alexander Molchanov’s “Screenwriter’s Primer” is a rare exception to this rule: intelligible, convenient and utilitarian in a good way, it will at the same time serve as an amazingly pleasant, witty and fascinating read, including for those who, even in their most ambitious dreams, would not sees himself in the role of a screenwriter, springily walking along the red carpet towards a well-deserved award. Alexander Molchanov’s book is a convenient tutorial on writing scripts for those who need it, and a fascinating anatomy of cinema for everyone else. (Galina Yuzefovich)NB: - video supplement to the book.The book’s text has been translated from the original language using an artificial intelligence system. In most cases, the translation is accurate and clear, but occasionally there may be incorrect phrasing or individual words left untranslated.