The 5 Best Movie Scripts to Learn from Every Major Genre.
A professional screenplay is one of the best tools a screenwriter has at his disposal. nothing to give you Practical experience Understanding how it all comes together versus reading a produced script. But what are the best movie scripts to read and why?
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at five of the best scripts to read in each of the major genres—drama, comedy, action/adventure, thriller, and horror. and why you need to read them.
As a screenwriter, you not only read scripts, but you actually break them down, get into them, and figure out why they work.
Let’s take a deep dive into the hottest movie scripts each type You should read it.
Click to tweet this post.
One of the best drama movie scripts you should read: American Beauty.
Alan Ball graduated from Florida State University with a degree in Theater Arts. He continues to write for theater and television, Grace under fire and Sybil.
Although there are elements of comedy in it American BeautyIn 2000, he won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay for this film, which is generally a drama. And, in our view, a modern masterpiece Screenwriter.
The script opens with Jane staring into the camera – a handheld device operated by an unseen person – nonchalantly discussing killing her father.
We then cut to the father – a loser named Lester Burnham – and follow him as he begins another miserable day at the office. We keep hearing his voiceover coming from beyond the grave…
In fact, the first twenty-five pages are about how build character, bet and genre The script draws you into a web of lies in suburban hell.
There are some really great examples of how to write scenes in this script. One of our favorites is the “cute encounter” between Lester and his daughter Jane’s best friend Angela.
Check out Lester’s “cute encounter” with Angela.
The ball has a great visual style As you read and study this script, you will pick up and absorb it into your own writing.
There are no major formatting quirks in Ball’s writing. But when you start reading, the first thing you’re likely to notice is that he likes to underline his slogans.
As we always say, there are no “rules” for screenplay format. However, there is a difference between the style of a canonical script and the style of a professional script.
Overall, it’s best to keep things simple. This means don’t underline the canonical script like Ball did here. He can do it because he’s Alan Ball. You don’t. So why give the possibly grumpy script readers at your company even the slightest reason to reject your spec?
One of the best comedy scripts you should read: Rebellious youth.
We could have chosen any number of comedy classics for this part –“Groundhog Day,” “Annie Hall,” “Some Like It Hot”Wait – but we thought we’d pick a little underrated comedy gem in the name of rebellious youth.
Gustin Nash’s writing in this script is very interesting. He entered the stage after writing nine spec plays, including a comedy he wrote in four weeks called ” Charlie Bartlett.
Then, after reading CD Payne’s novel, rebellious youth, Nash decided to adapt it into a screenplay. He modestly said at the time: “This is an opportunity to be honored because I wrote something that was much better than what I could have come up with on my own.”
but his opinion rebellious youth It’s wonderful, the movie is as good as the book. If you write a comedy movie script, you’ve probably been told to include more jokes, and usually to include as much humor as possible in every line.
Nash’s script is a perfect example of how to do this.
Notice the level of comedy in the script.
From the first page, Nash makes us laugh. Look at how he introduces a protagonist in Nick Twisp who is easily recognizable from his work. dialogue and action. And it’s fun.
From that point on, the script is steeped in teenage angst and sexual longing, with a dash of surrealism thrown in for good measure.
Reading a comedy movie script like this will also teach how to maintain a consistent tone throughout. In this case, it’s funny and ridiculous, but full of emotion and great characters.
One of the best action movie scripts you should read: Guide to the Lost Ark.
Lawrence Kasdan was commissioned by George Lucas to write Guide to the Lost Ark. How does it all come together It’s very much a team effort.However, between Kasdan, Lucas and Spielberg.
In January 1978, the three worked on fleshing out the script in a now-infamous series of story meetings.
Action/adventure scripts are notorious for having grand concepts but thin characters. However, this script is a great example of how to elevate a protagonist’s personality beyond a paper-thin cutout.
let indy be compelling herowas one of the first things Lucas looked at in early story meetings. You can get a good idea of ​​how this is accomplished by reading the script.
For example, look at how the writers did this by giving Indy a personal motivation Complete his quest in the form of Marion.
this Lost Ark Guide Screenplays are also a great tool for learning how to create all the twists and turns needed for any action/adventure movie script.
Kasdan achieves this by utilizing a script structure consisting of seven specific sequences. Each time it took Indy further away from his target – the Ark of the Covenant.
(You can read more about how Kasdan achieves this Lost Ark Guide Breakdown from our screenwriting book main script sequence.)
Reading the script will also give you the opportunity to view one of the best exhibition scene historically: Indy’s scene with the military intelligence officer…
How to deal with large amounts of exposition.
Download the script and study this scenario. It will tell you everything you need to know about hiding live conversations. Overall, this is one of the most important film scripts an action/adventure writer needs to learn.
One of the best thriller scripts you should read: Fargo.
Another Best Screenplay Oscar winner on our list is the Coens’ crime thriller masterpiece, Fa Ge. In 2006, the film was preserved by the Library of Congress as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” You can’t go wrong studying a film script of this caliber.
Much of the Coen Brothers’ work has been described as “genre-bending,” and the screenplays Fa Ge It is no exception, blending horror and comedy elements together to achieve wonderful results.
From Jerry’s bumbling to Maggie’s tedious police procedural work to Carl and Gail’s bickering, the characterizations make Excellent use of humor Elevating the script to a level above your average thriller.
Another factor that helps with this is the theme of the script. It works just as well in the script as it does in the movie. Like all of the Coens’ scripts, the writing is Simple yet incredibly evocative.
Examine Gale’s description of executing some innocent bystanders and see how so much can be conveyed in so few words.
Write less, don’t write too much.
Like Alan Ball, the Coens like to play around with songs. In this case, abandon them almost entirely.
Again, we recommend that you adhere to the convention of including properly formatted subtitles. But, beyond that, soak up as much as you can from the work of two modern cinema masters.
One of the best horror movie scripts you should read: spiritualism.
spiritualism“Scary”, written by Chad Hayes and Carey Hayes, made a splash when it was released in 2013. Bro made us feel it nervous, mood, fear and rhythm From beginning to end.
By the end, we were gripping the edge of our seats without even realizing it. This is especially difficult for today’s well-informed horror movie audience.
spiritualism Also uses some interesting formatting, using all caps, Bold and bottom line In such a subtle yet so manipulative way. It was like a punch to the gut.
you Feel the visual effects in this script. You feel the air move as hands reach out from the darkness and wrap around your throat. You feel the fear in your chest when something behind the door tells a young girl it will kill her family.
This is one of the best horror movie scripts out there when it comes to providing a script that the director can see in the movie. And how to use screenwriting style to create suspense. Everything is on the page.
How to capitalize on suspense.
The best thing about movie scripts like this is that they put one obstacle after another On the path of the protagonist. This is especially It’s important when they feel like they finally have the upper hand.
It is also available in deepest fear every role. The writing style grabs our attention at such a crazy pace that you can’t look away.
Click to tweet this post.
Reading movie scripts is just the beginning…
Once you’ve read our selection of the best movie scripts, you should go see the movie. Then the most important thing is to really do it Research movie scripts.
Take a detective at a crime scene…he doesn’t just take a cursory look around, take some notes, and then return to the station. No, they dig deep, analyze the scene carefully and examine every possible angle.
This is what you should do with your movie script.
Yes, there are many books on screenwriting techniques that can add layers of knowledge to your mastery of screenwriting. But the best movie scripts themselves have Everything on the page.
It’s a very powerful learning experience to shoot a script, study it, break it down, and see how to increase tension in a real and smart way.
The best movie scripts move so fast that you can’t turn the page quickly enough to see what happens next. this is your The script should do the same.
So read all these movie scripts, reverse engineer thembreak them down, then use what you learned and apply it to your own writing.
###
How many screenplays do you read per week? Is this part of your writing routine, or is it something you’ve always wanted to do? What did you learn from reading movie scripts? Let us know in the comments below!
Like this article? Here are more movie scripts to read…
50 of the best screenplays in every genre worth reading and downloading
50 Best TV Scripts Download and Learn to Improve Your Writing
20 Best Comedy Scripts to Read and Download for Free
[© Photo credits: Unsplash]
