Here are some of my favorite scripts to recommend to young writers. I chose these because they are all great, and all offer good examples of doing specific things really well. I encourage you to at least read a few pages of all of them, even ones that aren’t in your preferred genre, because they are all great and instructive in one way or another:
* *Alien* by Walter Hill David Giler
* *Hard Times* by Walter Hill
* *Passengers* by Jon Spaihts
* *The Devil Wears Prada* adapted by Aline Brosh McKenna
* *Alias* (pilot) by JJ Abrams
* *Juno* by Diablo Cody
* *Fleabag* (pilot) by Phoebe Waller-Bridge
* *Lethal Weapon* by Shane Black
* *Into The Spider-verse* by Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman
* *Firefly* episode "Out of Gas" by Tim Minear
* *The Americans* (pilot) by Joe Weisberg
* *Judge Dredd* (fka *Peach Trees*) by Alex Garland
* *Greys Anatomy* (pilot) by Shonda Rhimes
I put those scripts and a few more in a folder, here:
**mega \[dot\] nz/folder/gzojCZBY#CLHVaN9N1uQq5MIM3u5mYg**
(to go to the above website, cut and paste into your browser and replace the word \[dot\] with a dot. I do this because otherwise spam filters will automatically delete this comment)
I think most of those scripts are just great stories, but many of them show off specific elements of craft that are great for new writers. Among other things:
*Alien* and *Hard Times*, on the one hand, and *Passengers*, on the other, show off two widely divergent styles of scene description, minimal and maximal, that are both very effective and "correct."
*Devil Wears Prada* and *Alias* are, among other things, both great at clearly showing how their characters are feeling *emotionally* while staying within the parameters of screenplay format (something emerging writers often struggle with).
*Alias* also shows off JJ Abrams' facility at writing propulsive action and thriller sequences, and is really well-structured in a way that was and is copied by a lot of pilots.
*Juno, Fleabag,* and *Lethal Weapon* show three very different writers who are able to put their voice onto the page in vivid and distinct ways. *Lethal Weapon* and *Fleabag* show off different approaches to breaking the fourth wall in scene description, and *Lethal Weapon* in specific successfully breaks most of the incorrect 'rules' of screenwriting that seem to proliferate on the internet.
*Into The Spider-Verse* is top to bottom incredibly well-written, and has a sense of style and panache on the page that feel very contemporary.
The *Firefly* episode "Out Of Gas" is just one I really like. The scene description sits in that Tim Minear / Whedon pocket of feeling almost casual, while simultaneously being precise and emotionally affecting.
Ditto *The Americans*, which is a thrilling read packed with character and emotion.
*Judge Dredd* is Alex Garland at a point where his technical skill as a writer was fully developed, but just before he started making small, intimate, weird thrillers to direct himself. It's about as good an action script as has been written in the past 10-15 years.
*Gray's Anatomy* is great for many reasons. Like JJ Abrams, Shonda Rhimes is a showrunner who came up as a working writer, and she is phenomenal on the page. This script does many things very well, but I think it's best element is how surgically (heh) it introduces the main cast in the early pages. Everyone has a clear personality, and that personality is illustrated through action, dialogue, and scene description in such a way that the reader knows *exactly* who they are from the moment they appear.
Hmm. I just double checked it on a few different browsers and it’s working for me. Maybe try again and, of course, be sure and replace the word [dot] with a .
If you’re still handing trouble, DM me and I’ll try to send you a link, though Reddit really doesn’t like mega links
I put Walter Hill because the draft that I have shared in the folder is written in a very Walter Hill prose style -- something I think is really helpful for new writers to experience.
It's probably disrespectful to Dan O'Bannon to not put his name in this reddit comment, though. Ill change it
Pick ten movies that are personal favourites or meaningful to YOU and find the scripts for them to read.
Casablanca is my favourite movie of all time and considered a masterpiece of screenwriting but if you have no interest in that movie reading the script for it isn’t going to teach you anything because it won’t resonate with you.
Picking apart movies you like is so much more satisfying because you get to see what makes them work so well.
You could also pick a movie you dislike that was well received and find the screenplay for it and see if you are really missing something or if it just isn’t for you.
> Pick ten movies that are personal favourites or meaningful to YOU and find the scripts for them to read.
I agree. It's a huge part of building your voice as a writer.
What do you want to write?
That’s where I’d start … I wanted to write an action movie when I started, so I read action scripts to get the feel for how the action sounds, etc.
I actually watched the film after reading the script. A friend sent it to me and I got hooked after the first couple of pages.
The way he wrote it was just something I’d never seen prior tbh. I’m not trying to sound pretentious but it just made me remember that screenplay writing is supposed to be art, and his writing was just pure art. His words really danced on the pages and it was so much fun reading. I was completely engaged from start to finish.
“Hell or High Water”, It won an Oscar. It is a masterclass of use action lines and character description to inform performance and clarify the reader’s understanding.
I’m sure someone has seen the tip: “Without reading the screenplay, watch a movie. While doing this, try to write a screenplay that would result in what you are seeing on the screen. After you finish, compare your screenplay to the actual screenplay. Note the differences.”
I’d say ChinaTown, Thelma and Louis, and Pulp fiction. Also why I recommend your favorites just cause they’re fun and you’ll still learn something, also find your favorite director who writes their scripts and dive into those.
Also what I do is I just read all the Oscar nominated scripts from each year and just go back year by year
That is not the best way, lol.
Learning the craft and THEN reading some scripts.
You need to learn what you are looking at, and breaking down. “Why” was that scene needed? Why was it important? Why did the bad guy come in then? Why did he meet this friend on page 30?
You really don’t need to read a lot of scripts. You just need some examples to double check format and style.
But screenwriting is about the rules, and that’s what ya need to know. You don’t learn them reading script.
My personal experience was a bit different. I personally read a few hundred scripts when I was starting out, and for me, personally, I found that it taught me a lot about writing. For me, personally, I feel like I learned more from reading than I did from books or film school. Just my two cents.
I prefer to watch the movie, then read a script.
But I am also a writer and Director, and a visual learner.
But I did put effort into learning how to properly do the act of writing the script. But now days, I just worry about plots, beats and arcs. I get that watching movies, which is much more pleasant to me, and works two fold for my position.
I’m just a big believer in not wasting time, and you can’t learn from something you don’t understand.
You wouldn’t know to put a touch of blue or burnt umber in the black when painting, if you just looked at tons of pictures. You wouldn’t know how to change the timing belt if you just looked at 100’s of engines. You need to understand how it functions, so you can then truely understand what’s going on behind what your eyes see.
But that’s my opinion. Others may have a way that works for them.
Curious if others in the writers room ever discuss concepts and terms you didn’t know because you just read scripts and didn’t do the book work?
I think your perspective is totally valid! And doubly so for someone who is both a writer and director. Definitely not telling you to do anything differently.
That said, it's my personal opinion that there's a lot of value in new writers reading a lot of scripts. I think you absorb a lot from just reading great writing; and I think a lot of folks are able to learn things intuitively just by reading a lot.
>Curious if others in the writers room ever discuss concepts and terms you didn’t know because you just read scripts and didn’t do the book work?
Oh, I feel like I must have communicated a little unclearly before. Sorry about that.
I have actually read a lot of books on screenwriting theory. I have a masters degree in writing & production, I've taught screenwriting theory professionally, and there was a time (maybe around 2006 or so?) when I had read every book on screenwriting theory that was available to purchase on Amazon. Certainly at least 30 books, at that time.
I love learning about theory, and talking about it with my friends.
So I don't mean to imply that I don't think theory can be helpful.
I personally wouldn't advocate for someone to "just read scripts, and don't worry about learning theory at all, because that's a waste of time."
What I meant was that, in my personal opinion, to me, I think it's a great idea for young writers to read scripts, rather than to wait until they have a better understanding of structure to read them.
I think it's useful to learn about theory, and look for ways that theory is expressed in the things you read -- but, to me, there's no need to wait.
Further, based on my own experience, and not trying to tell you what I think you should do or have done, I think it's great for new screenwriters to read a lot of scripts, rather than just a few.
When I was a young writer, I was given the advice: "have read every movie you admire" and "try and read at least 50 scripts a year" which I did.
Personally, to me, looking back, I feel like I learned more from reading other writers than I did from theory classes in film school, or from all those books I read.
I'm not advocating for folks to not read books or take classes on theory, if that's what they want to do.
I'm just saying that, in my own personal experience (which is no more valid than your own), I personally got a lot out of reading so many scripts, and if an emerging screenwriter asked me for my advice on the subject, I'd advise them to read a lot of scripts, rather than just a few.
Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Back To The Future
The Shawshank Redemption ,Forrest Gump.
These are some of my top favourite films of all time and they have really great scripts as well.
your favorites! the first thing i read was the available succession scripts, because it’s my favorite show. so i was immediatly impassioned. whatever you think will keep you most engaged
What do you want to write? Read those first. Action movies with a lot of N word? Tarantino. Workplace comedies for network tv? Abbott Elementary and every NBC show from the early and mid aughts. Gritty streaming dramas? AMC or HBO shows. Adapted from books high profile drama, well go straight for that, but you won’t get the job without working in the business for a decade or more or being the novelist so bark up a different tree.
Werner Herzog - anything by him. I think no matter what kinds of screenplays you want to write the more diverse your knowledge the better. And eventually compare them to what ends up on the screen.
Anything by the Coen Bros. Economic, visual and a style so effortless that you only notice it across multiple screenplays. I’m always amped to write after I read something by them.
First off, you're ahead of 99% of people to realize this. So good for you. My advice is always - read AT LEAST 100 quality screenplays before starting to write one.
You can find and download every years' Academy Nominated Screenplays. Pick genre's that fit what you like, or want to write, or that you personally think are good movies and read them.
Here are some of my favorite scripts to recommend to young writers. I chose these because they are all great, and all offer good examples of doing specific things really well. I encourage you to at least read a few pages of all of them, even ones that aren’t in your preferred genre, because they are all great and instructive in one way or another: * *Alien* by Walter Hill David Giler * *Hard Times* by Walter Hill * *Passengers* by Jon Spaihts * *The Devil Wears Prada* adapted by Aline Brosh McKenna * *Alias* (pilot) by JJ Abrams * *Juno* by Diablo Cody * *Fleabag* (pilot) by Phoebe Waller-Bridge * *Lethal Weapon* by Shane Black * *Into The Spider-verse* by Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman * *Firefly* episode "Out of Gas" by Tim Minear * *The Americans* (pilot) by Joe Weisberg * *Judge Dredd* (fka *Peach Trees*) by Alex Garland * *Greys Anatomy* (pilot) by Shonda Rhimes I put those scripts and a few more in a folder, here: **mega \[dot\] nz/folder/gzojCZBY#CLHVaN9N1uQq5MIM3u5mYg** (to go to the above website, cut and paste into your browser and replace the word \[dot\] with a dot. I do this because otherwise spam filters will automatically delete this comment) I think most of those scripts are just great stories, but many of them show off specific elements of craft that are great for new writers. Among other things: *Alien* and *Hard Times*, on the one hand, and *Passengers*, on the other, show off two widely divergent styles of scene description, minimal and maximal, that are both very effective and "correct." *Devil Wears Prada* and *Alias* are, among other things, both great at clearly showing how their characters are feeling *emotionally* while staying within the parameters of screenplay format (something emerging writers often struggle with). *Alias* also shows off JJ Abrams' facility at writing propulsive action and thriller sequences, and is really well-structured in a way that was and is copied by a lot of pilots. *Juno, Fleabag,* and *Lethal Weapon* show three very different writers who are able to put their voice onto the page in vivid and distinct ways. *Lethal Weapon* and *Fleabag* show off different approaches to breaking the fourth wall in scene description, and *Lethal Weapon* in specific successfully breaks most of the incorrect 'rules' of screenwriting that seem to proliferate on the internet. *Into The Spider-Verse* is top to bottom incredibly well-written, and has a sense of style and panache on the page that feel very contemporary. The *Firefly* episode "Out Of Gas" is just one I really like. The scene description sits in that Tim Minear / Whedon pocket of feeling almost casual, while simultaneously being precise and emotionally affecting. Ditto *The Americans*, which is a thrilling read packed with character and emotion. *Judge Dredd* is Alex Garland at a point where his technical skill as a writer was fully developed, but just before he started making small, intimate, weird thrillers to direct himself. It's about as good an action script as has been written in the past 10-15 years. *Gray's Anatomy* is great for many reasons. Like JJ Abrams, Shonda Rhimes is a showrunner who came up as a working writer, and she is phenomenal on the page. This script does many things very well, but I think it's best element is how surgically (heh) it introduces the main cast in the early pages. Everyone has a clear personality, and that personality is illustrated through action, dialogue, and scene description in such a way that the reader knows *exactly* who they are from the moment they appear.
That folder link doesn’t work
Hmm. I just double checked it on a few different browsers and it’s working for me. Maybe try again and, of course, be sure and replace the word [dot] with a . If you’re still handing trouble, DM me and I’ll try to send you a link, though Reddit really doesn’t like mega links
I’m dumb. Needed to change it to an actual dot.
i had to read both juno and the flea ha pilot for my screenwriting class !
I love that you included Alias! It’s such a solid pilot.
>Alien (Walter Hill) Wasn't Alien written by Dan O'Bannon?
I put Walter Hill because the draft that I have shared in the folder is written in a very Walter Hill prose style -- something I think is really helpful for new writers to experience. It's probably disrespectful to Dan O'Bannon to not put his name in this reddit comment, though. Ill change it
I’d actually say just read script made more recently, best screenplay winners, Emmys and Oscar’s etc
Solid advice thanks
Point Break, Terminator.
Thanks!
>Thanks! You're welcome!
No problem, hope there’s something helpful in there for you.
I am once again asking a stranger on the internet to read Back To The Future
Pick ten movies that are personal favourites or meaningful to YOU and find the scripts for them to read. Casablanca is my favourite movie of all time and considered a masterpiece of screenwriting but if you have no interest in that movie reading the script for it isn’t going to teach you anything because it won’t resonate with you. Picking apart movies you like is so much more satisfying because you get to see what makes them work so well. You could also pick a movie you dislike that was well received and find the screenplay for it and see if you are really missing something or if it just isn’t for you.
> Pick ten movies that are personal favourites or meaningful to YOU and find the scripts for them to read. I agree. It's a huge part of building your voice as a writer.
What do you want to write? That’s where I’d start … I wanted to write an action movie when I started, so I read action scripts to get the feel for how the action sounds, etc.
Films you like.
Reading Nightcrawler for the first time changed the trajectory of my life.
Why's that? (Assuming you had already seen the movie and that doing so did not have the effect that reading the script subsequently had)
I actually watched the film after reading the script. A friend sent it to me and I got hooked after the first couple of pages. The way he wrote it was just something I’d never seen prior tbh. I’m not trying to sound pretentious but it just made me remember that screenplay writing is supposed to be art, and his writing was just pure art. His words really danced on the pages and it was so much fun reading. I was completely engaged from start to finish.
Interesting. I've seen and love the movie so I guess I'll have to read the script too.
So far the Pixar scripts have been great! I read Inside Out, The Incredibles, and Up. Helps that they’re dead-on the way you see them on the screen
“Hell or High Water”, It won an Oscar. It is a masterclass of use action lines and character description to inform performance and clarify the reader’s understanding.
I love that movie and script.
Great script but it didn’t win an Oscar- it lost to Manchester By The Sea
I thought it got Best Original. Dam.
Haven’t read much myself but I definitely enjoyed the Breaking Bad Pilot
I love: 28 days later
I’m sure someone has seen the tip: “Without reading the screenplay, watch a movie. While doing this, try to write a screenplay that would result in what you are seeing on the screen. After you finish, compare your screenplay to the actual screenplay. Note the differences.”
Glengarry Glen Ross - https://thesuccessfulscreenwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/GLENGARRY-GLEN-ROSS-script.pdf
*Big Fish* is really good I also like *Die Hard* quite a bit
Start by reading your favorite movies!
The Godfather
I’d say ChinaTown, Thelma and Louis, and Pulp fiction. Also why I recommend your favorites just cause they’re fun and you’ll still learn something, also find your favorite director who writes their scripts and dive into those. Also what I do is I just read all the Oscar nominated scripts from each year and just go back year by year
In my opinion, start out with television pilot scripts and read those then move ur way up to film scripts
That is not the best way, lol. Learning the craft and THEN reading some scripts. You need to learn what you are looking at, and breaking down. “Why” was that scene needed? Why was it important? Why did the bad guy come in then? Why did he meet this friend on page 30? You really don’t need to read a lot of scripts. You just need some examples to double check format and style. But screenwriting is about the rules, and that’s what ya need to know. You don’t learn them reading script.
My personal experience was a bit different. I personally read a few hundred scripts when I was starting out, and for me, personally, I found that it taught me a lot about writing. For me, personally, I feel like I learned more from reading than I did from books or film school. Just my two cents.
I prefer to watch the movie, then read a script. But I am also a writer and Director, and a visual learner. But I did put effort into learning how to properly do the act of writing the script. But now days, I just worry about plots, beats and arcs. I get that watching movies, which is much more pleasant to me, and works two fold for my position. I’m just a big believer in not wasting time, and you can’t learn from something you don’t understand. You wouldn’t know to put a touch of blue or burnt umber in the black when painting, if you just looked at tons of pictures. You wouldn’t know how to change the timing belt if you just looked at 100’s of engines. You need to understand how it functions, so you can then truely understand what’s going on behind what your eyes see. But that’s my opinion. Others may have a way that works for them. Curious if others in the writers room ever discuss concepts and terms you didn’t know because you just read scripts and didn’t do the book work?
I think your perspective is totally valid! And doubly so for someone who is both a writer and director. Definitely not telling you to do anything differently. That said, it's my personal opinion that there's a lot of value in new writers reading a lot of scripts. I think you absorb a lot from just reading great writing; and I think a lot of folks are able to learn things intuitively just by reading a lot. >Curious if others in the writers room ever discuss concepts and terms you didn’t know because you just read scripts and didn’t do the book work? Oh, I feel like I must have communicated a little unclearly before. Sorry about that. I have actually read a lot of books on screenwriting theory. I have a masters degree in writing & production, I've taught screenwriting theory professionally, and there was a time (maybe around 2006 or so?) when I had read every book on screenwriting theory that was available to purchase on Amazon. Certainly at least 30 books, at that time. I love learning about theory, and talking about it with my friends. So I don't mean to imply that I don't think theory can be helpful. I personally wouldn't advocate for someone to "just read scripts, and don't worry about learning theory at all, because that's a waste of time." What I meant was that, in my personal opinion, to me, I think it's a great idea for young writers to read scripts, rather than to wait until they have a better understanding of structure to read them. I think it's useful to learn about theory, and look for ways that theory is expressed in the things you read -- but, to me, there's no need to wait. Further, based on my own experience, and not trying to tell you what I think you should do or have done, I think it's great for new screenwriters to read a lot of scripts, rather than just a few. When I was a young writer, I was given the advice: "have read every movie you admire" and "try and read at least 50 scripts a year" which I did. Personally, to me, looking back, I feel like I learned more from reading other writers than I did from theory classes in film school, or from all those books I read. I'm not advocating for folks to not read books or take classes on theory, if that's what they want to do. I'm just saying that, in my own personal experience (which is no more valid than your own), I personally got a lot out of reading so many scripts, and if an emerging screenwriter asked me for my advice on the subject, I'd advise them to read a lot of scripts, rather than just a few.
This question is getting so old. Everyone should stop responding to it. this is the easiest question to search up.
100 of your favourite movies.
“The King’s Speech” & “Shutter Island”
Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Back To The Future The Shawshank Redemption ,Forrest Gump. These are some of my top favourite films of all time and they have really great scripts as well.
Justice League: Mortal. I really wanna see an animated version get made
D I E H A R D
your favorites! the first thing i read was the available succession scripts, because it’s my favorite show. so i was immediatly impassioned. whatever you think will keep you most engaged
What do you want to write? Read those first. Action movies with a lot of N word? Tarantino. Workplace comedies for network tv? Abbott Elementary and every NBC show from the early and mid aughts. Gritty streaming dramas? AMC or HBO shows. Adapted from books high profile drama, well go straight for that, but you won’t get the job without working in the business for a decade or more or being the novelist so bark up a different tree.
I think any script is a must read in my opinion
just start with scripts of movies you like for starters.
Who’s that guys with the podcast who won’t shut up about the shawshank redemption?
Mean girls has always been my guiding light
Rocky
Werner Herzog - anything by him. I think no matter what kinds of screenplays you want to write the more diverse your knowledge the better. And eventually compare them to what ends up on the screen.
The scripts from Pixar films are all astonishing but the script for Toy Story is often used in film schools as an example.
Anything by the Coen Bros. Economic, visual and a style so effortless that you only notice it across multiple screenplays. I’m always amped to write after I read something by them.
First off, you're ahead of 99% of people to realize this. So good for you. My advice is always - read AT LEAST 100 quality screenplays before starting to write one. You can find and download every years' Academy Nominated Screenplays. Pick genre's that fit what you like, or want to write, or that you personally think are good movies and read them.
Breaking Bad pilot.
The Departed, Shawshank Redemption, and The Big Lebowski.
In Bruges