So, I get told a lot to read scripts and to keep reading them. I have off and on. I recently read Gone Girl and wow, that was an amazing read from page one. It grabbed me and didn't let go. Birdman is next on my list. What scripts do you like or that you would recommend?
Screenwriting : Recommend a script by Cynthia Hochhalter
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I liked the script better that the movie.
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darious Britt on YouTube has some good recommendations on sites to read scripts. I read one recently when I had this crusade to not stop reading scripts. definitely loved reading Cohen brothers work, made me feel like I was reading Beckett
I guess I didn't ask the question right. I was curious what everyone else liked. I wasn't soliciting advice.
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Read "Nightcrawler". It's an awesome movie, and I was amazed at how Dan Gilroy writes his scenes.
Lisa, I would treat like I do other reading recommendations. If it piques my interest, I'll check it out.
I should've already read "Children of Men". I love that movie. I will now. Thanks.
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Just read some old school ones I liked; The Lost Boys and Edward Scissorhands
Imitation Game and Locke
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City Island. One of the few I really enjoyed reading
City of god from brazil its one of the greatest scrpt im ever read! also pulp fiction with the notes, was so learnin
3:10 to Yuma for a great villain. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang for a wild ride. Michael Clayton for a dream-like quality. And ... Gran Torino for tight, clear characterisation.
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"LOCKE" - - - link to the script http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Locke.pdf
@Owen, I really like the Wachowski's ideas, but MAN those dialogues are terrible haha
There are a few on http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/free-script-downloads/ Personally, I've enjoyed studying a variety of scripts from there. Hanna, Looper, Despicable Me 2, Wolf of Wall Street & The American. I now wish to catch up on some I've watched since. Each had something unique to offer. For example Wolf of Wall Street differs quite a lot from the end product on the screen, Despicable Me 2 is an exact transcript with every detail included & The American is a dense hundred and odd pages and there is hardly any dialogue in the film.
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We should all read scripts. You can feel the rhythm and pace of how successful writers did it, how they handled dialog and exposition, etc. How-to-write books are great in breaking down the craft, but reading scripts shows us how all that was actually done on the page. One of my main takeaways from reading scripts is the prominence of "less is more", especially in dialog. Watching a film, then reading the script, and then watching the film a second time has been a valuable process for me.
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American Beauty is a great read.
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American Beauty IS a great read. Also Chinatown and There Will Be Blood.
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That's very odd way to look at things, Alle. Just because some newbie writers you've come across have come up with stories or concepts or ways of writing that aren't original doesn't mean that no-one should read scripts! It's true of course that you can read novels and scripts, listen to music, look at art and be unconsciously influenced by them. But no-one would seriously contend that's a reason not to study the works of others. Why is screenwriting any different? A person with real talent will absorb ideas and still be able to come up with something original.
Heat.
If you liked Gladiator the original script and the shooting script are online--it's very interesting to read both versions. Also, if you're a fan of the Alien franchise, William Gibson's script for Alien 3 was rejected, which I found so astounding that I googled it and read it (wasn't rejected because it was bad, but, evidently, because they were considering making Hicks the main character and going off in a space marine direction--which I wish they'd done...).
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Nightcrawler & Dallas Buyers Club
Read. Learn. Write. Read everything you can. Learn everything you can from what you read. And then infuse with your abilities, talents, and skills.
http://issuu.com/lafamiliafilm/docs/magnificent_ambersons__the_1942_sho/...
I recomend read Ghost and The Sixth Sense scripts, both have a similar subject (life after death) but in totally different approach, its a great piece of learning.
I recommend Henry Fool and Rounders. Fool was the best read I've had, followed by Pulp Fiction and Rounder. Except for Pulp, ordinary films. Begs the question, what happened? Add the Alien scripts by Dan O'Bannon. Great reads, films.
If may be a bit old school, but the cleanest script I ever read was Billy Wilder's "The Apartment". Nothing extraneous. Perfection. A mirror image of the movie. (My only caveat is I can't believe this was the original script. Sometimes I do believe they go back and write a simplified version from the edited film.)
I would like to recommend this ten-minute action play http://www.bookrix.com/_ebook-koyel-mitra-when-life-is-a-stranger/
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A Killing on Carnival Row. - Travis Beacham's dark fantasy mystery spec sold in the mid- 2000's. It's been up and down in development and was recently announced to be coming to "TV" via Guillermo Del Toro / Amazon (well, it's in active development).
I really enjoyed the original script to Edge of Tomorrow titled "All You Need Is Kill". It's a lot of fun, good to get the sense of how a sci-fi action piece should be written.
Argo is a good one.
Check out THE WOLF OF WALL STREET. It's hilarious!
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Whiplash
Read your 41 pg short, Nisha Shakur. Interesting read, black magic.
Regardless of what you think of the man Manhattan by Woody Allen ranks up there as one of the best at least in my opinion and for those that love comedy. The transcript dialogue alone that you can find on scrript-o-rama is awesome. The script is good too. I read the script first then the dialogue transcipt. It's amazing, it truly is.
Whiplash is a great script
Wild is a beautiful script.
The original Day the Earth Stood Still remains one of my favorite films...love the screenplay. Another is High Noon, brilliantly written by Carl Foreman. some of the back stories on these writers is quite interesting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Foreman
I read recently "Absolute Power" Any screenwriters who need help (like me) in writing an excellent OPENING scene or PAGES in this case, must read this one. OH, I FORGOT! Another great one is "The Shawshank Redemption love both script and one of my second favorite movies after "Its a Wonderful Life" another script that I've also read. Okay enough about me. I now need some feedback from all of you, IF any like or will read these I've mentioned. My next one will be "The Imitation Game, the writer gave a very emotional accepting speech at last nights OSCARS.
Anything by Pixar, Little Miss Sunshine