Coralie Fargeat’s indie film The Substance is one of my favorite movies of the year, and it’s one of the best films I’ve seen recently. Screenwriters should study it for its story, characters, scenes, uniqueness, and symbolism. You can watch the movie on Mubi and read the script here (https://deadline.com/2024/12/the-substance-script-read-the-screenplay-co...). I plan on reading the script since I’m developing a Body Horror story. I've also wanted to watch a movie while reading the script to see what made it into the film and what was left out, so I plan on doing that with The Substance.
Same here, Dan MaxXx. I've been putting unusual formatting & action lines in my scripts more and more. Some people say don't do it, but it makes a script (and a writer or filmmaker) stand out.
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Some screenwriters are naturally talented, but all screenwriters can learn to get better at crafting stories, formatting, writing dialogue, etc., Dan MaxXx.
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Maurice Vaughan this is a great example of believing in yourself and having a strong craft. How many times do you think she was rejected for not writing "industry standard" and the ironic thing in any art is someone who breaks the rules creates the new standards. Seen it in fashion, fine art, music, dance, theater... thank you for posting this and a good reminder for all who consider themselves Artists. More rule breakers please...
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You're welcome, Susan Kelejian. Great points! Yes, more rule breakers please! There are so many scripts out there that we need to do things that make our scripts stand out. Aside from formatting stuff like dialogue in the middle of the page, there's only two rules I follow (be entertaining and be clear). And I love it when I read a script by another writer and it's not like the other scripts I've read. I'm sure it's the same thing for producers and directors.