Reading scripts

When we talk about first drafts, we're talking about "reading drafts" or "spec drafts" (if it's an original screenplay) -- what the studio would consider the first draft. Not the writer's first draft. It could be the writer's fifty-seventh draft, for all we know. But it's the first draft people in the industry read. The draft the writer (and his representation) went out with. What you don't want are shooting scripts or drafts that are the end result of a bunch of paid rewrites (sometimes by different writers) based on studio/development notes, because those don't represent what got industry people interested in the script in the first place.

Also, as someone said, shooting scripts are filled with technical details and camera angles that you won't be using in your spec scripts.

Tomasz, based on other things you've said, I'll make another suggestion that may sound counterintuitive (and others should feel free to agree or disagree here).

But at the stage of the game where you seem to be, I'd focus less on the classics and Oscar-winning masterpieces and spend more time looking at smaller, simpler movies. Not because the masterpieces aren't a worthy target to shoot for - they are. But because their art is so often used to conceal the craft, and it's the craft you want to learn.

Look at it this way. If you wanted to learn to paint, you could go look at Rembrandts and Van Goghs, but you'd probably just end up intimidated by their brilliance and confused by how they pulled it off. A much simpler perspective sketch, on the other hand, might not be as artistically sophisticated or spiritually satisfying, but it would be a lot easier to take apart and study and you'd probably learn more about how to create your own paintings from it.

For example, (although the second half of the film is badly flawed and nobody was thinking "Oscar!") I think Legally Blonde is a great movie to study for your purposes because it's relatively simple. You can sort out the really basic stuff, like who's the protagonist and what do they want, pull apart the different subplots and see where all their respective turning points are quite easily.

And it's not without its clever writing tricks. Note for instance the way they replace the antagonist halfway through with a new antagonist because the original one can't get them to the kind of climax they're looking for. Every screenwriter has tricks - but the great ones are better at hiding them, and you want to see how the tricks work.

Air pirate:
That sounds good.. I want to give your idea a shot but I can only find the shooting script for Legally blonde. Can someone help me with more examples of scripts with pretty obvious turning points, act climaxes etc?

You know, this thread is almost to the point of taking on a life of its own. Let me do my best.

If you want to know how to write "spec" screenplays, then read as many produced screenplays as you can. Read the earliest draft that you can find.

Understand that as an unknown, never-produced writer, that your efforts may not be regarded as "good." The people who fund movies want to make money on their investments.

Give it a shot.

wm

Bill:
Ill do that too.

Ok, one more question. Do you read a script once for the pleasure of the story and one more time, but this time, with great awareness and with your structure radar on, or do you just analyze it while you turn the pages the first time? Can someone list the things to look out for so that one can get the most out of the reading?

I read 3 different versions of ERIN BROCKOVICH on script-o-rama. It was very interesting and instructive to see how subtle changes were made and the effect these changes had on the final product.

Bah, there are not that many early drafts of scripts on the net :rolleyes