Reading scripts

Should I read shooting scripts or just last drafts? I can stand the camera directions to some point but I cant stand the illustrations in some screenplays that occupy half of the pages, I want to use my imagination as much as possible. The reason I read those shooting scripts anyway is that it is more comfortable to lie in my sofa or to sit on the train and read than to sit infront of my computer and reading in pdf files. I can´t get my hands on every script I want to read, my options are limited to the collection in the swedish film institutes library and there they have many shooting scripts. To make it simple, is it bad in some way to read a lot of scripts that are written the way I should not write mine? Also, sometimes they don´t look like scripts, more like novels. Should I skip those scripts?

Peace

Read early drafts not production scripts. You generally want spec scripts from newer writers that have sold to get a feeling for the quality of the writing you're aiming for because there's a reason these scripts were picked up. But don't try and copy style. That'll develop on it's own.

Read everything but pay closer attention to those above because veterans are going to get away with stuff that new writers won't along the degrees of a captivating read. Shooting scripts can read more bland but pick up a good spec and you'll get lost in it.

Stick to earlier versions though, I'd say. But read everything you can.

So it´s ok to read shooting scripts too? What´s the main purpose of reading hundreds of scripts as a new screenwriter? Is it just to learn the propper format or is there more to it? I´ve read 13 scripts now, some classics and some new ones to films I like. Im trying to read one everyday now and I´m planning to read at least 100 to start with and until I´ve read those 100 I´m going to read many of them again and do some analyzing. I´m also going to see the movies to the ones that I´ve never seen. Just want to know why I should do it and hear from more people if it does any harm to read screenplays with bad format. Anything more I should know or think about while I read? I want to get the most out of it.

First, what you're doing is very wise. But don't read to learn format - Screenwriter or Final Draft will teach you enough about format to get you started. Read scripts to get a sense for how they're written: how action and characters are described, what the writer's voice sounds like within the script, how the story is structured, etc.

One thing that will drive you mad if you try and read for formatting is that they're so inconsistent - especially with older scripts where sometimes you'll find two parallel columns, one of physical action and the other of voiceover narration, going on for page after page after page. Or you'll find movies broken up into "Sequence A" through "Sequence E."

In fact, in general, I'd lean heavily toward more current stuff in terms of strictly reading scripts for writing lessons. There's a lot to be learned about cinema from watching the classics, but the scripts will often confuse you and lure into what are now considered bad habits.

Then it´s better to concentrate on the more current scripts you say? I loved reading Sunset Boulevard for example eventhough it´s sometimes written in two parallel columns and broken up in Sequence A, B and so on. Could you name some more bad habits they had back in the days?

Tomas, don't make things unnecessarily hard on yourself.

Read some modern scripts (spec or "reading" format) and practice your own writing. Forget about what they did 40-50 years ago and how things have changed (not much, by the way ).

Forget about reading any "shooting" scripts for now.

Practicing your own writing is just as important as reading.

Why should I read early drafts? I thought I should give script-o-rama a chanse but what script type is to prefer? First draft, second draft, final draft or script? What´s the difference between final draft and script btw?

I´ll also give more current scripts a chanse, thx for the tip.

Early drafts tend to be more akin to the spec script you will submit, later drafts, especially shooting scripts can have more technical detail which isn't appropriate in a spec script.

But an early draft hasn´t been rewritten enough so that the writer is satisfied, why should I read something that is not finished?

If you are a writer a script is never finished. See the above answers as to why you should concentrate on early drafts.

Edited to say

The number of the draft might have nothing to do with the writer involved. It may be, and probably is, a different writer. That is the producer's choice, not the writer's.