Read, Watch, Study!
The best way to study how screenplays work is to read as many of them as you can get your hands on—and to watch as many movies as you can afford to see. And an excellent learning tool is to do both at once: that is, rent the video for the movie you have a script for. Study the script, and then watch the movie with the script in your lap.
Literature Writers who were Great
Where do you get screenplays to read? Many are available online for downloading. There are stores where you can buy them. And there is an excellent quarterly magazine, Scenario, that publishes four screenplays an issue.
There are also journals and magazines just for screenwriters that analyze contemporary movies in ways helpful to writers, interview screenwriters, or present useful industry news.
Let’s say you have a copy of the script for E.T. I would use it to improve my screenwriting skills in this way:
First, I would give the script a quick read, just to enjoy it.
Next I would reread it again and look closely at the people in the story. Always remember that stories are about people (in this sense, E.T. is a wonderful person!).
Then I would reread it slowly, paying particular attention to plot points—and looking for the three major plot points (Act One, midpoint, Act Two).
Then I would put on the video. I would also put the clock on the TV screen (or have a watch at hand if this can’t be done). I would note the time when I start the movie. I would watch the movie straight through the first time, looking for the major plot points, which should appear about half an hour, an hour, and ninety minutes into the movie, give or take five or ten minutes.
Then I’d watch the movie a second time, following along with the script, and using the remote to pause a lot. I’d look for silent moments in the movie and see how they were written in the script. I’d look for differences between the script and movie (there will always be some since all final decisions are made in the editing room in the film’s terms, not the script’s terms). I’d learn to make the leap from what I’m reading on the page to what I’m seeing on the screen.
You can never learn enough about the extraordinary economy of the screenplay as a literary art form. It is something to behold.
Start a notebook or computer file (if you haven’t already) in which you record the movies you’ve seen and studied. Fill out a paradigm chart for each.
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Russian Screenplay Contest 