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[Batman dangles a mugger over the side of a building]
NIC Don't kill me! Don't kill me, man! Don't kill me! Don't kill me, man! BATMAN I'm not going to kill you. I want you to do me a favor. I want you to tell all your friends about me. NIC What are you? BATMAN I'm Batman.
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HAROLD
Hey, it's great to have a new neighbor. Woman lived here before you was nuts. Biggest bitch under the sun. Just a senile old hag really. Wouldn't be surprised if someone just got fed up and offed her. Know what I mean? ROGER She was my aunt. HAROLD Heart of gold though. Just uh, a saint really. And uh such a beautiful woman, for her age. HUDSON
They're coming outta the walls. They're coming outta the goddamn walls. Let's book! WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST
I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too! [Vizzini has just cut the rope The Dread Pirate Roberts is climbing up]
VIZZINI HE DIDN'T FALL? INCONCEIVABLE. INIGO MONTOYA You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. Based on a screenplay
by Dan O'Bannon Story by Dan O'Bannon and Shusett Extremely concise action lines. A bit of foreshadowing by Kane and Parker in the mess hall on page 4. KANE I feel dead. Parker emphasizes this with his reply. PARKER You look dead. The fact that this is where the crew will first be introduced to the alien and where Kane will end up dead when it bursts out his chest. At this point, the audience won't understand these remarks. On page 7, the first sign that's something's wrong. They're not anywhere near earth, they're in the wrong system. On page 9, Dallas informs the crew as to why Mother woke them up. On page 10, Ash reinforces why they must take a look. Almost threatening. He tells them that if they don't, they won't get paid. They don't have a choice. On page 19, Brett and Parker question Ripley about getting shares. Ripley's response. Could be seen as more foreshadowing. RIPLEY Don't worry, you'll both get what's coming to you. It doesn't really matter, you'll both be dead. Audience won't know this, but it'll make sense once the alien arrives on board. The money and shares won't really matter. Important moment at the bottom of page 28 when Ripley informs Ash that the signal might not be an S.O.S. But a warning instead. Ash is very reluctant to let her go and makes up excuses to keep her on board. His reasons for doing this will become apparent later on. Major turning point when the facehugger attaches itself to Kane at the bottom of page 31. Ripley won't let them enter the ship, she insists that kane should be quarantined. Ash goes against her again and let's them in. What's Ash up to? Ash pretty much owns up to why he let kane on board on page 46 and is very blunt with Ripley. ASH Maybe I should have let him die out there. Maybe I have jeapordized the rest of us. It's a risk I'm willing to take. What's attached to Kane's face is more important to Ash than the crew in other words. Dallas explains on page 50 that Ash replaced his regular science officer two days before he left. Something's not quite right. They're all a little shocked to see Kane on page 56. Perhaps he's okay after all. Kane appears normal on page 58. They're at the table eating, talking. A false victory. Everything appears to be back to normal. But it's too good to be true. A good high and low point. One minute kane seems okay, next he's lying dead on the table. As Parker foreshadowed on page 4. There seems to be a slight overlap with the dialogue on page 61 and 62. Possibly due to this draft being a revision. Things get really complicated for the crew when Brett is killed on Page 70 and they discover that the alien has grown real big. Everything comes to a standstill when Dallas appears to be killed on page 79. A pretty low point for the crew. He's the Captain. What are they going to do now? Ash's intentions become apparent when it's discovered that he's actually an android who's been on a secret mission. Parker knocks Ash's head off on page 89. PARKER A robot, a goddamn android. Ripley discovers that Dallas isn't dead. He's been cocooned and asks her to kill him. This scene wasn't in the cinema release. I think it was added in a special edition at some point. I can see why it was taken out. It lessens the suspense for the audience, they think everyone is dead only to find out that they're not. Ripley isn't alone. Also Ripley killing Dallas, she has to, but it's not a nice moment. Had there been a couple of scenes showing Ripley's relationship with Dallas, it would have made sense in keeping this scene. It would have made more of an impact. Also this would have setup what happens to everyone in the sequel Aliens as well. Showing what they do to their prey once they're caught. A small scene showing the Nostromo alone in the black void of space and Ripley finding herself all alone on the ship herself. A nice twist at the end. Ripley doesn't just hop into the Narcissus and escape. She discovers the alien has taken up residence. She must kill it. She manages to blow it out the rear hatch. Something they almost succeeded in doing earlier had it not been for Ash interfering. Definitely worth a read. Again the action lines are extremely short, written with brevity and clarity. Read Watch Reread CLAREECE 'Precious' JONES
Some folks has a lot of things around them that shines for other peoples. I think that maybe some of them was in tunnels. And in that tunnel, the only light they had, was inside of them. And then long after they escape that tunnel, they sitll be shining for everybody else. Should you or shouldn’t you?
This is a tough call. Many writers toy with this idea. From a writing point of view, this makes the most sense. Writing should be seen as work in itself, you’re looking at doing it as a career. So you should be putting all your time and effort into writing. Even if it means surviving on food stamps and bread and dripping There’s nothing worse than toiling away at a mundane, mind numbing, brain cell sapping job, if all you want to do is write. But making this choice isn’t as easy as it sounds. Many factors will influence your decision.
If you aren’t affected by any of the above factors and have plenty of savings. This may well be the best route for you to undertake. However, and it’s a big however. Working part-time would probably be the better option to start with. In doing this, you’ll be bringing in enough to hopefully pay the rent and possibly to live off week to week. Also, you’ll still be interacting with people. You’ll be able to source their thoughts on what types of movies they like, what they’d like to watch and so on. You could even discuss your own ideas with them and get their opinions. Working part-time will also encourage you that much more to write and work harder. And from a social point of view, it’ll get you outside that box and talking with people. Writing is a very solitary endeavor and writers are solitary creatures after all. It’s good to see daylight from time to time. MAXIMUS
[after swiftly dispatching another gladiator] Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here? CROWD Spaniard, Spaniard, Spaniard... MANNY
Sid, you're gonna have a family too someday. You're gonna meet a nice girl, with... with low standards, no real options, or sense of smell... JUNO MACGUFF
You should've gone to China, you know, 'cause I hear they give away babies like free iPods. You know, they pretty much just put them in those t-shirt guns and shoot them out at sporting events. MARTY McFLY
Ah, Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ, Doc, you disintegrated Einstein! Written 21 pages.
Nearing the end of Act 1. HAN SOLO Here's where the fun begins. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) HARMONICA
Your friends have a high mortality rate Frank. First three, then two. FRANK So, you're the one who makes appointments. HARMONICA And you're the one who doesn't keep them. 94 Pages
Screenplay by Andrew Stanton Jim Reardon Original Story by Andrew Stanton Pete Docter A great opening on page 1. Very concise action lines. Extreme brevity and clarity. Very much sets the tone of the movie. Wally is introduced straight away. He's getting on with his job, compacting trash. If you've seen the movie, then you'll know there isn't very much in the way of dialogue. An important moment occurs on page 4 when Wally watches the video. He watches the characters on screen hold hands. He mimics them and holds his own hands. A little foreshadowing, he's after some company of his own. Someone to hold hands with. While out doing his work, Wally discovers something important on page 7. He finds a small plant in the early stages of growth. Something living in this desolate landscape filled with mountains of trash. Pages 8 and 9 A very important turning point for Wally. Eve arrives. Wally and Eve meet on page 11. A brief meeting between them. Everything is going smoothly for Wally, he's getting to know Eve until he brings out the small plant on page 17. This is when it all changes for Wally. This is what Eve has been looking for, signs of life on the planet surface. In his attempt to rescue Eve, Wally climbs onto the Recon ship and scales the outside on page 21. This is the start of Act 2. Wally is leaving the world he knows behind and entering a new world in an attempt to rescue Eve. Very clever on page 25 with the character M-O, this is a new world with order and no chaos. As soon as Wally arrives he throws everything into chaos. M-O is disgusted with all the contamination, leaves his line and proceeds to clean. The first sign of things to come. Change. A great glimpse of how the human species has evolved since leaving Earth on page 26. Not very far it seems. They don't appear to have learnt anything from their previous mistakes that eventually led to them evacuating a desolate trash filled planet. Things don't look good for Wally on page 51 when he discovers Gopher placing the plant in the pod and traps Wally inside it. Wally escapes before the pod explodes on page 53. Eve is shocked, but Wally can't die. And he isn't, he uses a fire extinguisher to propel himself past her, much to her relief. A low point precedes a nice high point for Wally and Eve who end up kissing each other on page 55. Could this be a false victory? It can't be that easy? They still have to get the plant to the Axiom Superior. A great moment on page 84 when the ship tilts to one side and the passengers reach for and grab each other. The act of holding hands, something Wally and the passengers haven't done for a very long time. Very clever on page 92. This all works because it's been set up and hinted at all through the story. Wally doesn't remember anything, no matter what Eve does. Until, until she grasps one of his hands in hers. Check out page 4. Wally wants to hold hands with someone, he wants a friend. On page 93, Wally notices them holding hands. This is what he's always wanted, this is what he dreamed about when he watched the video of the two people kissing on page 4. Setups and payoffs. If you're considering writing a screenplay with minimal dialogue and want to learn how to write action lines that won't bog down the reader. Read this. The action lines are sparse and written with clarity and brevity. Each word has been meticulously chosen to convey what's happening and help the reader visualize what's going on. When Eve and Wally do communicate, they don't just make beeps. They actually get lines of dialogue. Even though when they do communicate they do beep, the reader can see what they are saying, this gives the reader empathy for the characters. You empathize with what they're saying. This is very much a movie about the visuals. It has many themes running through it. The two main ones deal with friendship, companionship and bringing humanity back from the brink to save the Earth. If we work together and learn from our mistakes we can fix this and restore Earth. Look at what we've become and look at what we could be. Definitely worth a read, watch the movie and reread the screenplay. Read Watch Reread DIEGO
Save your breath, Sid. You know humans can't talk. Currently preparing a beat sheet and outline for a rewrite. Need to get these scenes nice and tight. Aiming for 95 pages. Reworking the story, setups and payoffs. Should make for a far better and much more entertaining movie. Should have this draft finished before the end of next month.
WYATT EARP
Mister, I've been in a really bad mood for the last few years, so I'd appreciate it if you'd just leave me alone.  Authors
Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon There are a lot of books out there that are written by people claiming to be self professed gurus on the subject of writing screenplays. Many claming that if you follow their way of writing it'll lead to being a professional screenwriter. When you actually do a little research on who these people are and what they claim to know. They don't actually know that much, otherwise they wouldn't be spending all their time writing how to books and doing seminars. The old adage. "Those that can — do: those that can't — teach." I've checked the credentials of some of these and found more often than not. Their only claim to fame is being a script consultant. Whatever that means. They haven't actually written anything, sold it and had it produced. All they've actually done is given their opinions on a story and screenplay. This does not make you an expert on screenwriting. Does this make you a screenwriting guru? Do pigs fly? Page 11 "There are many self-proclaimed "screenwriting gurus" - though how you get to be a "guru" of something you've never actually done is beyond us." If there is only one book you are considering buying on screenwriting and you want to get an honest opinion on what the industry is really like. Then you won't go far wrong if you purchase a copy of Writing Movies for Fun and Profit: How We Made a Billion Dollars at the Box Office and You Can, Too! [Hardcover] The second you see the dust cover, you'll know straight away that this won't be your usual forray into some failed wannabe's writings on the subject. These guys know what they're talking about. They've been there and done it. The book is divided into two parts. PART ONE: SELLING YOUR MOVIE They explain the differences between agents and managers and what exactly they do. They discuss the roles of producers and directors. Of course not all of it is serious. They talk about living in Los Angeles. What hotspots to visit etc. PART TWO: WRITING A SCREENPLAY From dealing with structure to battling out who actually wrote the finished product and dealing with arbitration or who wrote this crap. But their main emphasis is on the actual writing. You have to write. ALWAYS BE WRITING Always be writing. Always be writing. Always be writing. Well worth the money, a fun, entertaining and intuitive read. Highly recommended. N.B. Even if you are not a writer and looking for something interesting to read about the toils of the movie industry and how a story goes from screenplay to screen. Then get your hands on a copy of this. LESTER BURNHAM
Look at me, jerking off in the shower... This will be the high point of my day; it's all downhill from here. |
Welcome to Russell’s website. A storyteller who enjoys writing screenplays for movies. Even though the process is hard. It keeps his imagination working overtime.
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