Screenplay Examples

The Bare Bones Book of Screenwriting shares an abundance of screenplay samples by successful Hollywood screenwriters and feature films and blockbuster movies. Using direct scenes and snippets from screenwriter's such as Quentin Tarantino or Martin Scorsese, or William Goldman, George Lucas (Star Wars - the franchise now owned by Disney) and Steven Spielberg.

Reading screenplays (by WGA Guild professional writers) and produced screenplays. is part of the process of learning screenwriting for beginners or writing your first or second TV or film script.

A screenplay is a 90-130 page visual poetry written in prose, Courier 12pt font on 8 1/2" x 11" bright white three-hole punched paper (that's the start of technical formatting). Why is font important to a script format? It's about timing. One well formatted page equals roughly one minute of screen time, if the screenplay is read as it is meant to be read - as visual prose writing, not literary work or novel writing. Most movies are one and a half to two hours.

A screenplay can come from anywhere. Your idea. A real life event. It can can be an original piece, or based on a true story or previously written piece, like a novel, stage play or newspaper article which would have to be adapted for the screen (yes, there is a section about that in The Bare Bones Book of Screenwriting). A screenplay - correctly formatted - is a blueprint for the film's actors, director and producers.