14 Days of Screenplays

by Scott Myers

Students ask me how I learned the craft of screenwriting. I give the same answer that Walter Hill did:

“The usual story – read a lot of scripts, saw every possible movie.”

By and large, most folks seem to do a pretty good job on the ‘seeing movie’ front. But reading scripts? Not so much. I think I know why that’s the case. When we think of “movies,” we almost automatically think entertainment. And even if we students of screenwriting sit in a theater, checking our watch at every major plot, tracking subplots, and questioning story choices, on the whole the experience of watching a movie isentertaining. But when we consider reading a screenplay, my guess is that the first word that comes to most people’s minds is work.

Well, that’s true enough — reading a screenplay is work. But you expected to play your way to the top of the screenwriting heap? Think of any other creative outlet: painting, sculpture, novels, poetry, acting, dance, violin, composing. Do you think that any of the people who succeed in creating a career in any of these fields got there without studying the subject matter at a granular level?

The simple fact is if you are really serious about learning the craft of screenwriting, you must read scripts. It is perhaps the single best way to drill down into the heart of the craft. It’s one reason that so many script readers become successful screenwriters — reading all those scripts, even bad ones, is a massive learning experience.

So here’s something you can do to kick-start your screenplay reading habit: read 14 scripts in 14 days. I recommend this to my students often and the ones who’ve actually done it report back that it helped them immensely. Reading that many scripts in a compressed time provides a Gestalt grasp of the craft that you would not likely get any other way.

[Warning: old fart story ahead.]

Now way back when K-9 sold and I moved to LA, screenplays of existing movies were not that easy to find. I had to cobble together other screenwriters, my agents’ assistants, and other fans of the craft into a kind of ‘black market’ of screenplays. This was especially true of the latest hot selling spec scripts like Basic Instinct and The Last Boyscout, but track them down I did. Trudging 5 miles every morning… through thick snowdrifts… in the pitch black… oh wait, that’s another old fart story. My point is this: you’relucky! With a couple of clicks of your computer’s mouse, you can tap into a universe of screenplays — for free! My favorite screenplay hosting website is SimplyScripts.com, but there are plenty others. 

So allow me to cut trail for you with links to 14 scripts. Different styles, writers, genres, and decades. I’m including Back to the Future and Witness because those are the first two screenplays I read, so perhaps a bit of good luck will rub off on you.

Day 1: Back to the Future

Day 2: Witness

Day 3: Alien

Day 4: Some Like It Hot

Day 5: Body Heat

Day 6: Fargo

Day 7: The Shawshank Redemption

Day 8: Die Hard

Day 9: Thelma & Louise

Day 10: Dead Poet’s Society

Day 11: The Matrix

Day 12: Network

Day 13: Memento

Day 14: Toy Story

14 great scripts. 14 days. Trust me. It’s worth it.

Reprinted with permission.

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Screenwriter Scott Myers

Scott Myers has been a screenwriter since 1987 when Universal Studios bought and produced K-9, a spec script he co-wrote. Other movie credits: Alaska (1996), starring Thora Burch, and Trojan War (1997), starring Jennifer Love Hewitt. Currently, he’s an Executive Producer with Distillery Pictures in Raleigh, NC.

He has recently launched the ScreenwritingMasterClass.com with Tom Benedek to train, consult and mentor screenwriters into the industry.

He has a screenwriting blog you need to bookmark at www.gointothestory.com