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A surprisingly large number of the screenwriters I encounter don't do much reading. Of screenplays or anything else. This is a mistake that I've touched on before, especially if you're a screenwriter.
I think it's important to read as many screenplays as you can get your hands on. And I don't mean the published versions. Go to the Internet and find websites that let you download screenplays for free. Or go to those that charge you a few bucks to read the manuscript.
There's something to be said for reading a draft of a film you love and see how the writer handled things on the page.
I enjoy reading screenplays of films that have sold for huge amounts. I want to find out for myself what a producer or studio executive saw in something that made them cough up a ton of money.
It's also interesting to see the changes that were made in the resulting film.
I've read scripts that were fabulous and never made. I've read others that worked as a screenplay, but sucked by the time it hit the theaters. I've read mediocre scripts that sold for big bucks and were so-so. They're all learning experiences. It makes you wonder why a perfectly good scene in the script was cut. Or rewritten and made bad. Or why they changed a cool ending.
Bottom line: screenwriters should be reading other people's screenplays. You'll be surprised what you can learn. |
