Wednesday 18 February 2015

Screenplays

Below I've collated a few links to great screenplays, both film and TV. The links are mainly pilfered from other, far better, filmmaking resources like the fantastic Cinephilia and Beyond, as well as the unstoppable Go Into the Story, and the UK's own BBC Writers Room. The more screenplays you read, the easier it becomes to write them... or so I'm told.

Glen Garry Glen Ross - David Mamet

Calvary - John Michael McDonagh

People Just Do Nothing - Steve Stamp

Fargo (film) - Joel & Ethan Coen

Fargo (TV series) - Noah Hawley

I've just finished watching Fargo the TV series, a new benchmark against which we'll measure all other spinoffs! Noah Hawley's black comedy had enough little nods to the Coen Brothers' original film - that subplot on the fate of Steve Buscemi's buried million was inspired - but did its own thing, with it's own deeply flawed yet lovable characters and quirky ideas. There's an online PDF of the first episode that's a perfect example of how a pilot can deftly introduce all your main characters, while keeping the plot moving - things just keep happening! - and using the setting to its full potential. The dialogue is sublime and the tone, that straight-faced gallows humour, is to die for.

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