The Karate Kid Written by Robert Mark KamenDirected by John G. AvildsenRunning time: 123 minutesYear: 1984 BASIC STORY MAP PROTAGONIST: Daniel LaRusso, high school seniorCHARACTERIZATION|MAIN MISBEHAVIOR: Weakling |Hot-headedEXTERNAL GOAL: To learn karate | To win the tournamentINTERNAL GOAL: To find…
Gravity Written by Alfonso Cuarón & Jonás CuarónDirected by Alfonso CuarónRunning time: 84 minutesYear: 2013Click Here To Download the Script (PDF) BASIC STORY MAP PROTAGONIST: Dr. Ryan Stone, medical engineer on her first space missionCHARACTERIZATION|MAIN MISBEHAVIOR: Highly skilled scientist |…
Dallas Buyers Club Written by Craig Borten and Melisa WallackDirected by Jean-Marc ValléeRunning time: 113 minutesYear: 2013Download the Script (PDF) BASIC STORY MAP PROTAGONIST: Ron Woodroof, 40s, electrician diagnosed with AIDSCHARACTERIZATION|MAIN MISBEHAVIOR: Street-wise | Bigot, Addict EXTERNAL GOAL: To find…
Fletch Screenplay by Andrew BergmanBased on the novel by Gregory McDonaldDirected by Michael RitchieRunning time: 105 minutesYear: 1985 BASIC STORY MAP PROTAGONIST: Irwin “Fletch” Fletcher, 40s, investigative reporterCHARACTERIZATION|MAIN MISBEHAVIOR: Headstrong, Disguise expert | Smart-assEXTERNAL GOAL: To investigate Stanwyk | To…
AMERICAN GANGSTER Screenplay by Steven ZaillianDirected by Ridley ScottRunning time: 150 minutesYear: 2007 BASIC TWO PROTAGONIST STORY MAP PROTAGONIST: Frank LucasCHARACTERIZATION/MAIN MISBEHAVIOR: Business-minded | GreedEXTERNAL GOAL: To create a business with a superior product | To expand and maintain his…
Being John Malkovich Written by Charlie KaufmanDirected by Spike JonzeRunning time: 107 minutesYear: 1999 BASIC STORY MAP PROTAGONIST: Craig Schwartz, 30-something struggling puppeteerCHARACTERIZATION/MAIN MISBEHAVIOR: Narcissist / Disenchanted with realityEXTERNAL GOAL: To be a famous puppeteer / To be with…
Writing a movie is a mixture of architecture and poetry. ~Billy Wilder Billy Wilder was a master of his craft, whether it was directing or screenwriting. Just watch The Apartment, Double Indemnity, or Some Like It Hot. In this…
Focus Features The Place Beyond the Pines Dallas Buyers Club
Director Curtis Hanson and his co-writer, Brian Helgeland, have taken a massively complex novel by James Ellroy and boiled it down to a no-flab screenplay that still eludes easy synopsis. A mass murder in a downtown cafe sets off an…
I ran across an impressive screenwriting infographic this evening on Reddit. Script readers generally have some of the best advice for aspiring writers. After all, they’re the grunts of the industry; the ones slogging through mud on a daily basis.…
