How To Read A Screenplay: Parts 1–7

There is reading a screenplay. And there is reading a screenplay. If you really want to understand a script — story structure, characters, themes, the whole enchilada — here is a 7-part series providing an immersive approach to do just that.

For Part 1: The First Pass, go here.

For Part 2: The Scene-By-Scene Breakdown, go here.

For Part 3: Plotline Points and Sequences, go here.

For Part 4: Subplots, Relationships and Character Functions, go here.

For Part 5: Metamorphosis, go here.

For Part 6: Themes, go here.

For Part 7: Style and Language, go here.

This is not intended to train you to be a script reader, but rather to provide a set of tools for writers to dig deep into a screenplay, understand it and learn from it.