Go Into The Story

Screenwriting 101: John Michael Hayes

“I prefer to start a screenplay and go through the whole first draft in one fell swoop. To get all the emotion, color, drama, melodrama…

Page One: “Showgirls” (1995)

Written by Joe Eszterhas

On Writing

“Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination.”

Page One: “Shovel Buddies” (2016)

Written by Jason Hellerman

Take The Quest

In 2025, one Quest graduate sold 2 spec scripts. Another wrote a script which made the annual Black List. Enroll in my one-on-one program.

Page One: “Sherlock Holmes” (2009)

Screenplay by Michael Robert Johnson and Anthony Peckham and Simon Kinberg, screen story by Lionel Wigram and Michael Robert Johnson…

Page One: “Sharky’s Machine” (1981)

Screenplay by Gerald Di Pego, novel by William Diehl

Script Analysis: “The Lighthouse” — Scene-By-Scene Breakdown

Here is my take on this exercise from a previous series of posts — How To Read A Screenplay:

Page One: “Shame” (2011)

Written by Steve McQueen and Abi Morgan

Screenwriting 101: Sean Hartofilis

“I don’t think writing is as much an act as a way of being. Or at least not for me to be effective. It’s not just sitting down at your desk…

Page One: “Shirley” (2020)

Screenplay by Sarah Gubbins, based on the book written by Susan Scarf Merrell

Script Analysis: “Leviathan” — Scene By Scene Breakdown

Here is my take on this exercise from a previous series of posts — How To Read A Screenplay:

Page One: “Sex Drive” (2008)

Screenplay by Sean Anders & John Morris, book “All the Way” by Andy Behrens

On Writing

“What is either a picture or a novel that is not character?”

Page One: “Serenity” (2019)

Written by Steven Knight

2025 Black List

All 74 scripts listed in order of votes received including loglines, plus a link where you can download the official list.

Page One: “Serenity” (2005)

Written by Joss Whedon

Go Into The Story Interview: Michael Werwie

It’s a pretty rare honor for a screenwriter to be the recipient of a Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting and be named to the annual Black…

Page One: “The Smashing Machine” (2025)

Written by Benny Safdie

Screenwriting 101: Julia Hart

“I write a ton of dialogue and then I’ll cut a bunch of it out. I’ll write like seven lines where there needs to be one and just cut around…

Page One: “Warfare” (2025)

Written by Ray Mendoza & Alex Garland

Script Analysis: ‘I’m Your Woman’ — Scene-By-Scene Breakdown

Here is my take on this exercise from a previous series of posts — How To Read A Screenplay:

Page One: “Pillion” (2025)

Screenplay by Harry Lighton, book by Adam Mars-Jones

On Writing

“Writing is, in the end, that oddest of anomalies: an intimate letter to a stranger.”

Page One: “Materialists” (2025)

Written by Celine Song