Screenwriting Tip: P. 1 needs to kick ass
Forget everything you’ve heard about how you need to grab a script reader’s attention by P. 15 or P. 10 or P. 5.
You need to grab it by P. 1.
The first page of your script sets the tone for everything else. In effect with P. 1, you create a lens through which a reader interprets and experiences the entire script.
Moreover if you do your job right:
* You introduce at least one key character.
* You set into motion a significant event.
* That significant event conveys the story’s tone.
* That significant event conveys the story’s genre.
* That significant event is entertaining.
* And in a perfect world, the last few lines of P. 1 create a pull to the next page, whether it’s a new scene or a continuation of the opening scene, thereby setting into motion your narrative drive.
As an example, I’m going to go straight for the jugular here — pun intended considering the script — and excerpt P. 1 from the spec script Basic Instinct by Joe Eszterhas, a script that sold for $3M.
INT. A BEDROOM - NIGHTIt is dark; we don't see clearly.A man and woman make love on a brass bed. There are
mirrors on the walls and ceiling. On a side table, atop
a small mirror, lines of cocaine. A tape deck PLAYS the
Stones "Sympathy for the Devil."Atop him... she straddles his chest... her breasts in his
face. He cups her breasts. She leans down, kisses him...JOHNNY BOZ is in his late 40's, slim, good-looking. We don't
see the woman's face. She has long blonde hair. The CAMERA
STAYS BEHIND and to the side of them.She leans close over his face, her tongue in his mouth... she
kisses him... she moves her hands up, holds both of his arms
above his head.She moves higher atop him... she reaches to the side of the
bed... a white silk scarf is in her hand... her hips above his
face now, moving... slightly, oh-so slightly... his face strains
towards her.The scarf in her hand... she ties his hands with it...
gently... to the brass bed... his eyes are closed... tighter...
lowering hips into his face... lower... over his chest... his
navel. The SONG plays.He is inside her... his head arches back... his throat white.She arches her back... her hips grind... her breasts are high...Her back arches back... back... her head tilts back... she
extends her arms... the right arm comes down suddenly... the
steel flashes... his throat is white...He bucks, writhes, bucks, convulses...It flashes up... it flashes down... and up... and down... and
up... and...EXT. A BROWNSTONE IN PACIFIC HEIGHTS - MORNINGWinter in San Francisco cold, foggy. Cop cars everywhere.
The lights play through the thick fog. Two Homicide detectives
get out of the car, walk into the house.
One could argue that it’s almost soft porn. But one damn thing is for sure: it’s effective writing. In a mere 301 words, the reader is already hooked and into the plot. You’ve got sex. You’ve got murder. One page and the reader gets the movie right away: sexy thriller.
Plus with the introduction of the pair of homicide detectives, Eszterhas has started an investigation into the murder, and set into motion a key part of the story’s narrative drive: the mystery of who did it.
So as you write your screenplay, be especially mindful of P. 1. Write it well, and a reader can carry that positive experience with them throughout the entire script read.