To write, it is good to read, especially in regards to the scenarios. But it is not easy to know where to find the necessary resources for this. So here is a list of sites that offer databases of this type.
If the saying says that it needs to forge to become a blacksmith, sometimes watch the craftsman at work is also one of the best ways of learning. It’s the same with screenwriting. Learn all that is theoretical, it is of course necessary, but read, read and read again the scenario is also a good way to learn and improve a critical way. Of course, they would also be write – step indispensable – but experience by example is a rich source of lessons.
In addition to the great interest in reading a scenario, which is after all not a subject literary, is to see the transformation between the original version and the finished film. Thus, even if one does not count in write, in read can sometimes be very interesting. So it’s also something useful for directors, who can see the evolution of the story through the box shooting, or for cinephiles who learn more about their favorite film.
Also, check out our resources on writing scripts :
-
Write a short film
-
The layout of the scenario
-
Opinion on the book The key to a successful scenario
Unfortunately, it is often difficult to find information bases to read the scenarios. This is particularly true in France, where it is very difficult to obtain. They are only rarely available online, and in regards to a paper edition, the resources are far too thin and often this is not the entirety of the scenarios that is proposed, but the version of after filming.
French-language resources
However, it is possible to have access to many of the scenarios, thanks to the internet. In France, the CNC, to be very involved in regards to short films, offers a scénariothèque to format-short, very complete and inspiring. It should be noted that all these proposed scenarios have been brought to the screen and have benefited from financial aid from the institution. It can be found in all genres : fiction, animated, documentary or experimental. This is a rich and complete which is an extremely useful aid to writers-experienced or not.
For what concerns the scenarios of feature films, it is a little more complicated. French-language resources are very limited. However, there’s been a few years since a French website, The Anonymous Readers, who offers free-access scenarios, precisely to address this lack in France. Today it is the French site, the most comprehensive. There are scenarios of all genres, with comedies such as name, author’s movies such as Divine, crime fiction, international success… and it is rather topical for example in the scenario of a Friend-a Friend who is available.
English resources
In France, it is the only real site that exists, but several other sites offer scenarios for playback to all, provided that the language of Shakespeare is not a problem. It is as well that allow you to have access to databases of scenarios more or less complete but all with their benefits, sometimes offering scenarios of movies, very complicated to find. There is of course not always the latest movies released, but it was enough to have a varied choice.
The two main sites offering scenarios in free access are The Internet Movie Script Database, very complete, and presents scenarios that are relatively new as the The Land, and The Daily Script, which is also very thorough and above all organized. If the first does not present a pdf, only html, the second has the two, which is preferable. On the other hand, we should not expect the sites design is very fluid.
In addition to these two sites well-filled, others are also very useful for the scarce resources that they offer. Thus, Joblo’s Movie Scripts has a good database, but above all offers the possibility to play scenarios that are not realized and different versions pres final versions For example, you can access five versions of Alien 3, which, in addition to to be found elsewhere, and a source of teaching very interesting. Screenplays for you and Awesome Film propose scenarios really very rare, not found on other sites. It is located on the second for example The Elephant Man. For the first, it is not easy to find a complete listing of all the scenarios, so here is the link.
There are also Horror Lair, entirely devoted to horror films and suspenses. If the database is rather conventional, there are a few scenarios as rare as a version abandoned of King Kong by Peter Jackson. Sci Fi Scripts.com is dedicated only to the films of science fiction, as the name suggests.
Other resources
Finally, it is not a site of scenarios to speak of, but Writing Treatments can be very useful for learning the writing of scenarios, as it is dedicated to the writing of treatment. In a much lower interest, there are also Simply Unproduced Films, scenarios are not realized.
The interest of all of these sites, it is first of all their free. However, there is a very simple way to obtain just about any scenario : buy. The best sites for this are no doubt Script Fly and Planet Megamall, both very full. Attention to the shipping costs however.
Point out one last thing, on most of the sites mentioned are the scenarios in formats pdf, txt, doc or html. Sometimes, they are not available in html, which is not ideal for reading. A simple copy and paste in a Word file can solve this problem.
All the keys are now available to be able to learn, write, or discover scenarios. It is quite great to read a scenario after having seen the film. This allows you to see all the talent of some directors to the staging virtuoso, who managed to find a staging crazy for three replicas. The scenarios are useful for all and in all cases. Read, what is never time lost.