Page One: “1917” (2019)

Written by Sam Mendes, Krysty Wilson-Cairns

Here is the first 9-minutes of the movie — one continuous shot:

Note the number of lines per paragraph of scene description: 1, 1, 2, 2, 1, 2, 1, 3, 3, 3. This reflects the contemporary approach to handling action description: Break up paragraphs into bite-sized chunks, typically no more than 3 lines per paragraph. This makes for an easier read.

Download the script here.

FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY!

Page One is a daily Go Into The Story series featuring the first page of notable movie scripts from the classic era to contemporary times. Comparing them is an excellent way to study a variety of writing styles and see how professional writers start a story.

For more Page One posts, go here.

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