Page One: ‘Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)’ (2014)

Written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu & Nicolás Giacobone & Alexander Dinelaris & Armando Bo

Here is the movie version of the scene:

Note the use of “we slowly tilt up… we begin to slowly move… we see.” This goes against the supposed screenwriting ‘rule’ to not use “we see / we hear / we anything.” But what does Iñárritu know? He only co-wrote the script which won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

Is there a generally negative vibe in the Hollywood development community about the use of “we” camera description in scripts? Probably. Plus, it’s true a writer can suggest camera movement just by describing the objects in frame.

INT. RIGGAN’S DRESSING ROOM-THEATER-DAY

The brilliant colors of a middle eastern rug, the center of what seems to be a makeshift “meditation” space. Then —

The back of Riggan Thomson (55)…

— —

His measured breathing continues. A clock on the wall ticking.

But there is no rule against use “we see… we hear… we move…” Whatever works best and conveys the feel of what you want the reader to ‘see’ in their mind’s eye. As always, you are trying to tell the story the best, most visual way you can.

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.

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