Page One: ‘Repo Man’ (1984)

Written by Alex Cox

This is a great example of dropping the reader into the middle of the action. Another thing: Note how the bottom of the first page establishes a mystery. That almost compels a reader to turn the page to see what happens. That’s what we want Page One to do: Get the reader into a habit of turning pages.

Here is the scene in the movie:

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.