Page One: “The Driver” (1978)

Written by Walter Hill

The movie version of the opening:

Considerably different… but the tone is the same. We’ve featured Walter Hill talking about his “haiku-style” of writing. Let’s focus on something different.

My response:

Sure, some readers will ding you. But read Hill’s character descriptions again. It gives you a sense of who each is. More important, it conveys TONE.

Would I recommend doing that? Not really. However, if you really feel like it adds to your story and gives the reader a sense of tone even before they crack open the script to Fade In… why not.

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.

You may follow the daily conversation on Twitter as I cross-post there: @GoIntoTheStory.