Page One: ‘The Hateful Eight’ (2015)

Written by Quentin Tarantino

The movie version of the opening:

Reminder: Quentin Tarantino wrote the script with him directing it, thus, with all the camera angles and “we see” jargon, it reads more like a production draft. Moreover… it’s Quentin Tarantino and he can write the script any which way he wants including little asides like: the black man, not the three white guys.

While there are no rules about such things, there has been a movement the last few decades toward a more literary style of screenwriting, i.e., no camera shots, directing jargon, the screenplay reading more like a story, not a shooting script.

Which is to say if you’re a fan of Quentin Tarantino… and you read his scripts… and you think you can write your script just like him… I strongly advise you don’t follow that path.

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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