Page One: “The Lego Movie” (2014)

Screenplay by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, story by Dan Hageman & Kevin Hageman and Phil Lord & Christopher Miller

The movie version of the opening:

Gotta love this in the script’s scene description:

I believe they meant to write: “so don’t stop.” In any event, this is a great example of narrative voice. The LEGO Movie is a action-comedy. It’s supposed to be funny and full of action. Why not adopt that style of scene description to match the genre on Page One? Set the tone.

Note: You do not need to be Lord & Miller to do this in your own writing! Find the narrative voice which matches the tone of the story you are working on. Think of it this way: YOU are writing the story. Narrative Voice is TELLING the story. It’s your screenplay’s INVISIBLE character talking into your ear. It has its own personality, perspective, and proximity to the events unfolding before their eyes as they watch eagle-eyed unseen in the corner.

Embrace narrative voice… like Lord & Miller do in their writing.

Download The LEGO Movie 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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