Page One: “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (2017)

Written by Martin McDonagh

The first 10 minutes of the movie:

“…leaving the three old billboards alone like tombstones on a dusty road.” Brilliant. This first scene is a master class in externalizing a character’s internal state of being as we SEE — in word (script) and image (movie) — Mildred coming up with an idea about how to use the billboards.

You may download the screenplay 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.

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