Page One: ‘Up in the Air’ (2009)

Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, novel by Walter Kirn

The movie version of the opening:

The backpack bit is a subplot. As I recall, it consists of three scenes. In the first, Ryan is cocksure and authoritative. The second, he is less confident and not as smooth. And the third?

A short subplot, but a telling one which marks the transformation of the Protagonist character.

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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