Screenwriting 101: Scott Frank

“What I do is read and re-read the book [he’s adapting], then read it again, only this time marking it out with thoughts as to what I want to keep and what I lose, and how I might change things, or dialogue I absolutely must have. And I toss things out I know I’ll never use… usually the first draft is just a flattened version of the novel, so then I try and figure out mostly what it’s about for me. I really have to decide what the issues are, what themes are and which parts of the narrative matter to me. Then I tell my own story and filter it through my own point of view and my own voice, and see how it comes out, while solving the problems that arise.”

— Scott Frank (Out of Sight, Minority Report, Get Shorty)

From “Screenwriters’ Masterclass: Screenwriters Talk About Their Greatest Movies,” edited by Kevin Conroy Scott

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