SCRIPTWRITING

Screenplay Example — Script

Formatting & Elements Explained 12 Shares

By Sam Kench on August 15, 2024

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hat does a screenplay look like? Screenwriting and traditional prose writing
W share many characteristics and commonalities. Still, it’s best to think of them
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as entirely different disciplines of storytelling. We will examine what the 0

average screenplay looks like, how different genres prioritize different elements, and
we’ll take a look at specific screenplay examples worth reading, downloading and
studying.

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Scrip
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Form
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Watch: Anatomy of a Screenplay — Ultimate

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Guide

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 Write a Screenplay for Free

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SCREENPLAY EXAMPLE

What does a basic screenplay look like? 0

With very few exceptions, all screenplays follow the same standard formatting rules.
Proper script formatting is extremely important when writing a screenplay for a
number of reasons, one of the most important being the timing of the final film. One
page of a properly formatting screenplay is equivalent to approximately one minute of
screentime. Knowing roughly how long a film will be before it is shot is incredibly
important.

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 Screenplay Example Formatting

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A screenplay example page
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All screenplays are built out of the same core formatting elements. For a deeper dive
into these specific elements and to see how each of them are used, be sure to read our
guide to screenplay formatting. If you are at all interested in giving screenwriting a shot
yourself, StudioBinder’s screenwriting software can get you started for free.

SAMPLE SCRIPT FORMAT

Comedy script examples

No matter where you land in the different types of comedy scripts available to you, one
thing must be true: it’s got to be funny. This means you better laugh out loud at least a
few times while reading the script. Here are a few of the funniest comedy screenplays.

Click the image below to read and download the entire script.
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 The 40 Year Old Virgin

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Screenplay Example for formatting The Year Old Virgin Script Example StudioBinder
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Screenwriting Software

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View Sample Screenplay

Read and download the full 40 Year Old Virgin screenplay

The 40 Year Old Virgin is an example of a dialogue-heavy screenplay. You will find
entire pages consisting of nothing but dialogue in this screenplay which is something
you are far less likely to find in other genres. If you want to write a script in the vein of
The 40 Year Old Virgin, you should take a look at our tips for writing better dialogue
first.

Shaun of the Dead

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Edgar
Shares Wright’s best movies are great examples of well-balanced comedy screenplays.
 The mix of dialogue and action is as close to perfect as you can get in a screenplay.

(500) Days of Summer

Then, of course, there’s the romcom. (500) Days of Summer utilizes many of the tropes
we know and love from romcoms to build something both funny and emotionally
stirring. The romcom wave of the 2000s crested with this movie.
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Here are a few other great comedy scripts that you can download to inspire you when
writing your next laugh-riot: 0

21 Jump Street
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American Pie
Anchorman 0

Annie Hall
The Apartment 7

The Big Lebowski

The Breakfast Club 0

Bridesmaids
Dr. Strangelove
Groundhog Day
Hot Fuzz
Juno
The Royal Tenenbaums
Superbad
When Harry Met Sally

MOVIE SCRIPT EXAMPLE

Action script examples

Just as there is a spectrum of comedy scripts, there is also a great deal of variance in
the stylings of action movie scripts as well. Action screenplays tend to rely more heavily
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on action lines than
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 John Wick

Screenplay Example for formatting John Wick Script Example StudioBinder 12

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Screenwriting Software

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View Sample Screenplay

John Wick’s screenplay was originally titled ‘Scorn’

John Wick is one film that places a heavy emphasis on action, and, as you might guess,
the screenplay reflects this fact. There is a mixture of dialogue and action in the pages
of this screenplay with a heavy slant toward action in the ratio. Entire pages of the
script go by without a single line of dialogue at times. Keanu Reeves made the cut for
our list of the top action stars, and John Wick made it onto our list of the best action
films ever made. Find out what else made the cut.

Django
12 Unchained
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 Every great Quentin Tarantino movie script displays his mastery of the screenplay
format. You can download and read the Django Unchained screenplay to see exactly
how he structures and formats his blend of intense action with his trademark dialogue.

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Collateral
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On the dialogue-heavy end of the action film spectrum, we have screenplays like the
one for Collateral. The dialogue-heavy cab scenes are juxtaposed wonderfully against
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the sharp bursts of action that occur outside the cab. Collateral has more dialogue and
less action than the average action-thriller. Still, it's a grade-A action film regardless,
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showing that the action-to-dialogue ratio can be skewed to great effect in the hands of
experts. If you are a fan of Collateral, be sure to check out our review and
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retrospective on the film.

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A few more classic action screenplays for you to read:

Avatar
Baby Driver
Batman Begins
Black Panther
The Bourne Ultimatum
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Die Hard
Raider of the Lost Ark
Jurassic Park
The Matrix
Mission: Impossible

BEST HORROR MOVIE SCRIPTS

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Horror script
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 There’s nothing better than a scary horror script. How do you know if a horror script is
good? You don’t want to read it at night.

Alien 12
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Alien is a watershed moment in horror movies, marking an entirely new terrain in

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which to scare audiences. But it doesn’t just deliver on scares. It’s a riveting character
study, and its science fiction elements are deeply thought through. That’s why entries
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in the franchise are still being made today.

The Babadook
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The Babadook is one of the best horror movies of the 21st century. Like Alien, there’s
more to it than incredibly effective scares. The movie is an examination of a 0

complicated mother-son relationship, and a moving portrait of a woman wrestling with

seemingly insurmountable grief. Check out the script– it’s all there on the page.

The Exorcist

Want to read just one horror movie script? This is probably the one. The Exorcist is one
of the most popular, and influential, horror movies of all time. In addition to William
Friedkin’s expert direction, writer William Peter Blatty’s script is bone chilling.

If you want to read more horror movie scripts, here are a few more great options:

Carrie
The Conjuring
The Fly
Get Out
12 Halloween
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 Hereditary
It Follows

Misery
The Mist
Night of the Living Dead
Pet Sematary
A Quiet Place 12
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Rosemary's Baby

DRAMA SCRIPT COLLECTION

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Drama script examples

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A “drama” can look a million different ways, and so can a drama script. The key is to
put character first– why do we care about these people, and what makes them tick? The
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story will flow out of that.

Shawshank Redemption

It’s hard to add anything to the conversation surrounding Shawshank Redemption.

There’s a reason it’s been crowned the greatest movie of all time by IMDb users. Try
watching the movie without getting choked up. It’s very difficult.

Sunset Boulevard

Anyone who wants to become a screenwriter must (must!) study the work of Billy
Wilder. Few have matched his knack for snappy dialogue. With Sunset Boulevard,
Wilder and co-writers Charles Brackett and D.M. Marshman Jr. created an instantly
iconic film about the fleeting lights of showbiz, and the toll they take.

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Taxi Driver 0 5 0 7 0
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 Like with Shawshank, what more can be said of Taxi Driver? It introduced many of us
to the inimitable Paul Schrader. It’s so influential it created a genre unto itself. It’s one
of Scorsese’s finest. You’ve heard it all before; give it a read.

A few more classic movie drama scripts to download:

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12 Years A Slave
12 Angry Men 0

Call Me By Your Name

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Citizen Kane
Dog Day Afternoon
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Fight Club
The Godfather
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Lost in Translation
Manchester By The Sea
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Moonlight
Network
The Parasite
Scarface
Titanic

SCI-FI SCREENPLAYS

Sci-fi script examples

Writing a sci-fi can be daunting. Not only do you need to create compelling characters
and story arcs, but you also have to create an entire world. Sci-fi writing is detail
oriented, an exercise in building rules for yourself and sticking by them. Review the
below sci-fi screenplay download examples.

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2001: A Space Odyssey
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 A good place to start with sci-fi scripts is the script for arguably the greatest sci-fi of all
time. Kubrick’s masterpiece is layered and profound, deserving of multiple viewings
(and perhaps readings). His script, written with Arthur C. Clarke, lays the foundation
for the top-tier film.
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Arrival 0

Before Denis Villenueve became the king of big-budget sci-fi with Blade Runner
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2049 and Dune, he was the master of the contained sci-fi. Arrival, written by Eric
Heisserer, is the pinnacle of this period, beguiling and moving.
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Ghostbusters

Not all sci-fi has to be deadly serious. Ghostbusters is a testament to sci-fi which is just 0
fun, filled with laughs and gags. It’s also a work that defies genre– we could have just
easily called this a comedy, or even thrown it in the horror section.

Here are some other great sci-fi movie script downloads:

Gravity
Her
Inception
Interstellar
Jurassic Park
The Martian
The Predator
Star Wars: A New Hope
The Terminator
War for the Planet of the Apes

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 UP NEXT

Read the Best Movie Scripts Online

Screenplays all follow the same formatting guidelines. But each writer leaves their own
fingerprints behind on the pages. The author’s voice changes the reading experience of
each screenplay with style and personal preferences. You can read and download some12
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of the best movie scripts ever written online to see just how different screenplays can
be.
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Up Next: Best Movie Scripts →

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 Tags: 2001: A Space Odyssey, 21 Jump Street, 500 Days of Summer, Alien, Arrival,
Collateral, Comedy, Django Unchained, Ghostbusters, John Wick, Shaun of the Dead,
Sunset Boulevard, Taxi Driver, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, The Babadook, The Exorcist,
The Shawshank Redemption
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Sam Kench
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Sam Kench is an internationally-awarded screenwriter, independent filmmaker, and
film critic. Lover of foreign films; hater of American remakes.
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