I’m not saying I’m a writer, but I’ve been in movies for a long time, and I think I could write a script for a movie.
Benicio Del Toro
Unlike Benicio, I have not been in movies a long time, but I do think I would be able to write a script for one. And if I could not write a script for a whole movie, at least I can write the script for the first two minutes of one. But in order to do this I need to first learn how to write a script.
When it came to learning how to write a script I turned to my go to movie. Which is, if you haven’t figured it out by now, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, directed by John Hughes and released in 1986. When I found the script to this movie I was surprised and delighted to see my favorite movie described to me in almost the same way I had watched it. I included a link to the script below.
Click to access FerrisBuellersDayOff.pdf
One of the first things I noticed about movie scripts was that at the beginning of each scene there was a description of the setting in which the dialogue and action of the scene would take place.
Within this description the author would note what the senses of the viewer would be experiencing when watching the movie. The description noted key sounds that the audience would hear including music and background noise. Within Ferris Bueller’s Day Off this was done by the author presenting a long list of sounds the audience would be hearing.
“ A HOUSEHOLD IN THE MORNING. KIDS GETTING READY FOR SCHOOL. CLOCK RADIOS.KITCHEN APPLIANCES. SHOWERS. FIGHTING. PEOPLE YELLING. DOG BARKING. APPLIANCES BUZZING. CAR HORNS.”
This method of description was not something I was used to seeing or writing before, but I was excited to learn more about. In my next post I’ll be analyzing more of the Ferris Bueller’s Day Off script and how I can use it to start writing my own.
One Day or Day One 