Hey Scott, This is great. I do want to offer something to the community here; as well as get your take on one aspect of the First Pass and the importance of setting aside time and space to fully immerse in the story. Mike Millimeter would probably agree that techniques for reading scripts are like ass holes, everybody has one. I would just like to offer that the effort to immerse in the script allows the reader to visualize the story. Scripts are the architectural component of a collaborative visual medium of storytelling. My feeling is that the story not only has to grab the reader but the reader should be able to visualize the full universe the script writer has built between FADE IN and FADE OUT. Any thoughts? Cheers, Wes…

SirWeasel, I would say that's true: We want the story to lift up off the page and into the mind of the reader so they can see the movie we've written. Not easy to do and every reader is different, but the more we infuse our story with visual and emotional life, the better chance we have of accomplishing that.

Excellent piece of advise everyone needs. A lot of people prefer PDFs these days, but if I am reading something that I want to learn from, I try to print it out. I notice when I print it out, I almost always FINISH the script, otherwise, no matter how good it is, I slip and fall onto other work on my laptop.

GOLD!! Thank you Scott.

The first script I read (from beginning to end, not just parts of it) was Galaxy Quest, because of your encouragement :) Unfortunately I couldn't finish it in time to be part of the discussion, but I realize how helpful and important it is to read scripts. So thanks once again.

When I print screenplays I always do so from a PDF file (sometimes I cannot find a PDF version of one so I'll save it in Word as a PDF) and during the print dialog box I always make sure to print 2 up and I also print on both sides of the page. This cuts down on paper usage to a quarter. Definitely helps out when studying scripts.

'Putting in the time,' is something I've thought a lot about in recent months. Any other profession requires hours and hours of work. Sports, music, doctor, etc. Hours or practice and practice. Writing is no different. If you want to elevate your skill to the level of a master craftsman, it takes time and work. Period.

Combine that attitude with talent and a passion for movies, and you'll go far.

I can't thank you enough for this series. As directed by my professors, I've been diligently reading scripts for the past four months. However, beyond trying to identify the elements in Syd Field's paradigm and studying dialogue style, I've had no freaking clue what reading them is supposed to do for me. I understand that there are many schools of thought on how to read screenplays, and I promise to broaden my horizons, but right now you are my favorite bookmark Scott.

I'm enjoying this series tremendously, Scott. And thanks for the tip about printing the script, since I, too, find I read online and i don't get distracted, but i find the eye strain evenually catches up to me. This time 'round, I'm going to do what I know i should've done before and print, sit back with the cat and coffee and read for the pleasure of reading.