Javier Grillo-Marxuach on Screenplays

“[A] long time ago, I came to the realization that a script is more than just ‘a blueprint to a film.’ To truly be a successful manifestation of the form, a script needs to be a work of art in and of itself. It requires the same strict integrity of a poem or novel. A great script demands formal and structural elegance. It’s not enough to have a great story and great dialogue: a great script is one that, at every level — from the names of the characters to the layout of the words on the page — creates an irresistible narrative flow that propels the reader to an inevitable dramatic conclusion.”