LibGuides: Film Studies: Scripts & Screenplays

Screenplays

Search Tip for Finding Scripts in CLIO

There isn't a perfect search method for locating screenplays, especially of adaptations. In many cases, you can search the film's title or screenwriter name (NOT director) and browse the results for a screenplay. For popular titles, it may be more effective to conduct an advanced search and exclude the keyword videorecording. A subject search for Television scripts as well as Motion picture plays will show quite a few available in CLIO. A subject search for Motion Picture Plays > Bibliography or Television scripts > Bibliography leads to lists of published screenplays.

Script Databases

Film Scripts Online
Searchable database of film scripts, most of which have never been published before, includes detailed indexing on scenes, characters, and people. Contains bibliographic and biographical information of directors and writers, along with the full text of the movies themselves, from the earliest silent films through to the present. Supports the study of popular culture, film, diversity and gender issues, language and linguistics, writing, American history, anthropology, sociology, and psychology.
Performing Arts Periodicals Database
Also indexes screenplays and has some excerpts. The best way to do this is to type in "screenplays" and choose "Subject" from the drop-down next to the search box. You can then type in a film title. This database also indexes some foreign language scripts. Most scripts are not online.

Free Online Script Sources

Drew's Script-O-Rama
Contains TV scripts and film transcripts up to about 2010.
Internet Movie Script Database
Another free script database with mostly contemporary film script drafts. Warning: the site does have multiple pop-up ads.
Motion Picture Scripts Database
This database details the film script holdings of eight Los Angeles area collections: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; the American Film Institute; the Frances Howard Goldwyn Hollywood Regional Library; the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of Southern California; the Writers Guild of America, West; the Warner Bros. Archives at University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts; and the California Institute of the Arts Library.
NY State Archives Motion Picture Scripts Collection
The New York State Archives preserves the largest collection of film scripts in the world. These scripts can be used to research the history of censorship in New York State and trace the shifting of American attitudes toward sex, religion and morality over the period.
Script City
A site that sells screenplays that have been produced. They do not sell scripts in development. The scripts are all photocopies of the original draft we stock. All screenplays they sell are for educational purposes only. No rights are given or implied
Script Fly
Another site selling scripts of produced films and tv episodes for educational purposes.
Simply Scripts
A free database (with lots of ads, so beware) of hundreds of downloadable scripts, movie scripts, screenplays, and transcripts of current, classic and maybe a few soon-to-be-released movies, television, anime, unproduced and radio shows.