Script Samples

Before you go running in cameras blazing, there is a vital step that needs to take place – making sure you have a good script to shoot.

The script is crucial, because it forms the blueprint for any film. It is the foundation and reference point for all the production decisions you’ll make along the path to creating your movie.

Show Me Shorts has some handy sample scripts provided here. These can be used by schools to make films, or studied as texts to better understand the structure of a screenplay and learn how a script is designed to make the audience care about the characters.

Losers Weepers by Yula Fernandes

Lunchbox by Justene Musin

Speech Day by Aruna Po Ching

Tales of Mystery by Duncan Dykes

If your students show an interest in writing their own stories and scripts, they can also have a go at writing their own. 

Exercise: Identifying and Understanding Key Story-Structure Elements

Hand out printed copies of your preferred Sample Script, and also project it or put it up on the big screen so you can read through it together as a class. For the purposes of this guide, we’ll be using Lunchbox by Justene Musin.

Read the script through together as a class. Assign roles to people in the class to read. The gender and ethnicity of the characters is not important so this can be done at random.

Then organise your students into groups of 3, asking them to identify the story elements below from the script. Give them 5 – 10 minutes to discuss and agree before they present their findings.

Ask them to identify in the story:

  1. What the problem / conflict is and what are the stakes if the hero fails to solve the problem.

  2. How the hero unsuccessfully tries to solve the problem.

  3. Where does the hero ask for (or have offers of) help from friendly characters, and where do they make plans to creatively solve the problem together? 

  4. How does the hero and their friends actively work together to solve the problem? Is there anything that goes wrong, threatening the success of the plan?

  5. What is the climax moment where the hero overcomes the problem?  

  6. How does the world change for the better for the hero and their friends after the problem has been solved?

When time is up, come back together as a whole class and ask a representative from each group to share what their group thought the six story element moments were in Lunchbox by Justene Musin.  

After each group has shared, see if there is general agreement or alternative points of view, and listen to these in an encouraging collaborative way.

Sample answers

These are the story elements that our team have identified, but this is a subjective area and all ideas are welcome:

  1. What is the problem / conflict and what are the stakes if the hero doesn’t solve the problem?

    EZRA is getting judged and almost bullied because his lunches have food that TOBY disapproves of. If EZRA becomes increasingly isolated, he becomes more vulnerable to escalating bullying from TOBY.

  2. How does the hero unsuccessfully try to solve the problem?

    EZRA tries sitting further away from the other kids, so he won’t be approached by TOBY.

  3. Does the hero ask for (or have offers of) help from friendly characters, and try to think creatively to solve the problem with them?

    A friendly character JACOB offers help, by supporting TOBY with approval of his lunch food.

  4. How do the hero and their friends actively work together to solve the problem? Is there anything that goes wrong, threatening the success of the plan?

    The hero EZRA and his friend JACOB, reflect back to TOBY that perhaps his disapproval is a weakness rather than a strength, because the food is good and he’s missing out.

  5. What is the climax moment where the hero overcomes the problem?

    TOBY the embarrassed bully leaves after being shown that there is nothing to disapprove of, and that the food is good.

  6. How does the world change for the better for the hero and their friends after the problem has been solved?

    JACOB and EZRA start a friendship, sharing food in their lunchboxes, and the bully TOBY no longer has a reason to pick on EZRA because he is alone and vulnerable.

Homework (Optional)

Here are some clips that the students can watch as homework, that will help them get a better understanding of story structure, and the tried-and-true methods that story tellers have used for generations.