How to Format Your Script

How to format your Script

Many screenwriting books specify formats that may not still be in general use today, or which contain directions that may be unnecessary. The following format tips are accurate and will result in your screenplay being formatted in the correct manner. These tips apply only to a spec script. A production script contains editing and camera directions (and scene numbers) all of which are only added after a script goes into production, and should not be included in a spec script, the purpose of which is only to present the basic story. How the story is interpreted on the screen is up to the director, not the writer.

LENGTH: Ideally, a screenplay for a regular feature film for theatrical release or for television should be between 100 and 120 pages. DO NOT list a cast of characters before the first page of the script. And, DO NOT number the scenes.

THERE ARE ONLY THREE ELEMENTS NECESSARY IN A SPEC SCRIPT:

· THE SCENE HEADING (INTERIOR OR EXTERIOR, LOCATION, TIME)

· THE VISUAL EXPOSITION (Only what you would see if you were watching the screen)

· THE DIALOGUE

(1) The Scene Heading sets the stage for the action and dialogue to follow. It tells us where the story is taking place, and the time of day. There are only two locations where this can happen, inside (INT) or outside (EXT). The specific location and geographic placement should be included as well. The scene heading is positioned on your first indent, one-and-a-half inches in from the left hand side of the page.

EXAMPLE:

EXT. DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN. DAY or

INT. WEAVER HOME. NIGHT.

If the action shifts from one area in a location to another, simply repeat the main scene heading. Do not indicate ANGLE ON or ANOTHER ANGLE ON, or ON (name of character). The director may decide to make a continuing dolly shot out of the scene rather than cutting from one area to another. He will also decide which character he will focus on in the scene. The main scene heading is all you need to indicate where the action takes place. Readers do not appreciate a writer giving camera directions. You are telling a story, not directing the movie.

(2) The Visual Exposition is a detailing of the action or movement taking place on the screen, and should contain ONLY what you would SEE if you were watching the screen.

The first time a character appears in the script, the name is CAPITALIZED, but only the first time he or she appears in the script. Similarly, the first time a character appears, the name should be followed by a brief physical description that includes age and build, for example: 30-ish, stocky, handsome. This is all you need, not half-a-page of family history! Visual exposition should line up below the Scene Heading at the same indent position, one-and- a-half inches in from the left hand side of the page. Both dialogue and visual exposition should be single-spaced, not double-spaced. Between scenes there should be two spaces only.

EXAMPLE: JOHN WEAVER, 45-ish, heavy -set, enters the room, looks around for a moment and then slumps into an armchair, staring at his wife, SUSAN, 50-ish, plain and overweight, who is standing looking out the window. She turns and they glare at each other a moment in silence.

NOTE: No explanation is given why they glare at each other. Motivation and reasons for characters’ behavior will be revealed through their actions, reactions and dialogue. It would be unnecessary to include in the above visual exposition an additional phrase, such as: John, annoyed at being fired at the office, looks grim. This would be revealed later through dialogue. Remember: visual exposition should contain only what you would SEE if you were watching the screen.

(3) The Dialogue follows the visual exposition, with each character’s name CAPITALIZED in the center of the page, followed by the words that are to be spoken, on the next line, centered with the left and right margins approximately two inches in from each side of the page. Do not include emotional or physical direction in parentheses below a character’s name before the lines of dialogue. If you consider it essential that a character give a line in a certain way, e.g. “angrily”, this should be included in the visual exposition above the lines, such as: Susan’s face reflects her mounting anger. Visual exposition should only indicate action we can SEE.

INCORRECT:

SUSAN (Angrily) Sure I’m mad at what you did. When are you going to learn to think of someone besides yourself?

CORRECT:

Susan walks over to John, her face reflecting her mounting anger.

SUSAN Sure I'm mad at what you did. When are you going to learn to think of someone besides yourself?

If a pause is desired between two lines in dialogue, this is indicated by the words “beat” in parenthesis, lined up with the left margin of the dialogue, as follows:

SUSAN Sure I’m mad at what you did. (beat) When are you going to learn to think of someone besides yourself?

Voice-Over Dialogue: When a character’s voice is heard, but the character is not seen on the screen (maybe he/she is speaking in another room) the dialogue is followed by (O.C.), These letters stand for “Off Camera”, as follows: SUSAN (O.C.) I can’t hear you. What did you say?

If explanatory voice-over narration (V.O.) is needed to cover a scene, it is specified either as:

NARRATOR (V.O) or, if a character’s voice is used

SUSAN (V.O.)

If a telephone conversation is in progress between one person seen on the screen, and another person on the line, the unseen character’s dialogue over the phone is indicated as “Filtered”, as follows:

SUSAN (Filtered) We must have a bad connection. What did you say?

Similarly if a voice is heard over an intercom, radio or TV, the character’s name is followed by (Filtered).

If two characters are engaged in a telephone conversation, the word “INTERCUT” may be placed at the left hand margin at the start of the exchange, following by the sequential dialogue between the characters. This eliminates the need for separate scene headings for each character before each line of dialogue.

LENGTH OF DIALOGUE: Try not to use more than 5-6 lines of dialogue at a time. If a character has to give a long speech, break it up by inserting a suitable line of visual exposition before continuing, e.g. “He turns and walks to the window” or “He takes a sip of his drink.” Such visual exposition may be inconsequential, but it makes for better readability of the script and helps minimize the impression that a script is “top-heavy” with dialogue.

SOUNDS: Any sound that occurs in the visual exposition should be capitalized, e.g. “A CAR HONKS outside.” Or, “The SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS is heard.” Do not include words such as BANG! CRASH! when describing sounds. A script is not a Batman cartoon!

MOS: When characters are talking in a scene, perhaps in the background, and their actual dialogue is not heard, you should add “MOS” after the description of the action, e.g. John and Cynthia are at the bottom of the stairs, talking MOS, while Elaine enters the room.

“MOS” originated with famous director Otto Preminger’s fractured English. He once called out “Dis scene is mit out sound.” Mit Out Sound... (MOS) which some may regard as Mr. Preminger’s greatest contribution to the film industry.

PRINTOUTS: A screenplay should be written on a word processor and printed in 12 point Courier font on a laser printer for clarity. Dot-matrix printouts are not acceptable because they are usually difficult to read and the size of the font is often too small. Adjust your page breaks on your computer printout so that any dialogue or visual exposition is complete at the bottom of the page at a period.

Do not break sentences between pages. Do not add “MORE” or “CONTINUED” at the top or bottom of a page. A reader does not need instructions to turn a page, and this only interrupts the flow of the exposition or dialogue.

Do not hyphenate words from one line to the next.

Do not number individual scenes. This is only done after a script goes into production.

Do not use semi-colons anywhere. Use commas or periods between sentences.

Use ellipses in dialogue only to show a character’s hesitation, never to replace commas or periods.

Use exclamation points only after expletives, never after a phrase or sentence.

Do not capitalize any lines of dialogue. The director will tell the actor what to emphasize.

The name of the screenplay should appear on each page, followed by the page number, preferably in the bottom right hand corner, though the top right hand corner is acceptable.

And above all, as film is a visual medium, if you can make your point through action rather than dialogue, you’re ahead of the game!

BINDING: Do not bind your script with plastic Spiro-Bind or Velo-Bind or between stiff cardboard or plastic covers.

Scripts should be punched with three holes in the left hand side and bound with two 1 1/2 inch (No.6) solid brass brads, top and bottom.

A white card-stock cover should be added front and back, with the name of the script capitalized and centered on the cover, followed two lines down by “Original Screenplay” then two lines down “by” then two lines down “Writer's name.”

Never add any artwork to the cover. Never include “First Draft” or “Second Draft.”

Leave the bottom right hand area for you or your agent’s name, address and telephone number to be added.

There should be NO camera directions included such as “CUT TO” or “DISSOLVE” or “CAMERA MOVES UP” or “ANGLE ON” or “POV” or “BACK TO SCENE”. This is the director’s prerogative and may be put in only after a script goes into production. The writer tells the story, creates the characters and spells out the action. How this is transferred to the screen is the director’s job, not the writer’s.

The only exception is FADE IN, which is on the first page only two lines below the name of the screenplay, which should be capitalized and centered ten lines down from the top of the page. FADE IN should be lined up with your first scene heading two spaces below at the left margin. At the end of the script, FADE OUT is placed at the left hand margin, two spaces below the last line of visual exposition.

Never put character names in CAPS on a separate line above the rest of the sentence describing the action. Let each paragraph of visual exposition flow naturally as it would in a regular manuscript. Character names are part of a sentence and should not be put on a separate line before the rest of the scene description.

Do not specify certain songs or music in a script. State the type of music you feel appropriate: e.g. “soft romantic music” or “raucous rock music” but do not name specific songs. Again, this is the director’s prerogative, not the writer’s.

FORGIVE US FOR BEING PICKY: After reviewing hundreds of scripts, we have found these are the five most common errors:

· “Alright” should be two words, “All right.”

· The possessive of “it” is “its” not “it’s” which is a contraction of “it is.”

· The abbreviation of “You are” is “You’re” not “Your.”

· “OK” should be spelled out “Okay.”

· While “exit” is a valid stage direction, this word is not very visual when used in film. It is better to describe how a character exits, such as “he walks out” or “she runs out of the room,” thereby creating a better visual image for the reader.

PROFANITY AND SEX: While four-letter words may be essential in dialogue as indications of character or urgency, excessive profanity and violence and explicitly described sex scenes do not enhance your chances of your script being favorably received. Similarly, inclusion of drug activity by the characters can often cause a negative reaction to your script.

The degree of violence or sexual intimacy that may wind up on the screen is determined by the director. In a sex scene, for example, the writer simply has to make the statement, “They move to the bed and make love.”

Or, with violent action, merely state: “John raises his fist, strikes Carl and they begin fighting.” Choreography for any type of physical action (sex or violence) is done by the director.

While every screenplay should flow smoothly, be well-written, with no typos, misspellings or grammatical errors, remember that you are writing a story that should contain only dialogue and description of action. You are not writing a Pulitzer prize-winning novel! So refrain from flowery pretentious sentences or flamboyant poetic phrases that you think will show your literary expertise. Above all, do not get “cute” with your descriptions. Never say, as some writers are prone to do, “he gives her a shit-eating grin.” Simply say: “He grins at her.” Coarse slang in visual exposition does not help create a good impression of your work.

THE INCITING INCIDENT: Every script should have “the inciting incident” in the first twelve pages - a scene in which the main character is introduced, and his/her quest/goal/problem/conflict is revealed that has to be resolved by the end of the story. In brief, a “hook” to grab our attention immediately and make us want to read on and discover how the plot works out.

Without this, a script can well wander on and on for pages before our interest is captured, and often this may come too late. Story editors may not finish reading a script that doesn’t “grab” them in the first twelve pages. IN GENERAL: Be specific... be concise... be brief and guard against excessive verbiage. Slang terminology may be used in dialogue (because it is the character speaking) but not in visual exposition.

Use as few words as possible in spelling out the action, but do not write in “shorthand!” Make each sentence complete rather than a sequence of unconnected phrases or words. Readers do not like having to decipher what you have written and are far more impressed by good and proper use of the language.