Why should I care about formatting?
“Isn’t a good story enough?”
“I’ll worry about the formatting later.”
Learning proper screenplay formatting can be seem like a boring and monumental task for new screenwriters. But it really is one of the most important things you can do. And, I promise, it really isn’t as daunting as it seems!
Because it takes a huge number of people to bring a movie or TV show to life, it’s important that your script follows consistent formatting guidelines so that everyone’s on the same page. (Literally.)
And even though screenplay format might seem really foreign right now, a couple hours of focused study will bring you up to speed. In fact, you’re probably already starting to become familiar with many of the standard conventions now that you’ve read a couple screenplays!
Consider proper formatting the absolute lowest bar your script needs to meet. A well presented script gives your readers confidence that you’ve mastered the basics and that they’re in good hands.
Plus…the best part is that screenwriting software will actually do a lot of the formatting work for you!
Screenwriting software
Screenwriting software needs to do two basic things: generate correct formatting and export your file as a PDF. Thankfully, pretty much all of the available choices manage to do both of these things reliably.
So which do you choose? That depends on the answers to a few other questions. Do you prefer an offline program or one that is web based? Will you be writing on a Mac, a PC, and/or your mobile phone? Do you need to collaborate in real time with another writer? What’s your budget? (Free is a valid budget!)
After that…it’s personal preference.
On a good note, most programs offer a free limited version or trial period so you can test out the software before committing.
Completely free: WriterSolo, Trelby
Free version with watermarked PDFs: Fade In, Highland 2
Free for a limited number of projects: WriterDuet (3 projects), Arc Studio (2 projects)
Free trial periods: Final Draft (30 days), Celtx (7 days), Movie Magic (14 days)
Of these programs, Final Draft, WriterDuet, Fade In, and Highland 2 are the most commonly used among screenwriters. Additionally, while completely free and fully customizable, Trelby is probably the most complicated to learn how to use (there are some great tutorials on YouTube if you need them).
But what about Word???
Almost all computers already have Word installed and most people are familiar with how the program works. And, yes, technically you could set up appropriate margins in Word. BUT…you’ll be spending a lot of time tinkering with the program to get them just right. Time that would be better spent writing.
It’s okay if it feels awkward
Don’t panic if using screenwriting software feels awkward at first. Even if you don’t remember, there was a time when you didn’t know how to run Word all that well either. I promise that you’ll have your new software down in no time (and there are plenty of online tutorials to help if you get stuck).
1 page = 1 minute…maybe
In a properly formatted script, one page of writing generally equals one minute of screentime.
Sorta.
Sometimes.
The truth is that a page of short, snappy dialogue is likely to run shorter than a minute…and a page that’s mostly action could run way over. But it’s still generally accepted by the industry that things even out to about a page per minute. Give or take.
Format vs. Format
It’s likely that you’ll come across the term ‘format’ used in two very different ways when it comes to scriptwriting. The script’s format can refer to the form which the resulting film or show would take (e.g. feature film, short film, half hour TV, one hour TV, etc). It can also refer to the script’s formatting—how and where the words are placed on the physical page. Scripts follow specific formatting guidelines to ensure uniformity and predictability across scripts.
Common Formats and Page Counts
Though this lesson will mostly be focused on the actual formatting/placement of the words on the page, we should take a few moments to consider the format as it relates to the final form of your script. That’s because each format has a different expectation when it comes to page count (and a few have formatting quirks!).
A few common formats include:
Features: These are full-length feature films. Feature scripts are generally somewhere between 85-120 pages long.
Short films: Short films are technically anything less than ‘full length,’ but usually have a run time of under 40 minutes. Short film scripts are generally somewhere between 1-35 pages long.
Half hour television: Half hour TV shows are traditionally comedies/sitcoms, but can also include dramas and dramadies as well. They can be either single-cam or multi-cam. Single-cam shows are shot much like a movie or an hour long TV show. Multi-cam shows are shot in a much more limited timeframe on contained sets in front of a studio audience. Half hour scripts are generally somewhere between 25-40 pages long. (Though multi-cam half hour scripts will often have a higher page count due to special formatting conventions which are discussed below.)
Hour long television: Hour long TV shows are traditionally dramas, but can also include dramadies as well. Hour long shows tend to fall into one of two categories: episodic or serialized. Episodic shows feature a new contained story with each episode and could reasonably be watched out of order. Serialized shows have one continuous story that takes place over the entire season. Some shows are a blend of both episodic and serialized storylines. Hour long scripts are generally somewhere between 45-70 pages long.
Formatting basics
Note that this quick primer is not designed to cover every single formatting convention out there. It’s goal is to introduce you to the basics so that you can start writing your very own scripts. If you have specific questions about how something should be formatted, refer to a formatting guide or, better yet, find professional scripts that do the same thing and look at how those writers approached the formatting. Often there’s more than one viable option!
Now let’s dive into a few formatting basics!
Font:
Screenplays are written in 12pt. Courier.
Title page:
Title pages should be simple. Title. Written by. Your contact information (e-mail is sufficient in most cases). If you are writing an adaptation, you will also want to include information about the source material the screenplay is ‘based on’ here on the title page.
Page numbers:
Pages should be numbered starting with the second page of the actual script.
Scene headings:
Scene headings consist of three distinct parts:
Int. or Ext.
Location
Time of day
Int. and Ext. refer to whether the scene takes place indoors (interior) or outside (exterior). In most cases, this will be obvious…but sometimes it can get a little tricky to decide if you’re Int. or Ext. Some good questions to ask yourself are ‘Can my character look up and see the sky?’ and/or ‘Could my character get rained on?’ If the answers are ‘yes’…you’re likely Ext. If the answers are ‘no’…you’re likely Int.
Location refers to the most basic setting where the scene takes place. Does it take place inside a house? Or a cave? Or on the deck of a boat? Each distinct setting in your script should have a specific name. So if you have scenes that take place in two separate houses in your script, you’ll need to find someway to designate which one the scene takes place in…such as ‘Bob’s House’ and ‘Susie’s House.’ Additionally, you can add sublocations. For instance, if the scene takes place in a house…it can be in the living room, or the kitchen, or a bedroom, etc. Always try to list locations from broad to narrow. So it would be ‘Int. Bob’s House - Kitchen’ instead of ‘Int. Kitchen - Bob’s House’.
Time of day indicates a general idea of when the scene takes place. ‘Day’ and ‘Night’ are the most simple designations…and the most commonly used. If your scene takes place somewhere where there is no day or night (such as floating in space), it may be appropriate to leave the time of day out of the scene heading.
Scene description/action lines:
Scene description contains everything we see and hear on screen that isn’t dialogue. This can include the description of the setting, your character’s actions, and any non-dialogue sounds that impact the story.
Scene descriptions should always be written in the most active present tense possible. So instead of ‘Sue is sitting on the bench’ it would be ‘Sue sits on the bench’
Each block of scene description should be kept as short as possible and, to do so, you’ll want to limit it to a single idea or image. An action block generally should not run more than three lines on the page before starting a new block. Think of each of these like their own shot—new shot…new action block.
Character introductions:
The first time a character is seen on screen they should have a corresponding character introduction. This includes their name in all caps as well as a short description of the character.
For adult characters, an approximate age is usually sufficient (examples: early 20s, 40s, late 60s, mid-80s, etc)…unless there is a reason for a specific age (for instance, if a character is celebrating their 21st birthday in your script). For children, specific ages are preferred whenever possible as there can be vast differences in a child’s development within just a year or two.
There are a couple different ways to approach character description. Some writers stick only to physical characteristics. Some writers opt to take advantage of the character introduction to give us some insight into who the character is as a person. And some writers opt for a combination of the two.
A few examples from professional screenplays:
From Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark: At the head of the party is an American, INDIANA JONES. He wears a short leather jacket, a flapped holster, and a brimmed felt hat with a weird feather stuck in the band.
From Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl: …a man for whom the term 'swashbuckling rogue' was coined: Captain JACK SPARROW.
From Past Lives: …three people sit, each with a cocktail in front of them꞉ NORA MOON (30s, Korean‑Canadian‑American, short‑hair, dressed casually in muted colors)... HAE SUNG JUNG (30s, Korean, clean‑shaven and in business casual)... And ARTHUR ZATURANSKY (30s, white Jewish‑American, tall, skinny, dark curly hair, a little stubble, plain dark t-shirt).
From Nyad: DIANA AT 60: tan skin, crow's feet, blond hair cropped short, and those big, expressive eyes. She's intense, with big-hearted passion simmering behind a frown.
From the pilot of Stranger Things: A YOUNG GIRL/ELEVEN, 12, standing outside a forest. She makes an immediate impression on us: Her hair is buzzed close to the scalp. Her feet are bare. Her skin is pale. She wears a tattered white hospital gown spattered with mud. She is more like a wild animal than a child.
From the pilot of Bridgerton: …to the tart-looking, cane-wielding lioness of a dowager known as LADY DANBURY (70s), stepping from her ornate carriage.
From an unproduced Xena 2016 reboot pilot by Javier Grillo-Marxuach: HERCULES TURNS TO SEE XENA - ENTERING INTO TORCHLIGHT. EPIC in black armor. Face slashed with war paint. She’s every bit as imposing as the men, every bit as capable, and significantly smarter and more ambitious.
As you can see, there are multiple ways to approach formatting the information in your character introduction. Some writers offset this information with commas or parentheses as part of a larger sentence. Others dedicate sentences to the character description alone. No matter what style you choose, make sure you’re consistent in your script.
Note: If you introduce a character with a particularly long name, it’s okay to subsequently shorten that name later on.
Dialogue:
Dialogue is located near the center of the page with each dialogue block being preceded by the character’s name in all caps.
Because dialogue has its own special formatting in screenplays there is no need for quotation marks such as you would find in prose or for a colon after the character name such as you may find in some published plays.
The majority of dialogue in screenplays is a back and forth between two or more characters which means that dialogue blocks are generally short. Longer sections of dialogue are referred to as monologues.
We’ll talk more about dialogue in a later lesson.
Parentheticals:
Parentheticals are used to convey the tone or delivery of a line of dialogue when it cannot be inferred from the actual text or the context. These should generally be only a few words long and are contained in parentheses between the character name and the dialogue. Do not capitalize the first letter of a parenthetical.
In most cases, actions do not belong in parentheticals. It is best to try to restrict these to your scene description.
Basically…use parentheticals judiciously and sparingly throughout your script.
Transitions:
In most cases, transitions between scenes are unnecessary as each scene heading indicates the start of a new scene and adding a transition such as ‘Cut to:’ between each scene merely takes up valuable space on the page. Transitions should be reserved for situations where they add additional information or movement to the scene that can’t be conveyed in other manners.
Many writers still consider it traditional to bookend their script with transitions—most commonly a left justified ‘Fade In:’ at the opening of the script…and a right justified ‘Fade Out.’ at the end. Other writers opt for more creative alternatives that reflect their personal voice. These are not mandatory and it’s completely up to you whether you decide to include them.
Much like parentheticals…transitions should be used judiciously and sparingly.
V.O., O.S./O.C.:
Voice Over (V.O.) and Off Screen (O.S.) or Off Camera (O.C.) are utilized when a character is heard but not directly in the scene.
(V.O.) is best used when the character is not present in the immediate location. Such as a phone call, an announcer on the radio/TV, or a character reflecting on or narrating a flashback.
(O.S.) or (O.C.) are best utilized when the unseen character is nearby, but not in the scene itself. Such as a character yelling from the kitchen during a scene that takes place in the living room.
These designations are added after the character’s name in the dialogue tag. Your screenwriting software will help you out with this.
Cont’d:
There are two main situations where (Cont’d) is utilized in a screenplay. The first is when a dialogue block continues over a page break. The second is when a character’s dialogue is interrupted by an action line. Thankfully, your screenwriting software will usually catch both of these for you and add the (Cont’d) automatically.
Some writers choose not to utilize (Cont’d) when a character’s dialogue is interrupted by an action line and most screenwriting software will allow you to turn off this feature if you wish.
Capitalizing sounds/props:
Some writers choose to capitalize, bold, and/or underline sounds, props, and important pieces of information to make sure they stand out to the reader. To some extent, this is personal preference and you’ll need to decide what feels right for your own personal style. However, do note that too much capitalization, bolding, and underlining can clutter up the script and make it more difficult for your reader to get through.
Like so many things in script formatting…use capitalizations, bold type, and underlining judiciously and sparingly.
Multi-cam scripts:
Half hour multi-cam scripts have their own formatting conventions that differ from most other scripts. Some of these differences include writing action lines in all caps, underlining character names the first time they occur, underlining character entrances and exits, and double spacing dialogue. Because of these unique formatting requirements, half hour multi-cam scripts can often run over 50 pages long. If you’re planning on writing a multi-cam sitcom, make sure you brush up on the format’s specialized formatting beforehand!
How do I format XYZ?
As you write, it’s pretty much guaranteed that you’ll come across a situation where you’re not exactly sure how you should format something. When that occurs, I recommend taking these steps to help you decide how to approach the formatting.
Consult a formatting guide. Trottier (referenced below) is one of the most respected tomes on screenplay formatting. John August also offers a variety of formatting advice on his website as well.
See how other screenwriters have approached the formatting. Find a TV show or movie that includes whatever it is you’re trying to format…and then track down the script to see how the writers approached it on the page.
Prioritize clarity. If in doubt, chose a format that makes things the easiest for your reader to understand. Clarity is key.
What is white space?
White space refers to all the non-text area of the page.
Lots of white space makes for a quick and easy read which keeps your reader’s eyes moving down the page. Too little white space makes for a slow and laborious read…and risks your reader setting your script aside.
Try to avoid large walls of text and optimize your white space as much as possible.
Sharing your screenplay
You should always share your screenplay as a PDF as this protects the formatting.
Different stages of production mean slightly different formatting
Each stage of production has slightly different formatting conventions. At this stage, you’re writing ‘spec’ scripts. They’re on ‘speculation’…meaning that the script wasn’t commissioned and it’s not in production. You’re speculating that maybe one day the script will be optioned or sold (and maybe even produced!).
Spec scripts are streamlined to highlight the story over production details (since the production side doesn’t yet exist). This means minimal to no transitions, no scene numbers, minimal to no script clutter (shot descriptions, capitalizations/underlines, etc), no shot/character/location lists, etc.
Many of the scripts that you’ll read during this course are shooting scripts, which may include additional elements to assist with production such as transitions, scene numbers, colored and dated drafts, asterisks to denote changed lines, omitted and added scenes, SFX notes, etc. While you read, try to envision what the script would have looked like at the initial ‘spec’ stage.
(Note: The term ‘spec’ can also be used to describe a sample script that is written for an existing TV show…as opposed to an ‘original pilot.’ We’ll touch on this more in the future.)
Screenwriting is a visual medium
Always remember that screenwriting is a visual medium!
Novels and short stories have the opportunity to delve into a character’s internal thoughts. Screenplays don’t have that luxury. Scripts must focus on the things that we can see and hear as that is what will be presented on the screen.
Information on the page that cannot be conveyed in a visual or auditory medium is often referred to as an ‘unfilmable.’
Recommended reading/viewing:
Why the Fuss About Script Formatting by David Trottier (free)
The Ultimate Guide to Screenwriting Software by Shanee Edwards (free)
How to format a script by Ken Miyamoto (free)
The keys to writing correct scene headings by Ken Miyamoto (free)
Int. vs. Ext. by John August (free)
How to write better scene descriptions from Final Draft (free)
What is the difference between V.O. and O.S.? from John August (free)
10 Script Formatting Mistakes to Avoid by Ken Miyamoto (free)
How to write an effective montage by Ken Miyamoto (free)
How do you format a telephone conversation in a screenplay? from John August (free)
Single Cam vs. Multi Cam TV Sitcom Scripts: What’s the Difference by Ken Miyamoto (free)
The Screenwriter’s Bible by David Trottier (Book IV: Proper formatting technique)
Assignments:
1. Read 1 full length TV or movie script (from Script Slug or the BBC Script Library)
2. Choose and download a screenwriting software
3. Using your chosen screenwriting software, type out the first 10-15 pages from the script you’re reading this lesson as if it was a spec script.
4. Choose a second script from Script Slug or the BBC Script Library. Do NOT read the script, but instead watch the movie or episode. Then pick at least one scene and write it out in script form using your screenwriting software. When you’re done, compare the version you wrote to the version that’s in the actual script.