Format of Screenplay

FORMAT OF
SCREENPLAY
By Sukriti Bajaj
Writing should be an adventure, shrouded

in mystery and uncertainty, blessed with
amazing grace. In theory, of course.
Syd Field
SCREENPLAY
Writing a screenplay is like climbing a
mountain. When youre climbing, all you
can see is the rock in front of you and the
rock directly above you. You cant see
where youve come from or where youre
going.
Syd Field
SCREENPLAY
A screenplay or script is a written work by screenwriters for

a film, video game, or television program.
These screenplays can be original works or adaptations

from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement,
actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are
also narrated.
A play for television is also known as a teleplay.
TYPES OF
SCREENPLAY
Literary Screenplay
Publicistic Screenplay
Original Screenplay
Derivative Screenplay
Directors Screenplay
Poetic Screenplay
TYPES OF SCREENPLAY
In cinematography, there are several types of screenplays:
A Literary Screenplay is a screenplay written in the same

language that is used in fiction. This type of screenplay is
not always an adaptation of a literary work; it may well be
an original work in its own right.
A Publicistic Screenplay, in contrast to a literary

screenplay, is written in the broken language used in
newspaper articles and does not contain the aesthetic
component found in the literary and artistic styles.
TYPES OF SCREENPLAY
Screenplays can be both original and derivative.
An Original Screenplay is written as an independent work

of art, featuring an original plot and original protagonists.
A Derivative Screenplay is an adaptation of an existing

literary work for the screen.
TYPES OF SCREENPLAY
A Directors Screenplay is a screenplay, the descriptive

part of which is numbered or has the boundaries between
shots indicated on it (wide shot, close-up shot, etc.).
A Poetic Screenplay is a literary and dramatic work

whose descriptive part is divided into rhythmically
commensurable segments, or poems. This remarkable
feature makes the poetic screenplay very distinct from the
other types of screenplays, endowing it with a special form
of artistic expression.
FORMAT OF
SCREENPLAY
Action is character. What a person does is
what he is, not what he says.
Syd Field
FORMAT OF SCREENPLAY
INTRODUCTION
Screenplays and teleplays use a set of standardizations,

beginning with proper formatting.
These rules are in part to serve the practical purpose of
making scripts uniformly readable "blueprints" of movies,
and also to serve as a way of distinguishing a professional
from an amateur.
It is very important that the correct format be used, as
otherwise the script is likely to be disregarded very quickly.
An incorrectly formatted script can be very difficult for
actors to read from, when testing the script out.
OVERVIEW
12-point Courier font

1.5 inch left margin
1 inch right margin (between .5 inches and 1.25 inches),
ragged
1 inch top and bottom margins
Approximately 55 lines per page, regardless of paper size
(top and bottom margins adjusted accordingly). This does
not include the page number, or spaces after it.
Dialogue speaker names (in all caps) 3.7 inches from left
side of page (2.2 from margin)
OVERVIEW
Actor parentheticals (aka wrylies) 3.1 inches from left side

of page (1.6 from margin)
Dialogue 2.5 inches from left side of page (1.5 from margin)
A script usually begins with "FADE IN:", followed by the first

scene description and ends with "FADE TO BLACK or "CUT
TO BLACK" for abrupt endings.
OVERVIEW
Pages should be numbered in the top right corner, flush to

the right margin, a half-inch from the top of the page.
Numbers should be followed by a period.
The first page is not numbered.
The title page is neither numbered nor does it count as

page one, so the first page to have a number is the second
page of the screenplay (third sheet of paper, including the
title page), which is numbered 2.
In the most basic terms, a screenplay is a 90-120 page

document written in Courier 12pt font on 8 1/2" x 11"
bright white three-hole punched paper.
It's a timing issue to use Courier font. One formatted script

page in Courier font equals roughly one minute of screen
time. That's why the average page count of a screenplay
should come in between 90 and 120 pages. Comedies tend
to be on the shorter side (90 pages, or 1 hours) while
Dramas run longer (120 pages, or 2 hours).
The First Page of a Screenplay
While screenplay formatting software such as Final Draft,

Movie Magic Screenwriter, Movie Outline and Montage frees
you from having to learn the nitty-gritty of margins and
indents, it's good to have a grasp of the general spacing
standards.
The top, bottom and right margins of a screenplay are 1".

The left margin is 1.5". The extra half-inch of white space to
the left of a script page allows for binding with brads, yet
still imparts a feeling of vertical balance of the text on the
page. The entire document should be single-spaced.
The First Page of a Screenplay
The very first item on the first page should be the words
FADE IN:. Note: the first page is never numbered.
Subsequent page numbers appear in the upper right hand
corner, 0.5" from the top of the page, flush right to the
margin.
SCREENPLAY ELEMENTS
Scene Heading
Indent: Left: 0.0" Right: 0.0" Width: 6.0
A scene heading is a one-line description of the location

and time of day of a scene, also known as a "slugline." It
should always be in CAPS.
Example: EXT. WRITERS STORE - DAY reveals that the

action takes place outside The Writers Store during the
daytime.
SCREENPLAY ELEMENTS
Sub Header
When a new scene heading is not necessary, but some

distinction needs to be made in the action, you can use a
subheader. But be sure to use these sparingly, as a script
full of subheaders is generally frowned upon.
A good example is when there are a series of quick cuts
between two locations, you would use the term INTERCUT
and the scene locations.
SCREENPLAY ELEMENTS
Action
The narrative description of the events of a scene, written

in the present tense. Also less commonly known as
direction, visual exposition, blackstuff, description or scene
direction.
Remember - only things that can be seen and heard should

be included in the action.
SCREENPLAY ELEMENTS
Character
When a character is introduced, his name should be

capitalized within the action. For example: The door opens
and in walks LIAM, a thirty-something hipster with attitude
to spare.
A character's name is CAPPED and always listed above his

lines of dialogue. Minor characters may be listed without
names, for example "TAXI DRIVER" or "CUSTOMER."
SCREENPLAY ELEMENTS
Dialogue
Lines of speech for each character. Dialogue format is used

anytime a character is heard speaking, even for off-screen
and voice-overs.
SCREENPLAY ELEMENTS
Parenthetical
Indent: Left: 1.5" Right: 2.0" Width: 2.5"
A parenthetical is direction for the character, that is either

attitude or action-oriented. With roots in the playwriting genre,
today, parentheticals are used very rarely, and only if
absolutely necessary.
Two reasons. First, if you need to use a parenthetical to convey

what's going on with your dialogue, then it probably just needs
a good re-write. Second, it's the director's job to instruct an
actor on how to deliver a line, and everyone knows not to
encroach on the director's turf!
SCREENPLAY ELEMENTS
Extension
Placed after the character's name, in parentheses
An abbreviated technical note placed after the character's

name to indicate how the voice will be heard onscreen, for
example, if the character is speaking as a voice-over, it
would appear as LIAM (V.O.).
SCREENPLAY ELEMENTS
Transition
Transitions are film editing instructions, and generally only

appear in a shooting script. Transition verbiage includes:
CUT TO: DISSOLVE TO: SMASH CUT: QUICK CUT: FADE TO:
As a spec script writer, you should avoid using a transition

unless there is no other way to indicate a story element.
For example, you might need to use DISSOLVE TO: to
indicate that a large amount of time has passed.
SCREENPLAY ELEMENTS
Shot
A shot tells the reader the focal point within a scene has
changed. Like a transition, there's rarely a time when a spec
screenwriter should insert shot directions. Once again, that's
the director's job.
Examples of Shots:
ANGLE ON
EXTREME CLOSE UP
PAN TO
LIAM'S POV -
USE OF "CONTINUED"
When a shot or scene continues from one page to the next,

(CONTINUED) must be added at the bottom of the page
where the break occurs, preceded by a single blank line.
CONTINUED: is then added at the top of the next page,
followed by a single blank line.
BREAKING STAGE DIRECTION
When stage direction (also known as action) is broken at

the bottom of a page, break it only at the end of a complete
sentence. CONTINUEDs must be added as explained above.
BREAKING DIALOG
When a character's speech is broken at the bottom of a

page, break it only at the end of a complete sentence. Add
(MORE) 4.1" from the left page edge at the bottom of the
page where the break occurs, directly beneath the dialog
(in other words, no blank line separates the (MORE) from
the dialog) On the following page put (CONT'D) after the
character name and on the same line as the name.
Also, when breaking speeches, do not place parenthetical
character direction before the (MORE). Place the
parenthetical direction with the remainder of the speech on
the next page.
FORMATTING PARENTHETICAL CHARACTER DIRECTION
"Parenthetical character direction" is specific business

relating only to the speaking character. Parenthetical
character direction is placed in parens, on a separate line
from dialogue.
If the direction goes more than four lines, place it at the left
margin as regular direction, using a colon (:) to indicate it
goes with the character's next speech.
FORMATTING DIALOGUE
Words are never broken by a hyphen at the end of a line of

dialogue unless it's a naturally hyphenated word, such as
twenty-three, point-blank, etc.
FORMATTING SHOT HEADINGS
All shot headings are placed on a line by themselves with

two blank lines above and one blank line below. This
includes any so-called "hidden" shots which may be
imbedded in descriptive passages.
SCENE TRANSITIONS
Scene transitions such as CUT TO and DISSOLVE TO are

entirely optional, but when used should be preceded by one
blank line and followed by two blank lines.
When breaking pages, the scene transition must remain

with the shot just completed. In other words, it is never
permissible to start a new page with a CUT TO or a
DISSOLVE TO. It must be placed at the bottom of the
previous page.
SCENE TRANSITIONS
Scene transitions such as CUT TO and DISSOLVE TO are

entirely optional, but when used should be preceded by one
blank line and followed by two blank lines.
When breaking pages, the scene transition must remain

with the shot just completed. In other words, it is never
permissible to start a new page with a CUT TO or a
DISSOLVE TO. It must be placed at the bottom of the
previous page.
THANK YOU !

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FORMAT OF

Writing should be an adventure, shrouded

A screenplay or script is a written work by screenwriters for

These screenplays can be original works or adaptations

A play for television is also known as a teleplay.

A Literary Screenplay is a screenplay written in the same

A Publicistic Screenplay, in contrast to a literary

An Original Screenplay is written as an independent work

A Derivative Screenplay is an adaptation of an existing

A Directors Screenplay is a screenplay, the descriptive

A Poetic Screenplay is a literary and dramatic work

Screenplays and teleplays use a set of standardizations,

12-point Courier font

Actor parentheticals (aka wrylies) 3.1 inches from left side

A script usually begins with "FADE IN:", followed by the first

Pages should be numbered in the top right corner, flush to

The first page is not numbered.

The title page is neither numbered nor does it count as

In the most basic terms, a screenplay is a 90-120 page

It's a timing issue to use Courier font. One formatted script

While screenplay formatting software such as Final Draft,

The top, bottom and right margins of a screenplay are 1".

Indent: Left: 0.0" Right: 0.0" Width: 6.0

A scene heading is a one-line description of the location

Example: EXT. WRITERS STORE - DAY reveals that the

Indent: Left: 0.0" Right: 0.0" Width: 6.0

When a new scene heading is not necessary, but some

Indent: Left: 0.0" Right: 0.0" Width: 6.0

The narrative description of the events of a scene, written

Remember - only things that can be seen and heard should

Indent: Left: 2.0" Right: 0.0" Width: 4.0

When a character is introduced, his name should be

A character's name is CAPPED and always listed above his

Indent: Left: 1.0" Right: 1.5" Width: 3.5

Lines of speech for each character. Dialogue format is used

Indent: Left: 1.5" Right: 2.0" Width: 2.5"

A parenthetical is direction for the character, that is either

Two reasons. First, if you need to use a parenthetical to convey

Placed after the character's name, in parentheses

An abbreviated technical note placed after the character's

Indent: Left: 4.0" Right: 0.0" Width: 2.0

Transitions are film editing instructions, and generally only

As a spec script writer, you should avoid using a transition

Indent: Left: 0.0" Right: 0.0" Width: 6.0

When a shot or scene continues from one page to the next,

When stage direction (also known as action) is broken at

When a character's speech is broken at the bottom of a

"Parenthetical character direction" is specific business

Words are never broken by a hyphen at the end of a line of

All shot headings are placed on a line by themselves with

Scene transitions such as CUT TO and DISSOLVE TO are

When breaking pages, the scene transition must remain

Scene transitions such as CUT TO and DISSOLVE TO are

When breaking pages, the scene transition must remain

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