How To Format A Screenplay: A Clear and Comprehensive Guide
How To Format A Screenplay: A Clear and Comprehensive Guide
Formatting is the language of screenplays. Its the expression of your story in an industry-accepted style. Some developing writers see formatting as a kind of rigid box that they must force the content of their story into. Actually, it is a flexible communication guide for expressing your story in a way that other professional collaborators (directors, producers, cinematographers, and others) can clearly understand. In reality, formatting guidelines truly are a friend. So what are the essential elements of this screenwriting language? There are three: scene headings, action, and dialogue. Lets discuss each briefly.
Scene headings
You may have heard the term slug line, which is a journalistic term that many screenwriters have adopted. I prefer the term scene heading because it is more descriptive and self-defining, and I am pleased that Movie Magic Screenwriter uses that term as well. A scene heading consists of three main parts: camera placement (INT. or EXT.), specific location, and time (usually DAY or NIGHT). Here is an example. INT. CLASSROOM DAY Remember to focus the heading on a specific location. Winter is not a location, nor is Super Bowl XX. I once saw the following scene heading in an unsold script: INT. LOVELY CHRISTMAS MORNING WITH SNOW FALLING. The writer did not identify the location, and all the description about how lovely it was and the snow falling belongs in action (explained below). Well discuss scene headings more in depth later.
Action
Action is the narrative description of a screenplay. Here you describe what the characters do, including important sounds that are part of the action. Only describe as action what the audience will actually see on the movie screen or hear on the soundtrack. If your character rides a horse into the sunset, then describe that action and perhaps the sounds of the horses hooves. But do not describe what the character is thinking or feeling because thoughts, feelings, insights, and realizations cannot appear on the silver screen. For that reason, do not write, Mary feels sad or Mary remembers the last time she saw him or Mary realizes now how much she loves him. Those are not actions. Instead, write, Mary drops her head in sadness; thats an action. You may even write that Mary looks sad. Thats considered an action, and it is actable. As a general guideline (meaning there can be exceptions), allow one paragraph per visual image or beat (unit) of action. Try to keep paragraphs to four lines or less.
Dialogue
A dialogue block consists of three parts: character name (or cue), parenthetical, and the speech itself. Here is an example: JOHN (wryly) I meant every word I said. The character name (JOHN in the example above) should be consistent throughout the screenplay. That makes your script easier to follow for readers. Of course, you can call John anything you want in the action, and other characters can call him anything theyd like in their speeches. Sometimes a character name should be modified via a character extension. In the above example, lets assume that John is off screen when he says his line; that is, he is in the scene, but not visible on the movie screen. That would require the character extension O.S. for off screen. JOHN (O.S.) (wryly) I meant every word I said. Another common character extension is V.O. for voice over. When a speech is heard through a telephone, for example, that speech is voiced over. The parenthetical is sometimes referred to as actors instruction, direction, or a wryly (because, according to industry legend, the term wryly is sometimes overused in beginning screenplays). Use parentheticals sparingly. Their main purpose is to indicate subtext where it is not otherwise obvious. For example, if John says I love you, but in a sarcastic way, and if that sarcasm isnt obvious from the context, then use the parenthetical sarcastically to clue us in. You may also use parentheticals for small actions, such as tipping his hat or lifting her gaze or to Jane when your character stops talking to Mary and starts talking to Jane. Actions that take more than 5-7 words should be written asyou guessed itaction. The speech consists of the words the character says. If the character screams without the use of actual words, then thats a sound and should be written as action.
Screenplay structure
A screenplay consists of acts, which contain sequences, which are made up of scenes, which can be broken down into beats. Most writing gurus and teachers refer to the basic three-act structure. Many TV movies have a seven-act structure. Some writers think in terms of a fouract structure. Shakespeare used five acts for his plays. Regardless of how you choose to think of your screenplay, there should be a beginning, a middle (about half the screenplay or more), and an end. Clearly, an act is a major subdivision of a screenplay or teleplay. A sequence is a series of scenes that have the same dramatic thrust. For example, the famous chariot race sequence from Ben Hur contains many scenes. A beat is a unit of action; something happens. For example, John hits Mary (thats one beat) and Mary hits him back (thats another beat).
Dave Trottier (Dr. Format) has sold or optioned ten screenplays and is the author of The Screenwriters Bible. As a script consultant, teacher, and writing coach, hes helped hundreds of writers to successful writing careers. His website is http://www.keepwriting.com