STYLE GUIDE FOR SAC210 SCREENPLAYS

Screenplay format has evolved over time. During the Studio System, “continuities” were
a means to make production of films as cheap and efficient as possible. These scripts
were detailed (sometimes shot-for-shot) “blueprints” for the cast and crew to execute.
This ensured that the studios got exactly what they wanted and that films didn’t exceed
their pre-approved budgets.

When the studio system collapsed, the industry moved towards a “package-unit” model
where independent producers would seek financing from studios for projects that they
would shoot with relative autonomy. As a result, screenplay format evolved.
Screenplays became a means to find financing, not technical documents for production.

On the one hand, the screenplay had to follow certain formatting rules so that a line
producer could work up an accurate budget and schedule. On the other, the read had to
be exciting enough to attract a financier or key talent (directors and actors) to become
involved.

Over the years, this format (often referred to as “spec” script format) developed key
characteristics:

• Text is spaced in such a way as to make one page average out to one minute of
screen time (because this allows for accurate scheduling of shoot days).

• Camera directions are almost never used (because they make the read less
exciting and the readers are not always well-versed in filmmaking).

• Descriptions are limited to the essentials (because any item mentioned in the
script will be added to the budget).

This document reflects the most up-to-date guidelines for “spec” script format and you
will be responsible for following these guidelines for all your creative work in this class.

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 SCENE HEADINGS (SLUG LINES)

Movie scenes are set in a specific place and time. Even if a scene takes place in heaven
or inside a character’s subconscious, the film crew needs to know what the location is
going to be and at which time of day/night they need to shoot. (In “Inception,” a
character’s subconscious is variouly depicted as a “lavish hotel,” an “icy compound,”
and a “Japanese fortress.”)

Every time there’s a shift in time or place you have to mark it in your script with what is
called a SLUG LINE. If you condense time (SERIES OF SHOTS) or show a passage of
time (MONTAGE), you have to mark it. If you change rooms, you have to mark it. Every
time there’s a shift in time or place, you have to mark it.

A typical scene heading marks whether it’s an interior (INT.) or exterior (EXT.), the
location of the scene and whether it’s day or night:

INT. SANDY’S HOME – NIGHT

For a specific room, in a larger building, use a comma to clarify:

INT. HOSPITAL, OPERATING ROOM – DAY

INT. HOSPITAL, WAITING AREA - DAY

Use CONTINUOUS when a character moves from one location directly to another:

EXT. SANDY’S HOME – DAY

Bill charges up to the front door and kicks it down.

INT. SANDY’S HOME, FOYER – CONTINUOUS

Bill storms in. Looks around.

You don’t need to use CONTINUOUS if you’re moving from one room to another, but you
do have to mark the change in place with a SLUG LINE:

INT. SANDY’S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM – DAY

Sandy walks into the--

KITCHEN

--and turns on the stove.

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Use SAME TIME if you are cutting to a scene that’s happening simultaneously:

EXT. UNDERGRADUATE LIBRARY – NIGHT

Mary rushes by just as the Bell Tower’s BELLS signal the new hour.

INT. JIM’S OFFICE – SAME TIME

Jim looks out the window as he listens to the BELLS.

If you are showing simultaneous action in a large location, make sure to clarify where
things are taking place with a SLUG LINE (this is important for action sequences):

INT. NIGHT CLUB – NIGHT

Packed and sweaty.

AT THE BAR

Johnny tries to get the bartender’s attention.

DJ BOOTH

Sandy flirts with the DJ.

DANCE FLOOR

Rick sidles up to a beautiful woman.

Use LATER or MOMENTS LATER to signify a jump in time within a location:

INT. CLASSROOM – DAY

Professor Smith unpacks his briefcase as students file into class.

LATER

Students sleep and check their email as Professor Smith fiddles with
the projector.

You might have to mark both a jump in time and a change of rooms together:

INT. SANDY’S HOUSE, FOYER – DAY

Sandy greets Billy at the door.

LIVING ROOM – MOMENTS LATER

Sandy pours Billy a cup of tea and sits across from him.

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Finally, if you have sound/dialogue over a black screen, use OVER BLACK as the SLUG
LINE. Put (V.O.) next to the character’s name to indicate voice-over:

OVER BLACK

The sound of someone DIGGING.

JOHN (V.O.)
Hand me the shovel.

Series Of Shots (Condensing Time)

Sometimes there are actions that you need to include but it would take too long to show
them from beginning to end. Making breakfast, for example, takes about five minutes.
But, you’re not going to waste five minutes watching someone make breakfast. Instead
you would use a SERIES OF SHOTS. Use a slugline (either MOMENTS LATER or a
slugline for a new scene) to mark the end of the SERIES OF SHOTS.

Remember, use a SERIES OF SHOTS only when we HAVE to see something, but it would
take too long to show it in real time.

INT. MARGE’S HOUSE, KITCHEN – MORNING

Marge, dressed in a robe, sleepwalks in.

SERIES OF SHOTS – MARGE MAKES BREAKFAST

-- Fills the coffee maker with water.

-- Cracks eggs into a sizzling skillet.

-- Pulls toast out of the toaster.

MOMENTS LATER

Marge sits down to enjoy her meal when the PHONE RINGS.

Sometimes you need to incorporate dialogue in your SERIES OF SHOTS:

INT. BAR – NIGHT

SERIES OF SHOTS – JOHN TRIES OUT DIFFERENT PICKUP LINES

-- John approaches SMOKING GIRL, who sits at the bar, cigarette in

hand.

JOHN
Come here often?

Smoking Girl inhales and blows smoke in his face.

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-- John approaches CLASSY GIRL. Hands her a packet of sugar.

JOHN
Excuse me. I think you dropped your I.D.

Classy Girl rolls her eyes.

-- John approaches OFFENDED GIRL. He whispers in her ear. Offended

Girl’s eyes go wide. She slaps him and storms off.

LATER

John drowns his sorrows in a beer.

Montage (Passage Of Time)

Unlike SERIES OF SHOTS, a MONTAGE takes place in multiple locations. Each shift in
time or place is marked with a letter. Make sure to indicate where/when the shot takes
place. And end your MONTAGE with a transition (CUT TO:, DISSOLVE TO:, etc.)

MONTAGE – JOHN AND MARY FALL IN LOVE

A.) EXT. BEACH – NIGHT. John and Mary walk hand in hand.

B.) INT. UPSCALE RESTAURANT - NIGHT. John and Mary share a romantic
dinner.

C.) EXT. PARK BENCH - DAY. John gets down on a knee and pulls out a
ring. Mary nods, tears in her eyes.

CUT TO:

If you need to incorporate voice-over narration or dialogue in your MONTAGE, it’s best to
just write them as full scenes:

EXT. BEACH – DAY

John and Mary walk hand in hand.

JOHN (V.O.)
I never met anyone like her. We fell
in love instantly.

INT. UPSCALE RESTAURANT – NIGHT

John and Mary share a romantic dinner.

JOHN (V.O)
Before we knew it, we were engaged.

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EXT. PARK BENCH – DAY

John gets down on a knee and pulls out a ring. Mary nods, tears in
her eyes.

CUT TO:

Period Movies and Time-Shifting

Put the year in parenthesis after the first SCENE HEADING in the script when you’re
doing a movie set in the past:

EXT. MEDIEVAL CASTLE – NIGHT (1223 A.D.)

If the movie stays in this time period, you only have to do this in the first scene.

Flashbacks

If you are flashing back to a previous time period, you can write the year or indicate how
far back in time you are going:

EXT. CITY STREET – DAY (TEN YEARS EARLIER)

EXT. CITY STREET – DAY (2001)

When you return to the present, you must indicate it:

INT. CAFÉ – NIGHT (PRESENT)

If it’s a quick flashback, use BACK TO as a transition:

INT. BEDROOM – DAY

Susan pulls clothes out of her closet and dumps them in a box. She
stops when she sees a man’s tie hanging inside. She takes it in her
hands.

CUT TO:

INT. KITCHEN – DAY (TWO YEARS EARLIER)

Susan adjusts Mark’s collar and fixes his tie. He pulls her in close.

BACK TO:

INT. BEDROOM – DAY

Susan admires the tie. Then folds it neatly and places it in the box.

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 ACTION/SCENE DESCRIPTION

If you can’t film it with a camera or record it with a microphone then it shouldn’t belong
in a screenplay. As a general rule, if we can’t see it or hear it, don’t write it.

Something like the following is not filmable: John, thinking of his dead mother,
starts to feel guilty. What do we see or hear that makes it clear that he’s
thinking of his dead mother?

Also, the key to making a name for yourself with your spec script is the ability to create a
movie-going experience for your reader. Your words have to put images in the reader’s
mind, but they have to do so efficiently.

In order for the Line Producer to budget properly, a hundred-page screenplay should
yield a hundred-minute movie.

At the same time, if you want to attract attention with your spec script, a reader should
be able to finish your hundred-page screenplay in a hundred minutes. So choose your
words carefully.

Here are some guidelines to follow:

1. Limit yourself to 200 words per page.

A normal person reads about 200 words per minute. This will ensure that a reader can
finish your script in the time it would take them to watch the movie.

2. Keep your paragraphs as short as a tweet.

Nothing slows down the reader like a big block of text. Assuming that all of that text is
necessary (it probably isn’t), break it up into smaller paragraphs. Action takes up more
time on screen than dialogue. So, making each paragraph less than 140 characters (the
limit for a tweet), will ensure that the screenplay will average out to one minute per page.

3. Use the active voice.

Instead of “John is sitting,” write “John sits.”

4. Get rid of adjectives and adverbs.

Instead of “John sits dejectedly,” write “John slumps.” Instead of “John looks
angrily,” write “John glares.” Instead of “very large house,” write “mansion.”

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Introducing A New Location

When introducing a new location, first figure out what’s important about the place story-
wise. Does it have to be messy? Pristine? Opulent? Gaudy? Crowded? Once you’ve
determined what’s important, then pick one or two specific details we can see or hear
that capture that.

INT. PHIL’S APARTMENT – DAY

A pig-sty. Fast food wrappers cover the coffee table. Soiled clothes
carpet the floor.

Writing this way quickly creates an image in the reader’s mind without slowing down the
read.

Introducing A New Character

Anytime you introduce a new speaking part, put the name in all CAPS (for casting and
budgeting purposes). Put their approximate age in parenthesis and, as with a new
location, pick one or two important details about them we can see or hear.

HADLEY WILSON (mid 20s) sits in the corner. He carries a few extra
pounds, but covers them nicely with a slick Italian suit.

If a character only appears briefly you don’t need to give them a name (Ex: ANGRY
CUSTOMER, RECEPTIONIST, POLICEMAN ONE, etc.).

If a character has to be played by two actors because of a long time span, then make that
distinction (JANE and ELDERLY JANE; BILLY and TEENAGE BILLY).

Actor Direction

Actors aren’t robots. So it’s pointless to describe every gesture, pause or facial
expression. For example, the following is much too detailed:

Jenny’s eyes bulge and her mouth drops open.

If the actor were to take this direction literally, their performance would be either
mechanical or melodramatic. Instead, write in actable verbs and let the actor take it from
there.

Jenny reels in shock.

Similarly…

Eric’s nostrils flare as he grits his teeth.

Should become…

Eric fumes.

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Avoid describing states of being and the looks on character’s faces.
Verbs work better because they allow the actor to work from the inside
out rather than the outside in.

Henry is uncomfortable with Helen’s proximity and tone. Or… Henry

looks incredibly uncomfortable.

Should become…

Henry squirms.

Camera Angles and Directions

A spec script is not a production document, so camera angles and direction DO NOT
BELONG.

You don’t know where the crew is going to end up shooting, what conditions they will be
shooting in and what resources they will have, so it’s pointless to call for specific camera
placements and movements in a spec script.

Also, it slows down the read and takes the reader out of the movie-going experience
because they have to stop and figure out exactly what you are trying to describe. You’re
better off using plain language that creates a movie in the reader’s mind.

Take this passage, for example:

FOOTSTEPS are heard slowly approaching. Joe frantically looks around.

The room is empty, except for a red door directly in front of Joe.

Joe surveys each corner of the room. For each FOOTSTEP heard, one
corner of the room is viewed.

After each corner has been surveyed, the camera stays fixed on the red
door. The footsteps stop.

The excessive camera direction slows down the read when you can create the same
effect by focusing on the characters instead of the camera:

Joe hears FOOTSTEPS approach. With each step his eyes dart to a
different corner of the room. It’s completely empty.

He turns back to the red door. Steels himself as the FOOTSTEPS stop.

For a spec script, it’s not important how things are shot. What’s important is “what does
the audience need to see and hear?” Figuring out how to shoot those things comes
later.

Finally, it’s also a bad idea from a creative standpoint to put camera direction in your
script. You run the risk falling in love with a specific way of imagining a scene. Getting
too used to seeing a scene in a particular way makes it difficult to break with that vision
when it no longer works for the overall story.

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That being said, there are a few situations where you will have to direct from the page:

- Part of the set needs to be unseen at the beginning of the scene to set up a
surprise
- When what the character sees is different from objective reality or leads to
mistaken assumption.
- Insert shots (TV screens, Cellphone screens, Scraps of paper, etc.).
- Footage seen from a camera in the world of the story.

1. If it’s important to the storytelling that the audience not be able to see the whole set
until a specific moment, you may mark that moment with some variation of PULL BACK
TO REVEAL, WIDEN TO REVEAL, REVERSE TO REVEAL, PUSH IN TO REVEAL, etc.

INT. ALEX’S APARTMENT – DAY

Alex speaks to someone OFF-SCREEN.

ALEX
I’m not sure what I did wrong. Our first date
was great. I texted her the next day. Called
her the day after that. I played it by the book.
Right?

REVERSE TO REVEAL

Alex is talking to his dog, BUCK. Buck WHIMPERS.

2. If it’s important to the storytelling that we see something from a specific character’s
subjective point-of-view, you can indicate that. This is particularly important when what
a character is different from objective reality (hallucination, drugs, etc.). It can also be
used if a character sees something that they misinterpret (a character thinks two
characters are flirting when they are actually arguing). Use BACK TO SCENE to indicate
you are leaving the character’s point-of-view.

EXT. CITY STREET – DAY

Eva walks down the street. She stops suddenly.

EVA’S P.O.V.

Jack and Margaret sit at a table outside a cafe. Jack leans across
the table and kisses Margaret.

BACK TO SCENE

Shocked, Eva storms off.

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AT THE TABLE

Jack plucks a leaf out of Margaret’s hair. He wasn’t kissing her

after all.

JACK
Let me call, Eva. It’s not like her to be late.

3. If an INSERT is needed to see something more clearly, you may indicate that and then
use BACK TO SCENE when the shot is no longer necessary.

Erica’s cellphone BUZZES. She takes it out and looks at the--

CELLPHONE SCREEN

A text message appears. “From: Johnny. Meet me @ the office.”

BACK TO SCENE

Erica snaps her phone shut and grabs her coat.

4. If a part of the scene is seen from the view of a camera that’s in the world of the story
(surveillance camera, news camera), indicate that the same way you would a character’s
point-of-view.

SURVEILLANCE CAMERA P.O.V.

Johnny reaches up to the camera and sprays the lens with paint until
nothing is visible.

BACK TO SCENE

If the entire scene is footage from a camera, indicate this in the SLUG LINE:

EXT. FAMILY HOME, BACKYARD – DAY (HOME VIDEO FOOTAGE)

Sounds

Important sounds need to be capitalized, particularly if they occur off-screen. This is

primarily for the benefit of the sound department both during production and post-
production. (“A car BACKFIRES in the distance.”)

If a scene has no sound (for example, characters can be seen talking but we can’t hear
them), put MOS next to the scene heading.

EXT. PARK – DAY (MOS)

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Music

Unless the music occurs in the world of the story, don’t mention it. You won’t be able to
capture the composer’s contributions with the written word and you’ll just take the
reader out of the movie-going experience. If music does occur in the world of the story,
describe it in general terms (LOUD TECHNO, ELEVATOR JAZZ, REGGAE, etc.).

Don’t call for specific songs, unless the characters are singing it or it’s part of the story.
Even if the reader knows the song (and if they know it, it will probably be too expensive),
the song will take them out of the movie-going experience as they try to remember it and
match it to the action.

Text Over Images

Use SUPER if you need text to appear on the screen:

SUPER: “THREE WEEKS LATER”

Optical Effects

You might have this “bad-ass” SLOW MOTION image in your head, but it’s not going to
translate to the reader. Only use optical effects like SLOW MOTION, FAST MOTION,
REWIND or FREEZE FRAMES if distorting time is the only way to tell the story. Use
BACK TO NORMAL SPEED to indicate you are done with the effect.

INT. BEDROOM – DAY

Alex walks in and sees Brandy holding a pair of women’s underwear.

BRANDY
Whose are these?

FREEZE FRAME

Of Alex as he tries to think of an answer.

ALEX (V.O.)
Okay, so I can tell her the truth. Or… I
can tell her that…

BACK TO NORMAL SPEED

Alex takes the panties from her.

ALEX
They’re my mom’s.

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Again, here, the only way to fit in the voice-over is to stop or slow down time so an
optical effect is appropriate.

DIALOGUE

The best way to write dialogue is to say it out loud as you write it. If you write in a public
place, then go back later when you are alone and read it out loud to make sure it sounds
natural.

Use two dashes (--) to indicate a sudden change in thought:

JESSICA
I was going to-- And then I saw the--
Plus, there was all this--

Two dashes are also used if a character is cut off:

JESSICA
I just wanted to tell you how sorry--

ERIC
Shut up!

Use ellipses (…) if a character takes a beat or trails off:

JESSICA
Actually, I was going to… You know what?
Forget it. I’ll do it.

For VOICE-OVER narration, put (V.O.) next to the character’s name:

SADIE (V.O.)
I remember it like it was yesterday…

VOICE-OVER is also used when a character relates a story from the past.

INT. CAFÉ – DAY

John sits across from Frank.

JOHN
You’ll never believe what happened to me.

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EXT. STREET – DAY

John struts, books in hand.

JOHN (V.O.)
I was walking down the street minding my
own business and this guy comes up to me
and says…

An ANGRY MAN shoves John.

ANGRY MAN
You’ve got a lot of nerve showing your
face around here.

JOHN (V.O.)
So, then I’m all like…

JOHN
What the hell?

Put (O.S.) for OFF-SCREEN next to the character’s name if their dialogue occurs when
they are not on camera. This is useful in establishing point-of-view.

INT. KITCHEN – DAY

Jeremy reaches for a cookie jar.

MOTHER (O.S.)
Jeremy, what did I tell you?

Jeremy turns to find his mother watching him from the doorway.

For a phone conversation where we see one side but can only hear the other, use (V.O.)
next to the voice of the character that is only heard.

Jessica picks up the phone.

JESSICA
Hello?

BRIAN (V.O.)
Hi. Is this Jessica?

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 JESSICA
This is.

Use PARENTHETICALS only if you need to clarify how a line of dialogue needs to be said
or to whom it is said:

SHAUNA
(to John)
I’ll be out in a second.
(whispers, into phone)
I have to call you back. John’s here… Yes
I’ll get rid of him. Gimme five minutes.

You can use them for foreign languages as well:

JEAN-PIERRE
(in French)
Pardon me. Do you have a cigarette?

TRANSITIONS

You rarely ever have to indicate transitions. The reader will naturally assume that you
are cutting from one scene to the next, so you don’t even have to write CUT TO.

Transitions include:

CUT TO: (Cutting from one scene to the next)

DISSOLVE TO: (Dissolving from one scene to the next)
FADE TO: (Fading to black and then fading back into the next scene)

You can use CUT TO for emphasis.

BILLY
How are we going to find someone dumb enough
to do this?

CUT TO:

EXT. STREET – DAY

JOHNNY walks through the crowd. Johnny’s one of those suckers born
every minute.

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A MATCH CUT or MATCH DISSOLVE can be used to transition between two shots that
graphically match:

EXT. BOOK STORE – DAY

Auggie hangs the “GOING OUT OF BUSINESS” sign and takes one last look
at the store.

MATCH DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. BOOK STORE – DAY (TWENTY YEARS EARLIER)

YOUNG AUGGIE stands in front of the store. A “HELP WANTED” sign hangs
in the window.

Phone Conversations

Use INTERCUT WITH for phone conversations where we see both speakers. Start by
introducing the first location, then the first time you need to cut to the second location,
use INTERCUT WITH as a transition. You may then write action/scene descriptions for
both locations without having to mark each cut with a new SLUG LINE. When the
intercutting is done, use BACK TO as a transition and return to the location we see at the
end.

INT. SANDY’S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM – DAY

Sandy’s cellphone BUZZES on the coffee table. She answeres.

SANDY
Talk to me.

INTERCUT WITH:

INT. BLACK SEDAN – SAME TIME

The Mystery Man reclines in the driver’s seat as he talks.

MYSTERY MAN
I want my money.

Sandy maintains her calm.

SANDY
I’ll have it for you, I just—

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 MYSTERY MAN
You have one hour.

He hangs up.

BACK TO:

INT. SANDY’S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM

Sandy sets down her phone, shaken.

A SPLIT-SCREEN works the same way. But, with SPLIT-SCREEN WITH and BACK TO
FULL-SCREEN: as the transitions:

INT. SANDY’S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM – DAY

Sandy’s cellphone BUZZES on the coffee table. She answeres.

SANDY
Talk to me.

SPLIT-SCREEN WITH:

INT. BLACK SEDAN – SAME TIME

The Mystery Man reclines in the driver’s seat as he talks.

MYSTERY MAN
I want my money.

Sandy maintains her calm.

SANDY
I’ll have it for you, I just—

MYSTERY MAN
You have one hour.

He hangs up.

BACK TO FULL-SCREEN:

INT. SANDY’S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM

Sandy sets down her phone, shaken.

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