Understanding the intricacies of proper screenplay format is more than a mere technicality; it is a fundamental aspect of the screenwriting craft, integral to a writer's success.
This is not just about avoiding the fast track to the rejection pile due to formatting errors. It's about recognizing that such errors, including typos, punctuation mistakes, and grammatical errors, can significantly detract from your work's perceived quality.
A well-formatted script signals to readers that you possess not only a compelling story but also the professionalism and attention to detail that are crucial in the industry.
In this post, we'll dive into the key elements of a screenplay format. You'll learn how to avoid common errors and present your script in the industry-standard format, enhancing its readability and chances of success.
Title Page
The title page is your screenplay's front door, and it's best to keep it simple. Fancy graphics, pictures, or unusual fonts might seem like a good idea to make your script stand out, but they're more likely to mark it as the work of an amateur.
What to Include on Your Title Page:
- Script Title: Your script's title should be in the center and all caps, about a third of the way down the page. You can underline it, or put it in quotes, but not both.
- Your Name: Write your name centered and with a double space under the title, using regular capitalization. You can introduce yourself with phrases like "by", "written by", or "An Original Screenplay By".
- Contact Info: Put your contact details, and if you have one, your agent or manager’s information (name, phone number, address, and email) in the bottom right corner, not in all caps.
- Based On: If your script draws from existing work like a novel, mention this with "based on" under your name, keeping it centered and in lowercase.
The key with the title page is to keep it neat and make sure it doesn’t have any typos or mistakes, as it's the first thing readers see. They might overlook a typo deep in your script, but a mistake on the first page could seriously hurt your chances of getting read.
Scene Headers
Scene headers, (or sluglines), are used to set up the location and time of your screenplay scenes.
They might seem straightforward, but getting them right is essential to avoid common mistakes that can tag you as an amateur.
Here are the basics of scene headers:
- Positioning: Scene headers should be aligned to the left, in all caps.
- Parts of a Scene Header: They consist of three main parts:
- INT./EXT.: Indicates whether the scene is inside (INT.) or outside (EXT.).
- Location: A brief description of the scene’s setting, like COFFEE SHOP.
- Time of Day: Usually DAY or NIGHT, but can also include specific times like DUSK or SUNSET when necessary.
Example: A simple scene header for a daytime coffee shop scene would be:
INT. COFFEE SHOP – DAY
These elements help with the logistical planning of the shoot, such as determining the number of night shoots or the variety of locations needed.
When and How to Use Scene Headers:
-
Introducing New Locations: Use a new scene header whenever your characters move to a different location, even within the same general area. Consistency in naming your locations is key to avoiding confusion.
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Changes in Time of Day: Scene headers also signal significant shifts in time, like from day to night. This helps to maintain the temporal flow of your narrative.
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Sub-Locations and Continuous Action: For action moving through sub-locations within a larger venue, or for continuous scenes, you can use variations like:
INT. MUSEUM – BATHROOM – DAY
INT.MUSEUM – LOBBY – CONTINUOUS
- Scenes with Inside and Outside Action: When a scene encompasses both interior and exterior elements, such as characters in a car, use:
INT./EXT. CAR – DAY
While DAY and NIGHT are your go-to's for indicating time, using specific times like DUSK is okay when it adds to the scene's understanding. However, it's generally best to stick with the basics unless a specific time is crucial to the scene.
Action Description
Action descriptions always follow the scene headers, and their goal is to establish who’s in the scene, what’s going on around them, and what are they doing.
Example:
INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY JOE and SARAH sit in front of each other, sipping their coffee. Joe looks over his shoulders.
This should be enough action description for us to establish the scene before moving on to the character’s dialogue.
We use short concise sentences, in the present tense, using an active voice, and only describe what we can see and is relevant to establishing the scene.
Avoid using overly descriptive language and complicated writing as it slows the pacing of the script. Don’t write the character’s inner thoughts and feelings or provide backstories that can’t be visually seen on screen. The action description should be quick, interesting, and informative.
If you have a long description, use multiple paragraphs in the description to separate the action:
INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY The place is packed with people in suits grabbing a quick coffee before work. It’s noisy and messy. A WAITER trips and drops a tray full of dirty dishes on the floor. The patrons quiet for a moment as they watch the waiter stumble, but quickly resume their business. JOE and SARAH sit in front of each other, sipping their coffee. They don’t notice the clumsy waiter. Joe looks over his shoulders.
Stick to the present tense. Instead of writing “A waiter tripped and dropped” or “The patrons have gone quiet for a moment as they watched the waiter stumbling”, write “A waiter trips and drops” and “The patrons quiet for a moment as they watch the waiter stumble”.
Only write what we can see or hear. We can't write: “A waiter trips and drops a tray full of dirty dishes on the floor. Feeling embarrassed, he slowly gets up and for a brief moment thinks about quitting”.
It reveals inner thoughts and feelings in a way that doesn’t work in a script, as the viewers of the movie have no way of knowing this is happening because they can’t see it.
Only write what is there on the screen. If you want to show embarrassment, think of creative visual ways of doing it: “A WAITER trips and drops a tray full of dirty dishes on the floor. He lets out a long SIGH, gets up slowly, and avoids making eye contact with the customers. He picks the dishes up from the floor, shaking his head and muttering to himself while doing so”.
Looking back at the example above, you’ll notice that the characters’ names were written in caps. That is done every time we introduce a new character.
If this is a main character, we’ll also want to add a few words describing that character and the impression they give.
Example:
In a corner booth sits JOE, 42, thin and bearded. He seems like he left the house for the first time in a decade, and SARAH, 37. Tidy, classy. Huge sunglasses hide most of her sharp features. She looks like she’d rather be anywhere else than here. They sip their coffee. Joe looks over his shoulders.
This description is evocative enough to give you an idea of not only what these characters look like, but what their attitude and disposition are.
After characters are introduced, we stop capitalizing their names in future descriptions.
Important objects and sounds are usually capitalized as well. This is done when we want to draw attention to a certain object:
In a corner booth sits JOE, 42, thin and bearded. He seems like he left the house for the first time in a decade, and SARAH, 37. Tidy, classy. Huge sunglasses hide most of her sharp features. She looks like she’d rather be anywhere else than here. They sip their coffee. Joe looks over his shoulders. His hand clutches an old POCKET WATCH.
For sounds, the capitalization looks like this:
The place is packed with people in suits grabbing a quick coffee before work. It’s noisy and messy. CLANG! A WAITER trips and drops a tray full of dirty dishes on the floor. The patrons quiet for a moment as they watch the waiter stumble, but quickly resume their business.
If you need to add text on top of the visuals, like if you need to indicate a time or a place, (“London, 1998”), that is also done in the action description.
It goes in its own line, after the main action paragraph, with the word “SUPERIMPOSE” preceding it:
INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY The place is packed with people in suits grabbing a quick coffee before work. It’s noisy and messy. A WAITER trips and drops a tray full of dirty dishes on the floor. The patrons quiet for a moment as they watch the waiter stumble, but quickly resume their business. SUPERIMPOSE: “New York City, 2023”
Note that the word SUPERIMPOSE is in all caps, and the text can be either in quotes or underlined, but not both.
Dialogue
The dialogue follows the action description unless there’s no one speaking in the scene.
Unlike most of the text in a screenplay, the dialogue is centered on the page, which makes it stand out and helps the flow of reading.
It consists of two parts: 1) the name of the character speaking and 2) the words they say.
The name of the character should always be capitalized, while the words are in standard sentence case:
SARAH
Were you followed?
JOE
No. I don’t think so. Did you bring the money?
You can add special directions, written in parenthesis, either between the character name and the dialogue or to the right of the character name.
The first use case for these is acting direction, such as “angrily” or “quietly”:
SARAH
(Whispers)
Were you followed?
JOE
(Nervously)
No. I don’t think so.
Did you bring the money?
These directions are often frowned upon and should be used rarely if at all.
Use them only if you have a very specific direction for the actor that cannot be left to chance.
A more common and accepted use of these directions is to let the reader know the character is talking to a specific character when a few characters are in the scene:
MICHA
Are the cameras in place?
JODY
They’re setting them up now.
MICHA
(To Lenny)
And the mics?
LENNY
All set!
It’s always best to let the writing tell the story rather than explain to the reader what you’re trying to do, so try to not use these instructions if possible.
A third use of these directions is when a character is speaking in a different language:
SARAH
Were you followed?
JOE
No. I don’t think so. Did you bring the mon—
Sarah’s phone RINGS. She answers.
SARAH
(In French)
No. I just got here. I’ll call you later.
SARAH
(In French, subtitled)
No. I just got here. I’ll call you later.
All dialogue in [brackets] is in French.
SARAH
Were you followed?
JOE
No. I don’t think so. Did you bring the mon—
Sarah’s phone RINGS. She answers.
SARAH
[No. I just got here. I’ll call you later.]
Another use of parenthesis is when using VO or OS, which stands for Voice Over and Off Screen.
When we hear the character’s thoughts or narration over the picture, that is called a voice-over and should be indicated in the script as follows:
JOE (V.O)
I knew this might be a trap, but I had no choice.
There was only one way to find out.
JEREMY
You thought it would be that easy, huh?
Hand over the money. Now!
Transitions
From the basic CUT TO transition to more creative ones like DISSOLVE TO and MATCH CUT TO, transitions can be used to creatively connect scenes, show the passage of time, and link sounds and imagery.
However, it’s important to use them wisely, as overusing transitions can make a screenplay seem amateurish and distract from the story.
CUT TO: The most common transition, indicating a drastic change of scene or shift in a character’s emotions. It should be used when the writer wants to signal to the reader that they’re transitioning into a new part of the script.
DISSOLVE TO: Used when a scene fades into the next one, indicating a passage of time.
MATCH CUT TO: Creates a seamless connection between two scenes by highlighting a visual or auditory resemblance between them.
SMASH CUT TO: Creates a jarring effect on the audience, catching them off guard and heightening the emotional impact of a scene.
TIME CUT TO: Used to indicate the passage of time, usually without a change in location.
Other transitions like WIPE-TO, IRIS-TO, and FADE-TO are rarely used today.
FADE-IN: is the only transition that is positioned on the right side instead of the left side and only appears once, as the first line of the script, before the first scene header.
FADE-OUT (or FADE TO BLACK:) is the last transition of the script.
While there are many different types of transitions available to screenwriters, the most important thing is to use them thoughtfully and purposefully.
While they can be useful tools for connecting scenes and emphasizing key moments, overusing them can detract from the story and make the script seem unprofessional.
When in doubt, it’s always better to err on the side of simplicity and leave out transitions altogether.
JOE
Do you have the money?
SARAH
Why are you so nervous? You have nothing—
VOICE (O.S)
Get your hand off the suitcase!
Sarah turns to find JEREMY standing with a gun pointed at her.
JEREMY
You thought it would be that easy, huh?
Hand over the money. Now!
Camera Direction
Camera directions, or camera angles, are commonly used in screenplays to describe how a scene should be shot.
These include the long-shot, medium-shot, close-up, and extreme-close-up, among others.
However, the use of camera directions has become less common in modern screenplays, as they can often clutter the script and annoy potential directors.
In most cases, it’s best to avoid camera directions altogether. Rather than explicitly stating camera angles, use descriptive language to paint a picture of the scene.
Example:
EXT. PARK – DAY
Mary sits on a bench, staring at the pond. In the distance, ducks paddle about. Suddenly, she notices a shadow moving over her and looks up. It’s John. He stands behind her, his arms folded, looking down at her.
In this example, we can imagine the scene without the need for explicit camera directions. This approach makes for a more fluid and enjoyable reading experience for the reader.
However, there are cases where camera directions are necessary. For instance, when there’s a specific visual point that can’t be described otherwise. In these cases, it’s important to use camera directions sparingly and purposefully.
Example:
INT. LAB – DAY
A MAN is tied to a chair. In front of him is OFFICER DAN.
OFFICER DAN:
Alright, Mr. Porter, seems like you have passed all the tests. We have confirmed you are not an android and you may be discharged. Sorry for the trouble.
The HANDCUFFS snap to release the man’s hands. He rubs his wrists.
MAN:
No worries, officer. It was no trouble at all.
The man smiles. E.C.U ON his pupil shows a tiny BARCODE.
In this example, the use of “E.C.U” or “extreme close up” is necessary to convey the visual detail of the barcode in the man’s eye.
Another use case for camera directions is the point of view (P.O.V.) shot. This is when the writer wants the reader to “see” the scene through the eyes of a specific character.
Example:
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM. DAY
MICHAEL’S P.O.V
It’s blurry. Michael sees a NURSE cleaning her tools at the sink. The DOCTOR types at his computer.
MICHAEL:
W… where am—
It gets blurrier. He passes out.
In this example, the use of “MICHAEL’S P.O.V.” helps to immerse the reader in Michael’s experience and provides a unique perspective that would be difficult to convey through description alone.
Montage / Flashback
Montages and flashbacks are storytelling tools that while could be overused, can help you tell your story in different and interesting ways. As screenwriters, it’s important to know when and how to use them.
Montage
A montage is a series of short scenes that are shown in quick succession in order to tell a longer story in a short amount of time.
Writing a montage in a screenplay can be done in a few different ways.
For longer montages, like the opening of Up, they simply used regular scene headers for each new scene, since this montage used multiple locations, and told a longer story. In this case, we'd write it just like any other part of the screenplay.
In cases where we want to show a shorter period with more focused action, we’d use MONTAGE: after the scene heading and before the action description.
Then we write the different action descriptions for the montage in a list. Some use numbered lists, and some simply add '--' before each line.
In my screenplay for Snowlands, the main character Feba runs away from home and travels by herself for a while. I wanted to show both the passage of time as well as the transition into new regions of the land:
EXT. SNOWY MOUNTAINS – VARIOUS
MONTAGE:
1) Feba runs. She follows a path from the LOOKOUT point and reaches a river. She decides to follow it.
2) LATER on a snowy road. An intense snowstorm is against her.
3) NIGHT TURNS TO DAY. She’s still on the path. Storm has stopped. She’s exhausted.
4) NEW TERRAIN. Different animal shadows watch her as she paces. Rodents. Spiders. Birds. She’s scared.
EARLY MORNING. She’s weak. Walks slower. Eyes tired.
Some writers add END MONTAGE at the end, but it’s not mandatory.
As with many of the elements we covered, using a montage is technically something you can avoid, so only use it when you feel it’s necessary to tell the story most efficiently and clearly.
Flashback
Flashbacks are used similarly to a montage, but they have a different purpose.
While a montage serves to condense time to tell a longer sequence in a short time, flashbacks are used to reveal something about the story or the character.
Flashbacks can be a powerful storytelling device, but they can also be overused or used improperly.
There are two types of flashbacks often used in screenplays:
The first one is a quick flash to the past to illustrate an important moment before returning to the present, and the other type is a more structural flashback, which remains in the past for extended sequences.
Here are 3 general ways to approach writing a flashback:
Quick flash to the past: Like when a character remembers something for a quick moment.
INT. DINER. DAY
JOE walks towards his table. JANE, The waitress accidentally runs into his shoulder.
JANE:
Whoops! Didn’t see you there.
Joe looks at her as she walks away. His eyes widen.
FLASH TO:
–– Joe walking past Jane on the bus.
–– Jane gets off the bus, throwing a huge smile his way before stepping onto the street.
–– Joe smiles back.
BACK TO SCENE
JOE:
It’s her!
When the flashback contains more story and dialogue, we’ll use the second method, which is simply adding the word "flashback" in parenthesis at the end of the scene header like so:
INT. BUS. DAY (FLASHBACK)
To make the cut to flashback a bit more noticeable, it’s common to add a CUT TO: before the scene.
This is a good example of the proper use of the CUT TO: transition.
At the end of the flashback scene, we’ll add another CUT TO: to make it clear we’re going back to the present.
CUT TO:
INT. BUS – DAY (FLASHBACK)
Joe sits on the bus. Jane accidentally steps on his shoe.
JANE:
Oh, I’m so sorry!
JOE:
It’s fine, don’t worry about it.
She keeps walking, smiling at him. She gets off the bus.
CUT TO:
INT. DINER. DAY
Joe stares at Jane as she picks up a plate from a table.
JOE:
It’s her!
Then, in the case our flashback takes place over numerous scenes, or is simply very long, we might want to contain a whole section of the script within a flashback, and we do that by adding BEGIN FLASHBACK: before the first flashback scene.
Then we simply write the flashback scenes like normal scenes, adding an end indicator at the end, like BACK TO PRESENT or END FLASHBACK SEQUENCE.
BEGIN FLASHBACK
INT. BUS – DAY
Joe sits on the bus. Jane accidentally steps on his shoe.
JANE:
Oh, I’m so sorry!
JOE:
It’s fine, don’t worry about it.
She keeps walking, smiling at him. She gets off the bus.
EXT. CITY STREET – DAY
Joe walks down the street, looking around nervously. He spots a BAR across the street and makes his way toward it.
INT. BAR – DAY
Joe enters the bar, looking around for a seat. He spots an empty stool at the end of the bar and takes a seat.
BARTENDER
What can I get for you?
JOE
Just a beer, thanks.
The Bartender slides a beer down to Joe and leans in.
BARTENDER
What’s on your mind?
JOE
I just saw the most beautiful girl on the bus.
I didn’t even get her name.
BARTENDER
Well, that’s a shame.
Maybe you’ll run into her again!
JOE
(chuckles)
Yeah, maybe.
BARTENDER
You never know.
The Bartender nods and goes back to cleaning glasses as Joe takes another sip of his beer.
BACK TO PRESENT
INT. DINER. DAY
Joe stares at Jane as she picks up a plate from a table.
JOE:
It’s her!
Want to learn more?
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Learn about screenwriting terms, the nuances of screenplay format, and dive deep into storytelling artistry. The course covers the essentials of the three-act structure, character development, tension, and conflict, while also tackling the practicalities of the writing process, including story beats and the art of rewriting.
