How to Write a Screenplay

Movie scripts conform to a strict industry standard. This article will outline how to format your script professionally.

Click on the pictures for examples!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A word processor that lets you alter formatting (a la Microsoft Word).

1. Set your word processor to COURIER 12-point font. If you only have COURIER NEW or some other variation, that's fine.

2. 
    

   Start with a slugline. This identifies three things. First, whether the scene takes place indoors or outdoors, signified by INT. (for interior) or EXT. (for exterior). Next is the specific location, which can be as broad or specific as you need it to be (A CITY SIDEWALK or TIM'S BEDROOM CLOSET). Lastly comes the time of day, usually just DAY or NIGHT. If it's important to the story, you can occasionally get more specific, but the time of day is largely just used for production purposes, so there's no need to say "MID-AFTERNOON" or "3:25 PM."
   
   The slugline is left-justified, 1.5 inches off the edge of the paper (Word will automatically start paragraphs here). It is always in ALL CAPS. Put together it looks like this:
   
   EXT. PARK -- NIGHT

3. 
    

   Next up are action passages, which describe what the environment of the scene looks like and what your characters do in it. Action is also left-justified, 1.5" in. When a character is introduced in an action passage, their name is CAPITALIZED, but never again after that. Some writers also choose to capitalize certain important verbs (as in "the bomb suddenly EXPLODES").

4. 
    

   With dialogue, we first identify the speaker. Character names are placed all IN CAPS, 3.5 inches from the left (REMEMBER: that Word will automatically put the cursor 1.5" in, so this is only 2" more!). The character's dialogue, the next line down, is indented 2.5 inches and does not go all the way across the page, but stops and goes to the next line after reaching the 6 inch mark.

5. 
    

   Parentheticals. Sometimes you may want to clarify how a character says something. This is usually not necessary, but when you feel it is, it's acceptable to give a little direction in a brief parenthetical note. This comes between the speaker's name and the dialogue and is indented 3 inches.

6. Note also in the above example the (O.C.). This stands for off-camera, for when your character is not visible in the scene in which he or she is speaking. Also at your disposal is (V.O.) or voice-over, for when your character is speaking directly to the audience, but is not on-screen.

7. Number all your pages except the first. Page numbers should go in the upper right hand corner.

8. Directorial notes are generally frowned upon, but can be used in certain key situations. These can include "FADE IN:", "FADE TO BLACK" and, occasionally, "CUT TO:". They always push up against the right-hand margin, except for FADE IN which is always left-justified.

9. 
    

   Finally, include a title page. No fancy fonts. Use the same COURIER 12-point with the title of your piece and your name, as follows:

Tips & Warnings

• There are many programs that will accomplish all this for you, although they can be expensive. By far the most popular is Final Draft (Windows or Mac). Others include Movie Magic, Scripped and Page 2 Stage, the last of which is free.
• You'll probably be making many edits to your script which will screw up your formatting, so don't even worry about making it look nice until you're completely finished!
• This guide will get you 90% of the way there, but you may occasionally come across a more obscure situation like dual speech or rapid flashback-flashforwards. Don't sweat it. Many professional screenwriters aren't even sure how to handle some of the less common stuff, and as someone who used to read scripts for a living, I can tell you we never minded when some of it wasn't done "properly." As long as the basics look professional, you're fine.