Why you should stop thinking about screenplay format in terms of rules.
(This article is excerpted from our book Master Screenplay Format: A Clear Guide to How to Format Your Screenplay for the Spec Market.)
Rather than discussing rules and regulations like most formatting books, we prefer to discuss how to format your scripts according to: choose.
This is because there are almost no hard and fast rules when it comes to screenplay format. However, some script format options will Makes you look more amateur than others.
In this article we will discuss why and how to get started Reshape your thinking Think about screenplay format in terms of choices rather than hard-and-fast rules, and give a few examples along the way.
There are two options for screenplay format.
When considering your choice of screenplay format, there are good and bad options.
Poor choice of screenplay format.
Bad guys tend to do three things:
1. confuse readers. They had to work hard to figure out what was going on in the scene because it wasn’t clear due to the format.
2. inconsistent. Elements throughout the script will change. (VO) becomes (vo) becomes (VOICEOVER.)
3. Violating the “norm” will irritate the reader. These things aren’t necessarily “wrong,” but they usually don’t appear in scripts. For example, write action lines in all caps.
Better screenplay format options.
Good screenplay format choices often have the following characteristics:
1. Make it easier for people to understand what is happening. Readers should not try to figure out what is going on, such as whether the characters are indoors or outdoors, as this can be a significant distraction from the reading.
2. Be consistent. Every element, character name, line, etc. throughout the script remains the same.
3. Follow the “norms” to a large extent. When you’re trying to get attention with a spec script, it’s best not to do things your way just for the sake of it. If you do this, you risk irritating your readers.
Rather than looking for clear-cut rules, let’s start exploring how to make better movie script formatting choices by understanding how to format emails and/or text messages in your script.
Movie Script Format Example 1: How to Format an Email/SMS Conversation.
In this case, instead of worrying about whether you’re following the “rules” and formatting the conversation “correctly,” think in terms of choice.
Rookie format selection.
Short messages can be processed using action lines, enclosing the message in quotes. However, the movie script format can cause problems when using this method to write out entire dialogue, as in the following example:
While this method works great for a message, it doesn’t look good for an entire conversation. Again, there are no formal rules to follow here.
Better format options.
You’re free to adjust this setting or come up with your own, but we think email, text, and IM conversations are best handled as follows: normal conversation— although there are some small changes that show we are reading the message.
Here is an example of better screenplay format for the same scene:
You can also toggle actor-oriented character cues and italicized quotes, like this:
As we said, it doesn’t matter how you do it because when it comes to movie script formats, none of this stuff is encoded anywhere. Please proceed as follows do you think it’s appropriate This will not confuse the reader.
Movie Script Format Example 2: Misuse of INT. instead of EXT. vice versa.
Sometimes, a location may feel like it’s indoors, but it’s actually outdoors, or vice versa.
Rookie format selection.
Here are some examples of errors we’ve seen in this area:
Better format options.
Here’s how to better handle these scenarios:
As a general rule of thumb, if a character can look up and see the sky, then it’s a look. If not, it’s the interior. But what if they are underwater? In this case it depends how do we get there underwater.
Let’s say you have a character at the beach and he decides to go swimming. This can be handled with mini-rows like this:
But let’s say instead of tracking a character underwater, we jump into a scene that’s already set underwater. In this case we recommend this:
Or here’s another option:
It doesn’t really matter which specific words you use (i.e. “underwater,” “underwater footage,” or “underwater sequence”), as long as it’s clear what’s going on.
Scenes in outer space can also be confusing, but please follow the general rule for underwater scenes mentioned above – avoid INT. or external. Before any of them – you should be fine.
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In our book, Master Screenplay Format: A Clear Guide to Formatting Your Screenplay for the Spec Market, we show you how Some poor screenplay format choices never make it deal breaker As for whether your script is accepted. but consistent and Obvious bad choices can make the reader think that the author doesn’t know what they’re doing with the story either. Regardless of whether this is true or not.
It’s extremely rare for a script filled with formatting errors to turn out to be a masterpiece. This is what makes your script easy to read And be as professional as possible. Why deduct points before they finish reading the story?
We hope this helps clear up some of the confusion regarding screenplay format. Always remember, there are no rules, just chooseand it’s best to use the clearest, most accessible script writing format possible.
And don’t forget to make your life easier with one of these 5 best screenwriting software or one of these 10 best free screenwriting software options.
Like this article? Read more about how to format and write great scripts…
How to format a script if you want to break into the spec market
How to write a unique script in 6 steps
16 Screenwriting Tips to Improve Your Screenplay Today
[© Photo credits: Pexels]
