Screenplay format

[Actor]

Books have been written about screenplay format. A lot of people worry about it. The Academy has part of their web site devoted to it. Formatting rules seem endless right down to the number of brads that should be used (is it 2 or 3?).

Why worry about format? The number one reason seems to be that a departure from accepted format marks you as an amateur or a noob and thus not worthy of the reader’s time.

However, I do not delude myself that anything I ever write will ever get produced by Hollywood. To submit my work to any Hollywood entity would be a waste of both their time and mine. Anything I write will be filmed by me if at all. Freed of the tyranny of the reader I invent my own format. For your consideration:

• I use Microsoft Word instead of a scripting program that will lock me into Academy format. Scripting programs are expensive and I need Word anyway.
• Each scene begins at the top of a new page. This comes from an old computer programming habit of mine where each routine begins on a new page. It helps visualize organization and structure
• Slug lines are in bold type. We’ve got technology. Use it!
• Indenting dialog is a pain so I just italicize it.
• Cues are in bold type.
• I do not hesitate to include camera angles and such phrases as “frame left, frame right, pan left, pan right.”
• If I have a specific location in mind I’ll name it. I may not be able to use it but...
• I’ll name specific pieces of music. I probably won’t be able to get them but I’ll use them on the temp track.
• Brads? I doubt if the local Staples or Office Depot has them or even knows what they are. I put my stuff in a three ring binder.
• I do use 12 pt courier.
• I continually reinvent my format.

[Ralph S]

Good for you. But there are other reasons you might want to stick to the standard screenplay format... if you are actually going to make your film it will make it a lot easier for your actors, set designers, script supervisor, etc.

You can do the standard screenplay format using word. There are templates.
And screenwriting programs no longer have to be expensive. Celtx is awesome and absolutely free. http://www.celtx.com/

[Actor]

Good for you. But there are other reasons you might want to stick to the standard screenplay format... if you are actually going to make your film it will make it a lot easier for your actors, set designers, script supervisor, etc.

You can do the standard screenplay format using word. There are templates.
And screenwriting programs no longer have to be expensive. Celtx is awesome and absolutely free. http://www.celtx.com/

Well the actors I use are amateur stage actors who are used to the maximum-words-on-a-page formatting of Samuel French and Dramatists' Play Service where everything except dialog is in italics. They probably have never seen screenplay format. The set designer/script super is me.

[CHAS]

You can still use Word and go by the industry-standard format. There are sites out there that will allow you to download a macro to insert in MS Word. Everything is set up for you. That's what I use and you can't distinguish it from Final Draft or whatever. Plus it's free!

[lastcoyote]

You can still use Word and go by the industry-standard format. There are sites out there that will allow you to download a macro to insert in MS Word. Everything is set up for you. That's what I use and you can't distinguish it from Final Draft or whatever. Plus it's free!

Where can I get it buddy?

[CHAS]

Where can I get it buddy?

I think this is it:
http://www.dependentfilms.net/files.html

if not, do a google on "MS Word, screenplay, macro" and you should find a variety of sites. Good luck, Philip!

If you download any word doc make sure you run a virus check...I had the Walker virus on my mac and didn't even notice it for awhile!

[Dirty Pete]

Hey all, I'm new here and I didn't want to start a new thread for this question, so I figured this was the best place for it.

I'm writing a scene that starts as an underwater dream sequence, and I'm not sure what my slug line should be. How do you convey underwater as a slug line? Is it as simple as " EXT. UNDERWATER"?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[BigBeaner]

I actually just worked for a few months as a reader for a production company located in LA and I'll tell you, I saw some crazy formatting. If the story was good I would still consider it, but if its crap then I would pass. You should learn how to use the standardized format because you will be considered an amateur by your actors or any other person.

Most important reason to learn the "right way" is because you'll never know who you'll meet by chance and they might ask you to send them your script. You might not send it to Hollywood but what if sometime soon you'll be seeking investors. It's a complete craft on its own and you should take a small amount of time to learn. Read John Augusts' site about screenwriting for some really great tips and insights and forget the books, they are crap. Read actual produced screenplays instead and learn from those.

I use Microsoft Word instead of a scripting program that will lock me into Academy format. Scripting programs are expensive and I need Word anyway.
Each scene begins at the top of a new page. This comes from an old computer programming habit of mine where each routine begins on a new page. It helps visualize organization and structure
Slug lines are in bold type. We’ve got technology. Use it!
Indenting dialog is a pain so I just italicize it.
Cues are in bold type.
I do not hesitate to include camera angles and such phrases as “frame left, frame right, pan left, pan right.”
If I have a specific location in mind I’ll name it. I may not be able to use it but...
I’ll name specific pieces of music. I probably won’t be able to get them but I’ll use them on the temp track.
Brads? I doubt if the local Staples or Office Depot has them or even knows what they are. I put my stuff in a three ring binder.
I do use 12 pt courier.
I continually reinvent my format.

I found Final Draft has the ability to be used just like Word or other templates. There's free programs, I believe celtix is and Open Office has a screenwriting option itself.

I don't understand the need to start each new scene on its own new page. Sounds wasteful. What about a scene that is only 2-3 sentences?

I have no problems about bolding or underlining slugs, thats up to whoever anyway.

I find it funny that you find it a pain to indent dialog. Indentation helps facilitate the ease and visualization of a screenplay. Get one of the free programs or bittorrent, this is what those screenplay programs do automatically.

Cues are usually italicized. Now calling out camera angles and all that is a tricky subject. One hand, I would never write these in the script and give to the actor. Its useless for them but are perfectly fine in a shooting script. There's a slight difference between the two, but in a script in general it should be short and economical - keep the camera moves for yourself/DP though. It's different when you yourself is writing a script that you are making,versus a whole crew or getting investors on.

Specific Locations or Music is fine. Really, that's not a rule but a guideline specifically for the music. Its mostly just so one does not get overly descriptive.

Staples has many different sizes and their own brand of Brads. Three ringed binders are good but not as easy to keep or carry around like a bradded scripts.

I just find it odd you felt compelled to tell the whole world about your own format. I feel if this was not the best way to present a script, we would not be using it. Can you post an example of one of your scripts, I feel that would be tremendously better seeing it than talking about it. The rules are there for a reason and you should learn them to know how to break them.

[Actor]

You should learn how to use the standardized format because you will be considered an amateur by your actors or any other person.

But I am an amateur and make no apologizes for that. In fact I'm proud of it. The root word of amateur is "amour", to love.

Most important reason to learn the "right way" is because you'll never know who you'll meet by chance and they might ask you to send them your script.

I might win the lottery too. In fact I think my chances of winning the lottery are better. I had hoped that I had made it clear in my original post that I do not subscribe to the fantasy that someday I'll make it in Hollywood. If that extremely unlikely event does occur it doesn't really take that long to reformat a 100 page script, about one evening's work.

You might not send it to Hollywood but what if sometime soon you'll be seeking investors.

If I do seek investors soon it will be with a real estate deal, not a script.

It's a complete craft on its own and you should take a small amount of time to learn.

You seem to think that I have not done that. I have. My views do not stem from an ignorance of script format.

I don't understand the need to start each new scene on its own new page. Sounds wasteful. What about a scene that is only 2-3 sentences?

What about a scene that's one page long? If you start each scene at the top of a page then the entire scene is on one sheet. A scene that's two pages long has one page break and takes two sheets. On the other hand a scene that's two pages and starts half way down the page has two page breaks and takes three sheets. If each scene starts at the top of a page then I can take that scene out of my three ring binder and have only the information about that scene in hand. The tail of the previous scene and the head of the subsequent scene will not be there to distract me. And if a scene is only 2-3 sentences long, that's OK. Paper is not that expensive.

I find it funny that you find it a pain to indent dialog. Indentation helps facilitate the ease and visualization of a screenplay. Get one of the free programs or bittorrent, this is what those screenplay programs do automatically.

But the "automatically" comes at a price. I'm locked into the format. I cannot deviate, even in so little a thing as putting an extra blank line between dialog. Indenting with Word is a pain because I have to take my hand off the keyboard to use the mouse to "increase/decrease indentation." Italics and bold can be set/reset from the keyboard.

I just find it odd you felt compelled to tell the whole world about your own format.

I'm not so much trying to tell the world as I am trying to get some sort of discussion going on this forum. Few enough topics are discussed here whereas there's always something new on the small gauge forum.

I feel if this was not the best way to present a script, we would not be using it.

I think the real real reason "we" are using it is pure inertia, A.K.A. "we've always done it this way." Inertia is the reason we can't solve a lot of problems, like global warming and dependence of fossil fuels. Politicians and industry do not want to do anything different until they absolutely have to. -- Inertia! A 100 mile per gallon car is possible with existing technology. It requires only the will to build it but the auto makers would rather build SUVs. -- Inertia!

Script readers want a format that evolved on a typewriter, not a word processor. -- Formatting programs are designed to help make a script look like it was written on a typewriter. Inertia!

Can you post an example of one of your scripts, I feel that would be tremendously better seeing it than talking about it.

Would posting it here preserve the format? If not then nothing would be gained from me doing that.

[BigBeaner]

Posting it here will show us if its easier to read. Thats really the most important part if other people can understand what you are trying to put on paper, if it is then your format works. To me it sounds like a mess.

Script readers want a format that evolved on a typewriter, not a word processor.

You know how many scripts I was reading a week? You know how that can actually be hard and taxing on your mind? If you format makes it quicker and easier on the mind and visualizing then go all for it, If not why be different? You are just hurting yourself.