![]() These lines are the present-tense, narrative description of the action of the scene. Unless, perhaps your character is driving the car indoors? All subsequent scene headings have two lines of space before them to help separate the scenes on the page.ĭid you know? If a scene takes place in a car, the scene heading usually includes EXT./INT. The first scene heading does not have line spacing before it. This will help the reader follow the story and allow production teams to break the script down for filming. are really for the production team and lighting crews, but they do help craft the visual for the reader.īe sure to maintain the names of locations throughout the script. (interior) to identify whether the scene is outdoors or indoors. This is a single-line description of the location and time of day. Remember, all of these formatting rules are for the benefit of the reader–the person who’s going to make your story into a movie! Scene Heading – A.K.A. ![]() Additionally, a screenplay should follow the industry standards for font style and sizing, line spacing, page numbering, and more. On the page, these structural elements fit within specific designated margins. Readers can easily progress through the content without the confusion of whether they are reading descriptions of action or dialogue or where the story is taking place, and production teams can easily identify, organize, and schedule filming by location, shots, characters, etc. When the script is formatted correctly, it will not only tell an engaging story, but also convey a concise vision for a production team to execute. The How: Screenplay Elements & FormattingĪ screenplay consists of various structural elements that communicate a stories visual and production scale. It is the slowly curated structure required to envision and produce stories for the screen. What we see in screenplay formatting today is the brainchild of art and functionality. Keep in mind all of these shifts in what we now call screenwriting were influenced by multiple artists, studio executives, and even Supreme Court rulings. Time could now be efficiently used during pre-production to plan out every detail and streamline the whole process. Locations, actors, shots, and more all needed to be accounted for and scheduled. Props, makeup, scenic elements, and lighting needed to maintain appropriateness and consistency from shot to shot. Scenarios grew into continuity scripts that outlined the production elements in greater detail. Those working on the films needed a realistic idea of what producing the work was actually going to be like. The new focus of writing for the screen became consistency and efficiency. Now others working on the film, not just the director, knew the production plan. Summaries morphed into “scenarios,” which more clearly outlined the order of the action and the filming steps. This required the filmmaking process to evolve. As they grew in popularity there became a growing demand for more spectacle and complexity on screen. With summaries written to include only brief descriptions of the action of the scene, directors were heavily relied on to be the end-all-be-all architects behind the filming process.įilms became a phenomenon. In the early days of film, crews could spend hours waiting for a director to determine how to shoot a scene. Screenplay formatting was crafted out of necessity and by the compounding pressure of a growing industry. So, before we dig deep into the industry standards for screenplay formatting, let’s get a little back story…a little exposition, shall we say. Although, our best bet is on Johnathan T. While we have an idea of how the current industry standard for screenplays came to be, it’s hard to say who is really responsible for it. Others would argue it is necessary for the ease of reading. Some would say it’s a blueprint for executives and producers to determine the cost of a project. ![]() Here’s what we know: there is a structure, it’s what industry people expect, and we stick to it. We get that industry standards for proper screenplay formatting can feel limiting and the rules can seem overwhelming, but we promise there is a bright light ahead. One quick reminder: be sure it is formatted properly.ĭon’t shoot the messenger! Goodness knows we didn’t make the rules. Put that pen to paper and let the magic flow! Let the words shoot out of your fingertips like lightning! Eureka! It has found you! That once in a blue-moon inspiration for your screenplay has sparked within your mind and you’re ready to write!
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