HOW TO FORMAT A SCREENPLAY

While it is true that you must format your screenplay, it is also true that formatting is fairly simple. 

Take a deep breath and read on.

THE BASICS
Almost 99% of your script will involve just four elements: 

• Sluglines, 
• Action, 
• Character Names, 
• and Dialogue. 

Learn how to format the Big Four and you're in the clear.

1) Sluglines, also known as Scene Headings. These appear at the beginning of a new scene and tell us the scene's setting. They look like this:

INT. BANK VAULT - NIGHT

Or this:

EXT. FOOTBALL STADIUM - LATE AFTERNOON

Sluglines are made up of these three elements:

1) INT. or EXT. Short for Interior and Exterior, this tells the production crew whether or not they'll be shooting on a sound stage or on location.

2) Location. Where the scene takes place. These should be short: LIBRARY CIRCULATION DESK or TRAILER PARK or AL'S BRAIN.

3) Time. Usually just DAY or NIGHT but can be as specific as 4:59 A.M. (if, say the bomb is set to go off at 5:00.)

Sluglines are always in ALL CAPS. There are usually two spaces between INT./EXT. and Location, and then space, hyphen, space between Location and Time.

Occasionally, you'll need a Sublocation to clarify the Location. That looks like this:

INT. DONALD'S MANSION - BILLIARDS ROOM - NIGHT

Remember, a new scene occurs every time there's a shift in Time, Location, or both. So you'll be writing a lot of Sluglines.

2) Action. This describes what is happening on the screen, and which characters (if any) are involved. It looks like this:

INT. DONALD'S MANSION - BILLIARDS ROOM - NIGHT

Beatrice picks her way through the ransacked room. Cue sticks, books, papers—everything has been searched. She stoops to pick up a photo of a young boy.

With a few exceptions we'll talk about later, Action follows standard rules of capitalization. It's single-spaced and always in present tense. (If the action happened in the past, the Slugline will tell us this. Thanks, Slugline.)

Also, you always need some Action after a Slugline, even it's only a single line. Like this:

EXT. RITZ-CARLTON - DAY

The stretch limousine bursts into flames.

3) Character Name. This always appears above Dialogue and tells us which character is speaking. It looks like this:

VERONICA

or this:

TALKING YO-YO

Character names are always in ALL CAPS.

And sometimes you'll have minor characters that you won't want to name. It's okay to just call them CLERK or PEDESTRIAN or MONKEY WARRIOR. If there are several of the same type of character, add a number: COP #1 or BODY BUILDER #2.

4) Dialogue. The words the character speaks. It looks like this:

or this:

Dialogue is single-spaced and follows standard rules of capitalization. (If it's in all caps, you're probably reading a TV script.) Unlike in novels, there are no quotes around Dialogue, unless the character is quoting someone.

Now, here's an example of how all four elements come together on the page:

Presto! You now have the four basic building blocks you need to write a screenplay. Before you continue on to the finer points of variations, margins, and other details, pat yourself on the back.

SLUGLINE VARIATIONS

Now that you've learned how to write a standard Slugline, here are few variations that come up in specific situations:

1) If a scene starts in a general Location, let's say LAUREL'S HOUSE, and continues as the characters move between Sublocations, such as KITCHEN and LIVING ROOM, you don't need to repeat the Location or the Time with each new Slugline. You can do this:

With some help from context, we understand that the two characters are moving around in the same house in continuous time.

2) In the scene above, some writers use "KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS" to emphasize the regular flow of time. But that's not necessary. Instead, CONTINUOUS is best used for stylized scenes where a conversation or action continues right across several Locations. For example:

3) Finally, if a scene occurs in a Location, followed by a scene in the same Location but at a later time, the word LATER can be used in the Slugline.

CUTS:

Once upon a time, it was standard to use the words "CUT TO:" to indicate a change in scene. Nowadays, the cut that comes with a scene change is implied by a new Slugline and CUT TO isn't used as much.

The best time to use CUT TO is when you really want to emphasize the juxtaposition or shift between two scenes. Like this:

You can use JUMP CUT or SMASH CUT to imply a super-fast, in-your-face editing style. If using BRUCE LEE KARATE CHOP CUT makes you feel like a bad-ass, then go for it; just know that many pros consider it amateurish. Besides, no matter how it's written, a cut always happens in 1/24th of a second - the amount of time it takes to switch from one frame to the next.

ACTION SEQUENCES:

Writing an action sequence can take a little getting used to, as you learn to translate what you envision on the screen into words. It certainly helps to read well-written action scripts such as Raiders of the Lost Ark or The French Connection, to see how it's done.

In general, keep in mind that the way you format action should mimic its pace. The faster the action, the more you'll want to break it up into discreet bits. Feel free to use fragments to keep the pace fast. You can also use capitalization to emphasize and draw attention to elements. Like this:

MORE DETAILS

Parentheticals: These are used within dialogue to describe what a character is simultaneously doing, who she's talking to, or how he is speaking. They look like this:

Parentheticals always live inside parenthesis and on their own line. If they hit their right margin, they wrap around to the next line, like above.

Parentheticals also take up space, slow your pace, and annoy actors, who don't like being told how to say their lines; try to only use parentheticals where not using them would lead to confusion, as demonstrated in the following:

Voice Over (V.O.): Used when a character or narrator can be heard talking from some unknown place (the future, heaven, inside our head). It looks like this:

Off Screen (O.S.): Used when a character in the scene can be heard but isn't actually on the screen. It looks like this:

Capitalization within Action: The very first time a character's name appears in Action, it appears in ALL CAPS.

Some writers also use ALL CAPS when a sound effect appears in Action. Others capitalize important props. This would look like this:

MORTIMER groans and pops a handful of aspirin. The tea kettle WHISTLES. Mortimer pulls out a SUB-PARTICLE SUPER BLASTER and blows the kettle to smithereens.

Camera Directions: These indicate how close the camera is and how it will move, focus, etc. Directions include POV shots, pans, tilts, push ins, pull outs, dolly moves, tracking shots, close ups, wides, etc.

It's incredibly tempting, as a story mastermind, to direct your movie on the page using Camera Directions. Resist this temptation. You aren't the director (yet). Unless there's absolutely no other way to communicate a visual sequence upon which your entire plot hinges, leave Camera Directions out.

Page numbers: These go in the upper right-hand corner. There's no page number on the first page of a screenplay.

Scene numbers: DO NOT put scene numbers on your scenes. These are only for shooting scripts, and are used to help the production crew plan the shooting schedule.

Cover page: Centered on the page is the title of your film in ALL CAPS, then a double space and then "by," another double space, and "your name."

In the lower right-hand corner, put your name, mailing address, telephone number, email, and (if you've decided to register your script with the Writer's Guild) your Writer's Guild registration number.

FONT, MARGINS, AND SPACING

Screenplays live on letter-sized paper (8.5 x 11 inches). They're always written in Courier font, 12 point, 10 pitch. No bold, no italics.

Page Margins:
Left: 1.5 inches
Right: 1 inch
Top: 1 inch
Bottom: 1 inch

Screenplay Element Margins

• Slugline: left margin 1.5 inches
• Action: left margin 1.5 inches
• Character name: left margin 3.7 inches
• Dialog: left margin 2.5 inches, right margin 2.5 inches (or 6 inches from left edge of page)
• Parentheticals: left margin 3.1 inches, right margin 2.9 inches

Spacing Between Elements:

• Between Slugline and Action: double space
• Between Action and more Action: double space
• Between Action and Character Name: double space
• Between Character Name and Dialogue: single space
• Between Dialogue and the next Character Name: double space
• Between Dialogue and Action: double space
• Between Character Name and Parentheticals: single space
• Between Parentheticals and Dialogue: single space
• Between Action and Slugline: double space
• Between Dialogue and Slugline: double space

You know, it's probably a lot easier to remember that in a single character's speech, made up of Character Name, Dialogue, and possibly a Parenthetical, there are single spaces between the elements. Between everything else, double space.

Microsoft Word Templates:
American (uses Styles)
A4 with Metric (uses Styles
)

Jan 13 2014

Reports submission

You should all submit the first two parts of your report to me today, both digitally and a printed hard copy.
At this stage you should have indicated the following:
What you have decided to produce for your pre production and production.

What the genre of your work is.
A definition of genre
S. T. I. N. C.
An indication of your target audience and the target audience for this genre.
Psycho-graphics and categories (main-streamers, NRS, preferred readers).

Evidence of your research
What did you do?
What were your findings?
What conclusions did you reach in preparation for your work

Link to audience theory
Barthes action and enigma codes
Levi Strauss binary opposition

Application of narrative theory to your work
Todorov equilibrium
Propp character functions.

You should have written about how your research has specifically influenced your pre - production.

You will return to your report later and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your work.

If you aren't ready to submit your report you need to see me with what you have done so far ..next lesson.

Roughs for your pre production.

Bearing in mind the analysis we have discussed today, you should realise that there must be a reason for each and every element of your pre production being there.
You can give me evidence that you have thought everything through by submitting a rough, annotated draft of your pre production and production.

Something like this only with rough sketches if you are working on a magazine:

If you are working on a script it should be submitted legibly  in the margins.
You must submit your roughs this week so that I can arrange photography sessions and access to software.

So final date for submissions to be signed off is 16.1.2014

Alongside this, you need to submit a schedule of events with the equipment required for both your
pre production and production.

Key words and sentence structure

Analytical vocabulary

This shot/scene/example (etc.)...

ANALYTICAL WORD	MEANING
... establishes...	sets up, creates
... signifies...	Shows / acts as a sign for (e.g. red signifies danger)
... denotes...	provides a straightforward reading
... connotes...	Suggests or offers a cultural or interpreted meaning
... suggests...	provides a possible interpretation
... implies...	suggests
... illustrates...	provides a clear example of
... foreshadows...	hints at what is to come
...contrasts with...	offers a very different image / interpretation to (another example)
... is juxtaposed with...	creates opposite feelings/readings (compared with another e.g.
...demonstrates...	Is an example
...identifies...	Pinpoints, makes clear

Audience Readings

This shot/scene/example (etc.)...

PHRASE	HOW TO CONTINUE THE PHRASE
... allows/invites the viewer to...	... deduce / infer / understand / realise
...creates and expection that	... X or Y will happen
... heightens the sensation of...	... fear / dread / excitement / passion etc.
... invites the audience to...	... sympathise / empathise / identify with (a character)

If you are worried about how to structure your sentences, just make sure that with every point you make you include the following information

TERMINOLOGY	MEANING FOR THE CHARACTER	MEANING FOR THE SOCIAL GROUP
Use a key piece of terminology to describe a technical element	Explain what the meaning of this aspect is and what it suggests about the character it relates to	Explain what wider significance this has in relation to representing the social group in question eg gender / class etc
In ‘Monarch of the Glen’, the low angle medium close-up on Paul, from Amy’s height...	... signifies Paul’s dominance from Amy’s perspective.	It reminds the audience that adults use their physical presence to dominate younger people – seen from Amy’s perspective this could be read as unfair
In ‘Primeval’, the last shot of the tiger sequence is on Cutter, rather than Abby, the shooter.	This establishes the male rather than the female point of view, de-spite the girl’s heroism...	... representing an old-fashioned masculine dominance of the narrative.
In ‘The Silence’, diegetic sound is sometimes subjective, from Amelia’s point of view. Walking happily through the park the audience hears only things she touches: leaves, the wall and so on.	This sympathetically illustrates how Amelia compensates for her deafness by making more use of other senses that hearing audi-ences may take for granted.	This invites the audience to appreciate that a deaf person’s experience is different, rather than worse, than their own.
In ‘Feather Boy’, both the children and the elderly residents exhibit negative body language, backing away from each other on first meeting.	This suggests that both groups are unfamiliar and fearful of each other, because of their different ages.	It represents the idea that in modern Britain, the young and old no longer spend time together and have grown far apart.

TEXT ANALYSIS

Here is a promotional poster for a feature film; National Treasure.

Below it is an analysis of the codes and conventions used on the text.

The main image shows the protagonist, Nicholas Cage, who usually stars in action adventure films.
He looks ready for action and his body language tells us that he is determined, on the lookout.
His facial expression is focused and he is looking to the left, we see him in profile like he is looking for something out of shot. He is wearing the costume of a modern day adventurer with jeans and a bomber jacket and we can see he is wearing a watch with a map case slung over his shoulder.
(Action)
The colours of the poster are similar to the Indiana Jones movie posters, predominantly sepia tones so the audience might expect this film to be of a similar genre; a fast paced action adventure.

The main character is shown almost in silhouette and this type of low key lighting suggests mystery.
The light behind Nicholas Cage is like a sunrise and  creates the expectation that a revelation will happen
(Enigma)
The positioning of the light near to the map invites the viewer to consider what might be on the map, the audience will ant to know what the character is carrying.
The skulls and fire have connotations of danger and let us know that the action will take place in a dangerous location.
The graphics and main title are written in a font that looks like stone suggesting something biblical or ancient history. The triangle shape behind connotes Egyptian architecture, the pyramids.
The eye of the Illuminati also has mysterious connotations and implies the text will be to do with wealth as this symbol can be seen on the American dollar.
Geographical markers such as the white house suggests the story will be set in America.
The tagline below the main title suggests the hero must do something dangerous and illegal, this invites the audience to sympathise with the character as he pursues his quest.
The flock of birds or bats create an expectation of something being disturbed.
One of the producer's previous films is mentioned at the top of the poster and this reference suggests to the audience that they can expect a film which is similar in quality. The creators expect their target audience to recognise Pirates of the Caribbean and are creating an expectation among potential viewers.
The poster also shows a woman running which implies there will be exciting chase sequences this is a convention of the action adventure genre. The woman looks vulnerable and in need of help, she is showing her cleavage suggesting she is a flirt.
The image of the woman with Nicholas Cage at the top left perhaps suggests romance and they are framed by a clock, this indicates a possible race against time for the main character to win the girl's heart.

Iconography

Iconography – dress codes

In Media Studies we see iconography as part of genre, and particularly film genre. Students need to know the term and how it is used. It is quite a complex concept that informs image analysis and the deconstruction of genre. Iconography originates from the study of art. 

01

In Europe in the15th & 16th centuries artists creating work of a Christian nature would look up reference books to check the colours, composition, hand gestures, poses and facial expressions that past masters traditionally used, because they conveyed the most significant meaning to the ordinary person.

These meaningful images came to be known as iconic, and their use is iconography.

02

For example most paintings of the Madonna, including modern ones, show her in a robe of deep blue. The Virgin wears a blue robe, the colour symbolic of heaven and a reminder of the Virgin’s role as Queen of Heaven. This colour came to be an icon for her role as a spiritual mother who has dignity and religious importance. The blue robe is part of the iconography of this form of art throughout the centuries.

03

Iconography is an important aspect of genre. We expect to see certain objects on screen when we see a particular genre, for example, in a Western, dusty lonely roads, saloon bars, cowboy hats and horses, jails, sheriffs badges, guns, etc.. 

04

In a modern horror film, we expect young girls, ‘normal’ objects, use of dark and light, etc. These ‘genre indicators’ are called the iconography of the mise-en-scene or genre.’

So iconography can be defined as those particular signs we associate with particular genres.

05

Film producers use images that belong to the iconography of the genre to excite audience expectations, and to show that the film is within a certain genre. If you wanted to see a comfortable rom-com you would not go and see Prom Night, but if you wanted to be scared then this should do the trick.

06

Another way of putting it is to say genre can be identified by the look of the images in the text – this is the iconography, or the signs, that are associated with a genre. Iconography includes a wide range of ‘signs

To become part of the iconography of a genre a pattern of visual signs remain constant in that genre over a period of time. Some of the things that make up genre iconography include:

Costume

07

Cowboys wear ten gallon hats;

08

characters in period dramas wear wigs and historic costumes;

09

tough guys in thrillers wear black leather jackets;

10

in high school movies everyone wears tight T shirts, sneakers and some wear hoodies.

11, 12, 13

Settings

Thrillers are set in challenging urban neighborhoods found in big cities such as LA or New York.

Horror movies since Halloween (1978) tend to be set in typically quiet suburban settings. Sci-fi films inhabit futuristic cities with flying cars, adverts in the sky (e.g. Bladerunner), and high tech interiors.

Stars

Some film stars can be an important part of a film’s iconography, and carry their own iconographic meanings.

This was perhaps more evident in the past where stars like John Wayne are always associated with Westerns. Modern stars such as Clint Eastwood carry the iconographic meaning of the loner against the world.

Stars create expectations of character and action, genre, and powerful iconic representations of such as masculinity and femininity.’

Props

These are the moveable objects that are so important to many movies.

Gangster films must have guns.

Classic gangster films have a certain form of gun – the violin case machine gun.

Characters in Westerns carry classic Colt revolvers, or the Winchester rifle.

Police and thrillers use expensive multi-shot shiny hand guns.

Cars are important for what they signify in a film.

Large American gas guzzling V8 saloons can signify the freedom of the open road, as well as escape, and refuge.

Cars can be an extension of a character’s personality as well as a device to create excitement and thrills.

Genre Conventions

Genre

Genre is a French word for 'type.' 'Genre' is a means of classification for texts based on common elements/shared characteristics - the correct terminology for this is 'generic conventions.' 

When working out what genre a media text is, the following 'generic ingredients' need to be analysed (when you 'channel hop' the brain does this subconsciously because all genres have certain common characteristics the brain picks up on):

1) Mise-en-scene (iconography, props, set design, special effects, lighting, costumes, cast, shot types, camera angles etc.)

2) Typical narratives (historic/contemporary/medical/crime etc.)

3) Generic/stock characters e.g. doctors, police, stereotypical gender roles, different classes etc.

4) Themes e.g. police v criminals, affairs, youth v age, working class v upper class etc. 

(Iconography definition)

(echoing the narrative, characterization, themes and setting) - a familiar stock of images or motifs, the connotations of which have become fixed; primarily but not necessarily visual, including décor, costume and objects, certain 'typecast' performers-some of whom may have become 'icons' themselves, familiar patterns of dialogue, characteristic music and sounds, and appropriate physical topography;

It is also important to remember that hybrid genres exist  

Genre Definitions

Teen Drama

http://www.e4.com/skins/

Teen dramas are created for teenage audiences, they represent this group through starring young people and through dealing age-specific issues.

Soap

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006m86d

Stereotypically, the target audience for soaps is working class women. Soaps are never ending and convey a sense 'of real time.' They rely on audiences finding them almost believable, for this reason they could almost be classes as 'social realist.'

Costume Drama

http://www.itv.com/downtonabbey/

Britain is famous for this genre (both in film and TV drama) they are often adaptations of a famous 'classic' novel or play but can also be original works. They dramatize different points in history and can be quite different from contemporary dramas. The typical target audience for period dramas is women in social grades A-C.

Medical/Hospital Dramas 

http://www.fox.com/house/

Medical/hospital dramas play on the human fascination of witnessing  horrific events. They often share narrative similarities with soaps but can also be more informative/educational than soaps (e.g. technical terminology is used by the characters). The typical target audience of medical drama is women in social grades C-E, however some A/B women and some men may like some medical dramas if they feel they are represented.

Crime Drama

http://www.sho.com/sho/dexter/home

Crime dramas work in a similar way to medical dramas, but instead of showing the viewer medical gore they show horrific crimes (the type of crime and level of gore depends on the target audience). The main appeal to crime drama is working out 'who done it.' There are a number of crime dramas on television, this means that the target audience is as vast and varied as the shows (e.g. some may be pitched at young men while others may be pitched at women 50+)

Sci-Fi

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006q2x0

Sci-fi offers escapism through a 'space-opera' - they both displace and draw on reality in order to hook the target audience. They are generally set in space and feature aliens. The target audience depends on the show, but stereotypically the target audience is males who enjoy sci-fi.  

Fantasy

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00mjlxv

Fantasy works in a similar way to sci-fi, only aliens are replaced by characters like wizards, dragons, dinosaurs etc.

Comedy Drama

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-big-bang-theory

In terms of Blumer and Katz Uses and Gratification Theory, comedy dramas are obviously created to entertain, distract and make people laugh. The target audience depends on the comedy because different people find different things funny. 

Social Realist

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/shameless

Social realist dramas work in a similar way to soaps but may have more hard-hitting themes and may only appeal to a niche market.

Lesbian/Gay Drama

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tq4d9

Lesbian/Gay dramas focus on the lives of lesbian/gay/bisexual characters. They are often create for a niche market but sometimes attract a mainstream audience. 

Generic conventions are the features shown by texts that allow them to be put into a specific genre for example almost all westerns use the iconography of cowboy hats, six shooters and horses.