How to Format Your Screenplay

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© 2020 James Scogin

So, you want to write a screenplay? You want your words to come to life for your friends, family, or possibly more to see?

There are some things to know before you sit down and start writing. Whether it’s a short 10-minute film or a 90-minute feature, format is everything. Be detailed, yet concise. This document serves as a guide for your cast and crew on how the motion picture will play out on screen. It has to hook the reader, which is usually someone in a producer’s office, before it reaches a producer’s desk.

If the document is not properly formatted, producers will not take time to read it.

Proper formatting

  • Set page margins. Your left margin should be 1.5 inches and your right 1 inch. Top and bottom page margins are set at 1-inch.
  • Use 12-point Courier font.
  • Write the screenplay in scenes, which need a scene heading, action, character name, parenthetical, and character dialogue.

Scene elements

  • Scene Heading – where the action is taking place
  • Action – what is playing out in the scene
  • Character Name – written in all caps
  • Parenthetical – an added descriptor in parenthesis
  • Dialogue – the words spoken by the character

Breakdown of scene elements

A scene heading looks like this: “INT. HOUSE – KITCHEN – DAY,” which represents shooting a daytime scene inside the kitchen of a house. Shots set outside are marked “EXT” for exterior.

The action of a screenplay should be written in present tense with a character’s first appearance in all caps like this: “JOHN, (25), rushes into the kitchen to check the STOVE, as smoke billows. Dark brown hair covers his face.”

A character is always introduced with a brief description before dialogue is written.

Parentheticals are added under a character’s name to imply how the actor should portray the line.

Dialogue is centered 1-inch from the left margin and always under a character name written in all caps. Voice over or off-screen moments are identified in parenthesis by the character name. If a character’s dialogue is cut off at the end of a page, CONT’D should be written in parenthesis as their dialogue continues like this: “JOHN (CONT’D).”

  • (V.O.) – Voice over
  • (O.S.) – Off screen
  • (CONT’D) – Dialogue continued

On your way!

When you add these elements to your screenplay, you should be well on your way to seeing your script complete.

Now, start drafting your own screenplay.
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James Scogin is a filmmaker, photographer, and writer. He has worked on a variety of productions in different capacities over his time in entertainment. He grew up in the newspaper business and has also produced videos and short documentaries for his local newspaper, among other projects. You can find his collection of poetry, Wandering Souls, online.

© 2020 James Scogin