Screenplay Formatting Rules

1. Document settings for the layout:

 Margins = 1 inch all around.
 Font = Courier (or Courier New) size 12 throughout.
 Line-spacing = single-spaced (Remove the 10pt default)
 Print on one side of the page only.
 Use 2 spaces after all punctuation, except in Scene Headings – use 1.
 Insert page numbers at top right = 1. No page number on the fly/title page.
 Text is left-justified, except character cues & parenthetical descriptions (centered) and camera / sound cues
(right justified)
 Never start a new page mid-sentence
 Never use ‘more…’ or ‘continued’ / ‘cont’d…’
 Use underlining for emphasis – never CAPS

2. Beginning and Ending Look:

 On page 1. begin with TITLE centered, ALL CAPS and underlined, then skip 1 line and write FADE IN: left-
justified and ALL CAPS, skip 1 line and begin first scene heading or opening image during credits etc.
 At the end of your screenplay write FADE OUT. (with the period because it’s the end and left-justified) then
skip 4 lines and write THE END in CAPS, underlined and centered.

3. Scene Headings (to indicate a location even within a FLASHBACK, DREAM SEQUENCE etc.)
 All in CAPS
 Always begin with either INT. EXT. INT/EXT. or EXT/INT.
Use 2 line spaces before each new scene heading, except for the first one of the whole screenplay which is 1
space
 Skip only one line after the scene heading before the description.
 Use quotation marks for proper names such as names of particular locations, e.g. “THE COCONUT
GROVE” nightclub
 Use proper referencing for book, film, and song/poetry, e.g. underline for books and films, quotation marks
for songs.
 Use STOCK to indicate use of existing footage, archival or not
 Use TRAVELING to indicate a scene in a moving vehicle
 If the whole scene is from one character’s point of view use DAY – SUBJECTIVE CAMERA

4. Descriptions (of a character, of the action)

 First time you mention a character write their whole name in CAPS, after that use only title case when
mentioning the name, Anthony or Anthony Mangione. This holds true for small parts too like Nurse #1.
 First time you introduce a character - set off their age in numerals by commas and list a few short and pithy
qualities which give us an idea of who the person is, e.g. ANTHONY MANGIONE, 17, an Italian Stallion type,
is a football player who never met a girl he didn’t flirt with.
 Use all CAPS for any words which indicate sound or visual effects such as “sirens were BLARING” or “there
was a BLINDING flash of light”
 Do not repeat information from the scene heading (location, time of day)
 Avoid using lots of description to break up the dialogue, makes it too confusing to read. Keep the focus on the
speech as much as possible. Use parenthetical directions instead.
 Don’t lead into the dialogue by saying things like “and then she spoke up”. This is indicated by the character
cue and the ensuing dialogue
 Abbreviations: Background = b.g. Foreground = f.g. Point of view = p.o.v. Without sound = m.o.s. Voiceover
= v.o. Offscreen = o.s. These are all lower case in a description (as opposed to capped in a character cue).
 If you want some text to be visible on the screen then write SUPERIMPOSE: before the text and place this
text in quotation marks, e.g. in Zombieland when the Rules are superimposed on the screen
 Always use the # sign to indicate numbered characters such as Nurse #1 and Nurse #2 – there is a space after
Nurse but not after #
5. Character Cues (character’s name):
 All in CAPS, centered and only use the first name
 Be consistent – always call same character exact same name
 Never name principal characters with names that begin with the same letter, e.g. Albert and Alvin
 Use (O.S.) after name to indicate that a character is talking off screen, such as from in a closet
 Use (V.O.) after name to indicate that a character is talking in voiceover such as on a telephone or thought/monologue
sequence
 IF character has a double use both names separated by a backslash, JOHN / PATRICK
 If we only find out the character’s real name later on then write the real name first and the old name only once in
parentheses JULIA (YOUNG WOMAN), after that only the real name

6. Parenthetical Direction (to describe how a character is saying a line, or to whom, reaction they see as they talk):
 On its own line under character cue, centered as well, in parentheses, e.g.. (reading), or (sounding shocked)
 Short fragment (i.e. not a complete sentence, therefore no capital first letter, unless a proper name, and no period)
 Applies only to character doing the speaking, unless describing a character’s reaction to the speaker
 Use (beat) or (then) to indicate a hesitation or long pause

7. Dialogue (remember to select each segment and use the ruler to move the margins in on both sides):
 Left margin is set at 1.9” (4.18 cm)
 Right margin is set at 6.2” (13.64 cm)
 Never use abbreviations or symbols, people don’t talk that way
 Indicate an interruption, use an M-dash (one space then 2 hyphens --)
 Indicate speech that trails off by using an ellipsis (three dots…)
 To indicate alternating speakers, e.g. in a phone conversation or in different locations, use transition INTERCUT WITH:
followed by the caller’s location above the caller’s first line of dialogue
 To indicate simultaneous speakers, e.g. people talking over each other, use 2 columns with the margins bigger than for a
single speaker but still indented from the main text
 If using a foreign language sporadically then use a parenthetical direction (in Spanish)
 If using a foreign language often, the first time you use the foreign language write something like the following text in
parentheses: (NOTE: All instances of alien dialect will be indicated by being enclosed in [brackets]. Onscreen this will
appear as subtitles.)

8. Slug Lines (to indicate emphasis, camera / sound cues):

 All CAPS, on its own line, separated by single blank lines
 Left-justified, give a bit more detail or allow to focus attention on an element in the description of a person or action,
e.g.. JASON’S P.O.V. – THE KILLER
 If designating a type of shot, must specify what is viewed, e.g. CLOSE UP – GENE’S LIPS, or AERIAL SHOT –
BIRD’S EYE VIEW OF NEW YORK SKYLINE

9. Transitions (to indicate emphasis, camera / sound cues):

 All CAPS, on its own line, separated by single blank lines
 Right-justified and used to indicate editing cues, e.g. CUT TO:, DISSOLVE TO:, FADE TO:, PAN TO:, ZOOM
IN/OUT, DOLLY UP: etc.
 Use MONTAGE for shots which dissolve into each other and which are thematically linked, e.g. the falling in love
sequence to music of a couple going on lots of dates over a period of time in a romantic comedy
 Use SERIES OF SHOTS followed by each shot on its own line and staring with a) , b), c) etc to indicate quick cuts
between a series of shots

10. Fly page (a.k.a. title page):

 Do this in a new document, as it doesn’t have a page number on it
 Title is on line 25, centered, all caps, in quotation marks
 Skip 4 lines before “written by” centered (on line 30)
 Skip 1 line before “your name” centered (on line 32)
 The last 3 lines of the page, left-justified, write “Screenplay”, “the due date”, “for Ms. Sauve”