How to Format a Screenplay
What is script formatting?
Script formatting can take place as the screenwriter composes the script, if they’re using a screenwriting app that handles most or all of the formatting as the screenplay is authored (90% or more of screenwriters use a screenwriting app), OR it can take place after the script has been composed using a regular word-processing app or even on a typewriter. This guide will show you the basics of how to format a screenplay.
What is standard screenplay format?
Standard screenplay format is an arbitrary combination of font type, elements, spacing, and margins, developed by writers, producers, directors, actors, and studio executives over the last century of cinema. The standard is said to have derived from production personnel such as Assistant Directors and UPMs needing a uniform means of breaking down a script for scheduling and budgeting.
Because the vast majority of scripts in the early 20th century were typed on typewriters, using Courier or similar monospaced fonts, the film industry gravitated toward the approximate guideline of “1 page = approximately one minute of screen time,” which worked well for studio execs as well as production personnel. (As did dividing the pages into “eighths” for scheduling and budgeting, which remains a baseline unit of film scheduling and budgeting today.)
That screenplay standard, with relatively few modifications and exceptions, has been widely accepted for decades and now, for better or worse, sets expectations of what a screenplay should look like and how it should read and what is acceptable to production personnel. Here is an example of a screenplay page that conforms to standard screenplay format:
A screenplay page is quite different from a page of regular prose you’d find in a novel. That’s because the screenplay itself is not necessarily intended for publication or consumption like a book would be because its primary purpose is to serve as a blueprint for an entire development and production team tasked with bringing the screenplay to life as a film.
Why is standard script formatting important?
Standard script formatting makes your script (a) easier for script readers and gatekeepers to read, (b) easier for a production team to break it down, budget it, schedule it, and shoot it, and (c) easier for the main creatives involved (actors, director, etc.) to do their jobs. Bonus: It also tells people who come in contact with your screenplay that it was created by someone who takes the profession seriously.
What are the basic elements of standard screenplay formatting?
Learning how to format a screenplay requires knowing the basic elements of screenplay format, which are:
SCENE HEADING or SLUGLINE
The scene heading or slugline element sets the location of where the scene takes place, whether it takes place during the day or night, and whether it takes place inside or outdoors. This should be no more than one line, all caps, and be limited to DAY or NIGHT. (DUSK / SUNSET / AFTERNOON / DAWN are acceptable but production personnel breaking down your script prefer simply DAY or NIGHT for clarity and simplicity. Feel free to include DAWN, etc. in the action / description. For example:
INT. HARBOR — DAY
Dawn. The boats are all anchored safely.
The slugline element is left-justified at the left margin and spans from the left margin across the entire page to the right margin but should only be one line. Never extend a slugline onto a second line.
ACTION / DESCRIPTION
The action / description element tells us what’s happening in the scene and should generally only include things we can see and hear. The action/description element is left-justified at the left margin and spans from the left margin across the entire page to the right margin.
CHARACTER
The character element tells us who is speaking. These are left-justified at a margin approximately 3.25″ right of the left page edge.
PARENTHETICAL
The parenthetical element (or “wrylie”) tells us how the line of dialogue that’s about to follow is intended to be delivered or read by the reader. The parenthetical should only be used when it’s not clear from context how the line should be delivered. They are generally centered beneath the character element.
Correct:
ADRIAN
(sarcastically)
I love Star Wars.
Incorrect:
JEN
(raises her fist and slams the table)
I can’t stand Star Wars!
DIALOGUE
The dialogue element contains the words that the character is speaking. Dialogue elements are generally about 3.5″ wide and left-justified at a margin approximately 2.5″ right of the left page edge.
SHOT or SUBHEADING
The shot or subheading element is used to when the scene takes place within the same place as indicated in the slug line but the writer wants to convey that we’re in a different part of that same place. Or when the writer wants to convey that the following portion of the scene takes place while looking at a specific part or person within the scene. The shot / subheading element is left-justified at the left margin and should not extend beyond the center of the page and never onto two lines.
TRANSITION
The transition element tells us how we’re getting from the scene that just ended into the scene that follows. The most common transitions are CUT TO: / SMASH CUT TO: / DISSOLVE TO: / FADE OUT: / FLASHBACK TO: / FLASHBACK ENDS.
Note: The CUT TO: transition is typically omitted because it’s typically clear to the reader that a scene has ended and that we’re cutting to a new one because there is a new slugline setting up that new scene. FADE IN: is a special transition that is typically left-justified, unlike nearly all other transitions, which should be right-justified, but as long as it’s clear to the reader what’s happening, either left or right justification is fine.
The transition element of a screenplay is generally right-justified at or around the right margin.
Let’s see what each of those elements looks like on the sample script page we provided above when we mark it up to show each element. See below (slide the vertical bar to show or hide explainers):
How To Format A Screenplay — The Elements
How to Format A Screenplay — The Margins
Before we go any further, you must know that all of these elements and margins are handled automatically by nearly all modern screenwriting apps, so don't be daunted by how many "moving parts" that make up the screenplay format.
What fonts are acceptable for standard script formatting?
Screenplay format requires a 12-point font from the Courier family of fonts, such as Courier, Courier Prime, or Courier New. These fonts are what are called "fixed-width" or "monospaced," meaning that every character takes up the same amount of horizontal space.
This is because that's how old typewriters used to do it, so the tradition stuck. But for one very good reason: use the fixed-width Courier-based font allowed for more accurately measuring screen time on a screenplay page.
Why? Over the years, the film industry figured out that one page of screenplay that uses a Courier font equates to roughly 1 minute of screen time, a rule of thumb that's become essential to production and development personnel. What's more, production personnel such as Assistant Directors and UPMs break the screenplay down into 1/8 pages for budgeting and scheduling.
So imagine if we were to throw caution to the wind and start using a skinnier font or a smaller font for every character on that same screenplay page. The result would be: WAY MORE TEXT would fit on that same page, which throws everything off with regard to screen time, 1/8ths of the page, you name it.
How many pages should a screenplay be?
There is no hard rule dictating a minimum or maximum page count, but referring back to the rule of thumb that 1 screenplay page equals roughly 1 minute of screen time, and considering that most motion pictures are between 70 and 120 minutes in duration, most properly formatted screenplays are between 70 and 120 pages. With exceptions, of course, for established celebrity screenwriters who regularly turn in 200+ page screenplays and make 3+ hour movies.
How many lines should a screenplay page have?
"Lines" on a screenplay page include not only the text but the line spaces between the lines text. "Line count per page" is not a very common metric but it definitely helps when one's trying to spot whether or not a script has been "cheated" down in page count.
(Some apps that know how to format a screenplay have a "cheat" feature that allows minimizing or squeezing down the vertical height of the blank lines that appear between lines of text. The goal of the "feature" is to lower the script's overall page count. (By making the line spaces shorter, the app can fit more lines on each page. So if you do that on every page, you end up with slightly fewer pages overall).)
For example, these four lines of text is actually counted as six lines if you count the two blank lines (one beneath the slugline and the other before the character name):
INT. CANTINA — NIGHT
The place is packed. Joe fights his way to the bar.
JOE
I can't believe it's not butter.
The total line count per screenplay page should be between 52 and 55 lines, with 54 lines being my own personal preference.
Can I use anything other than INT. or EXT. in my scene header?
INT. means the scene to follow is to be shot inside. EXT. means it's to be shot outside. INT./EXT. can be used if your characters start inside and move outside (or vice-versa). Those are what you have to work with, and nothing more.
What does (VO) mean? What does (OS) mean?
(VO) after a character's name indicates VOICEOVER. If the character is narrating and they're not in the scene visually, it's a voiceover.
(OS) after a character's name indicates OFF SCREEN. If the character is talking but we don't see them, but they're still in the scene, then it's an off screen.
How to format a screenplay correctly using (VO) and/or (OS) requires not mixing these up. Be aware that (V.O.) and (O.S.) are also acceptable.
What does "Beat" mean and when should I use it?
"Beat" is used when the writer want to indicate a pause in the action or dialogue. When you see "Beat" in a screenplay, it's usually appearing like this, formatted as an action/description element:
SAM
I took the tomatoes.
Beat.
SAM
And I'll do it again.
But only indicate beats when it's absolutely vital to convey a moment's pause, otherwise, you're essentially micromanaging the actor's performance. Also, never include them in parentheticals, and the same all applies to the word "pause," which tends to be used interchangeably with "beat" by some writers.
What are (MORE) and (CONT'D)?
(MORE) is a tag you include in your script dialogue block to let the reader know that the dialogue of the current character continues on the next script page.
(CONT'D) is a tag you include in the dialogue block on that next page before that character continues speaking.
Here's an example:
[bottom of page 11]
LARRY
Was that a barn? Was that a barn? I think it was too small to be a barn, it looked more like a stable.
(MORE)
[top of page 12]
LARRY (CONT'D)
There was a cow there, does that mean… what?
When should I format dialogue with (MORE) and (CONT'D)?
Feel free to use (MORE) and (CONT'D) tags to continue dialogue from the bottom of one page to another. Also feel free to use (CONT'D) when a character is talking, then some action and description takes place, and then the dialogue continues, like this:
LARRY
Was that a barn? Was that a barn?
Larry cranes his neck to look at the barn but sees only cars for miles.
LARRY (CONT'D)
I think it was too small to be a barn.
One note about using (MORE) and (CONT'D) in general: Many screenwriters (myself included) don't include them at all, as it's often very clear on the page, or even on the page following, that a particular character is continuing to speak. What's more, I find that these tags tend to clutter up the script and detract from its "white space."
Should I use ALL CAPS to indicate props and sound effects?
Many writers will use ALL CAPS (all capital letters) to highlight special props and sound effects, but many will also use all caps for far, far too many things, which diminishes the value of the use of all caps overall. For example, this is okay:
Bob runs down the street. A car skids to a halt in front of him. BAM! He hits the pavement.
But this one (while technically okay), is bad, in my opinion, because too many words are in all caps.
Bob RUNS down the street. A car SKIDS to a halt in front of him. BAM! He HITS the pavement.
When should I use bold, italics, or underline in a screenplay?
There are no standard screenplay formatting rules about using bold, italics, or underline in a screenplay but savvy screenwriters use such emphasis very, very sparingly. Just like the use of all caps, if you emphasize everything, you are essentially emphasizes nothing. Save all caps, bold, italics, and underline for key moments you really want the reader's eye to be drawn to.
Using bold or underline in scene headings/sluglines is technically okay as well, but I advise against either for the same reason explained above.
I encourage using italics for titles of books, movies, songs, etc. but it's not a requirement of the standard industry script format.
How do I format titles or text on the screen in a screenplay?
For text you want to appear on the screen, format titles as action / description text, and place them when you want them to appear. Two examples:
INT. HOUSE — DAY
Bob wakes up.
TITLE OVER BLACK: "Bob's First Day."
or
EXT. BEACH — NIGHT
TITLE: "Panama Beach, 1987"
A party is going on. Thousands of revelers line the beach, dancing.
Never include titles within sluglines / scene headings. If you don't want any text to appear on screen, but just want to include information for the reader (and that information isn't already conveyed in the slug line or previous action/description), you should include it as action/description text.
How to format a screenplay title page
Here's an example of a title page. Title centered around mid-page, title in all caps or underlined is okay, or just regular case, centered. "Written by" below it, centered. Screenwriter name below that, centered. Draft date, contact information, any script registration numbers, copyright, etc. all okay to include if you like, but the more you include tends to flag you as an amateur. If listing any contact information, don't include sensitive information like your home address.
How do I format a quote or an epigraph at the beginning of a screenplay?
There are no hard-and-fast rules about formatting a quote or epigraph in a script but I strongly advise keeping it very brief and and in the same font, font size, and font weight as the rest of your screenplay.
How do I format a screenplay montage?
A montage should be broken down into brief, clear visuals or audio cues, assigned in order with letters (a, b, c, etc.), and ideally forming a simple list of quick shots or mini-scenes, like this:
SERIES OF SHOTS:
a) Jenny and Jim run across the park
b) Jenny and Jim laugh as they share an ice cream cone on the pier
c) Jenny and Jim kiss on the beach
Your individual shots may have different locations and times of day but there is no need to create a slugline / scene header for each, as that bogs down the read.
How do I format text messages in my screenplay?
To format a conversation between two or more characters via text message (over mobile phones or similar), you can simply include (TEXT) on the same line as the character element and before dialogue elements, like this:
MAMA TUTTI (TEXT)
R U gonna be late 2 nite?
FRED (TEXT)
maybe
But also it's also acceptable to format the text messages as action/description, like this:
EXT. PARK — DAY
MAMA TUTTI
I can't believe he's gonna miss it!
Mamma Tutti texts Fred: R U gonna be late 2 nite?
Fred: maybe
There are no specific rules as to how to format a text message. Just make sure it's clear to the reader what is being conveyed and the amount of line space it takes up is approximate to how much screen time the text message will take to be conveyed on screen.
How do I format camera directions in a screenplay?
Generally do not include camera directions in a screenplay unless it's absolutely vital to convey to the reader what visual is taking place, and when it's not already perfectly clear from the context where that camera is in the reader's mind. If you must include camera directions, don't be heavy-handed. If Bob's says something incredibly important, dramatic, or funny, and it's not perfectly clear from context that the camera should absolutely of course be on Bob, then you can include something like this:
CLOSE ON BOB
BOB
I'm a werewolf.
But be careful. Camera directions tend to (a) lard up your page count / reduce white space on your page, making your script just that much more text dense and possible more frustrating for readers, and (b) step on the director, whose job it is to determine what the camera does and where it's placed.
Avoid using specific camera directions like these: ECU, CU, MEDIUM CLOSE UP, TILT UP, PAN LEFT, etc.
Only use general, vague camera directions like these, and only, only when absolutely necessary: PULL BACK TO REVEAL, REVEAL, SMASH CUT TO, CRASH ZOOM, SUPER WIDE SHOT, SUPER CLOSE, etc.
What format do I use when I want to address the reader directly or otherwise make a note?
Notes to the reader or moments you'd like to make comments upon should be kept to a minimum. Generally format them as action/description text but highlight them using bold, italics, or underline so that they stand out from the main flow of the text.
How do I format a screenplay with scene numbers?
A screenplay with scene numbers in the left and/or right margins is generally considered to be a "production script" or "shooting script." Most screenwriting apps know how to format a screenplay with scene numbers automatically add scene numbers but some are better than others when it comes to "locking" the script for production, and managing / updating the scene numbers, page revision colors, and line-by-line revision marks when new scenes are added or current scenes are deleted.
Shooting scripts are formatted exactly the same as non-shooting scripts, with the exception of the scene numbers, and the various page colors associated with each revision. The shooting script is typically the realm of the script coordinator (not to be confused with script supervisor).
What is "white space" in a screenplay?
"White space" in a screenplay means blank white paper/page. When I say that your screenplay "should have more white space," it's shorthand for "You should use fewer words."
A screenplay, as we've established, is not a book. It's a blueprint for a movie. So it ideally should be able to be read by a reader at a pace that's similar to (or as close as possible to) that reader watching it on a theater screen.
To achieve more white space, the screenwriter ideally uses fewer words.
Here's an example of a slugline and some action/description of a scene with too many words:
INT. FARMHOUSE — KANSAS — DAY
FARMER JACK is about fifty-three years old and has long grey hair and a long grey beard. He wears a red flannel shirt and overalls that are covered with corn dust. He smokes his pipe and looks wistfully at his beautiful wife BEULAH who is about 45 years old and has freckles and an earnest smile. She is eating her gruel and reading the morning newspaper.
Now imagine that amount of text for every single scene in a 120-page screenplay. Daunting, right? You bet it is. And it makes a reader's eyes glaze over after a certain point.
But now let's pare it down and use fewer words (and gain more "white space" on the page as a result):
INT. FARMHOUSE — DAY
FARMER JACK (53) — grey and bearded in flannel and overalls — looks at his wife BEULAH (45) — freckles and smiling as she reads the paper over breakfast.
As you can see: far fewer words, which makes for a much quicker, easier read. (And more white space.)
Are there script formatting services that can do my script formatting for me?
Yes. Script Formatting Service is available right here at Screenplay Readers. No matter the app you've used to compose your screenplay, we can put it into proper screenplay format for you and deliver whatever formats back you'd like, including Final Draft, Fade In, Beat, Screenwriter, Highland, Microsoft Word, and more.
How much should I worry about proper script formatting?
I've enumerated a number of rules and guidelines about script formatting here but ultimately there are only two hard-and-fast laws you need to follow to the letter:
Script Formatting Law One: The script format must not prevent the script reader from understanding what's going on.
Script Formatting Law Two: Your script must look at least somewhat like what people in the film industry are expecting a script to look like.
And yes, that means don't worry!
I know, I know. This is a lot to remember! But you shouldn't let script formatting prevent you from writing your screenplay. Just get your script down on paper or into whatever word processor you're comfortable with and don't stop until it's done. Formatting can always come later. All this said, the bottom line is that script format is sort of like horseshoes and hand grenades: even if you're close, it's probably gonna be okay. Cheers!
How To Format A Screenplay ©1999-2026 Brian O'Malley and Screenplay Readers. All Rights Reserved.
