The Screenplay: Format

General guidelines on spacing and margins

The screenplay is typed in a specific format. In the Golden Age of the Hollywood studios, 1927–1960, different studios had different formats, though they all conformed in general to the forms used today. Preston Sturges and other oddballs and independents made their own rules, of course, and the last few ‘scenario directors’ had the screenplays written as they shot, and shot in continuity sequence.

Font

The old style typewriters used Courier 10-pitch, which is 12 point. That or some equivalent (Courier New from Microsoft, or Courier Dark from Hewlett-Packard) is what you should use.

The type is monospaced and this helps to make all the pages uniform. Most of these formatting guidelines work toward that same end, so that when a producer picks up a script he can look at the page count and get right off a good idea how long the produced movie should run.

Line Spacing

The script is printed single-space.

Skip lines after a Scene Heading or Slugline, after a Speech of dialogue, and in between paragraphs of description.

Page Margins

Top and bottom margins run an inch or more.

The description paragraphs run no more than 65 characters. This is as wide as the script gets, though if scene numbers are added, they go outside those dimensions. For beginning screenwriters who will be writing on spec, don’t worry about scene numbers. (Software that is designed especially for composing and printing screenplays can add scene numbers dynamically.)

Names of Speakers are indented from the margin so that they will approximate centered. Centering them is an acceptable shortcut, though professionals insist that the names should all line up, i.e., they are all indented the same distance from the left margin.

Parenthetical paragraphs are indented not quite so much as the Names of Speakers.

Dialogue is indented not quite so much as Parentheticals.

Transitional directions such as FADE OUT, DISSOLVE TO, and the like, are flush right, lining up with the end of the 65-character description paragraphs.

Capitals

Scene Headings, Transitional directions, and the Names of Speakers are all printed in ALL CAPITAL letters.

Software

In general, if you use a template for Microsoft Word or OpenOffice.org, or if you use a program that has been designed especially for writing screenplays, you can rely upon the default layouts you are given.

Don’t Sweat

Most beginners are worried most of all about the matter of formatting. In the end, though, you’re better off if you focus on your story and the dramatic potential of your setups and characters.

(Composed on keyboard Saturday, June 14, 2008)