comedychick's "how to" guide to screenwriting
So you think you'd like to try writing a screenplay, huh? Awesome! I was university trained in screenwriting, so I'm a bit of a stickler for the conventions of how I was taught to write and format screenplays. I doubt "my way" is the only way, but they're probably still good guidelines to follow when you're starting out to write a screenplay.
First things first is format. From what I hear, if you're trying to submit a screenplay in anything other than the standard format as something you want to have produced, it'll be thrown straight in the bin. The reason there is a strict format is because they like to use the guide that 1 page = approximately 1 minute of screen time. A feature film screenplay can run anywhere between 75-120 pages long, on average.
It's actually been so long since I studied that I don't remember the exact widths for each type of line. The reason I don't need to remember is because I've been using the basic template I created ever since I had to create it for my studies. You can download this template in .doc or .odt formats.
This is what the document looks like:
INT/EXT. LOCATION - DAY/NIGHT
Action
CHARACTER NAME
(parenthetical directions)
Dialogue
Now for an explanation of each of the sections.
1. Scene heading. This is the part that starts with INT. or EXT.
Eg:
INT. KITCHEN - DAY
A break down of the scene heading:
a) This must start with INT. (short for interior), EXT. (short for exterior), or in rare cases where the action might take place both inside and outside, INT/EXT.
b) The location. This can be as general or specific as you need it to be. Maybe UNDER THE SEA is fine, or maybe you need to be specific like ARIEL'S UNDERWATER GROTTO. Really, it just depends what the scene calls for in order to help the director distinguish between locations.
c) The last part of the scene is to distinguish time of day, and is separated by a dash. DAY and NIGHT are the most commonly used words, but CONT'D or CONTINUOUS may be used if the action follows directly from the previous scene, for example if someone is walking between KITCHEN and LOUNGE ROOM. I suppose you could also use SUNSET/DUSK/DAWN/SUNRISE if necessary, though I've never personally used those myself. It is not necessary to specify how much time has passed between scenes.
The scene heading needs to be in all caps. My formatting in the linked documents auto-capitalises the heading, but when it comes time to copy from that document, and paste it into LJ using the Rich Text editor, the capitalisation is lost, so it's important to capitalise as you go if your intent is to post to LJ.
2. Action
a) The action is where you write what is seen on screen. A successful screenplay only includes the bare minimum of action - whatever is necessary to convey the important bits of the story. Example of what not to do:
The wind lightly blows the thin white curtains through the open window. The sun is setting. GEORGE looks longingly out at the city, thinking about his dead wife. He sees the wind blowing a weather vane around. GEORGE is crying.
First of all, you can't show what a character is thinking like that. If it is important for the story that the audience knows what the character is thinking about, cut away to a new scene and describe the scene of those thoughts. Otherwise, the director can decide what the character is thinking about, and use those ideas to direct the actor (see point b).
Questions you might ask yourself here are: Is the colour of the curtains important? How can I shorten this? What can't I possibly leave out? That paragraph can very easily be shortened to this:
GEORGE looks out the open window at the city.
Keep in mind that the sunset part isn't important if that has already been specified in the scene heading.
b) It is also not the job of the screenwriter to direct the actors. For example:
There are two identical suitcases in front of GEORGE. GEORGE is confused.
vs.
GEORGE looks at the identical suitcases in front of him.
In the first example, you are telling GEORGE how he should be feeling in this situation. But maybe the director doesn't agree with this interpretation. Maybe the director has decided on some specific motivation for GEORGE. The second example gives the director more freedom to decide how to approach the scene.
c) Character names should be in all caps. The first time a character is mentioned, it is also a good idea to provide a brief visual description of the character, including age. By brief, I don't mean:
GEORGE (40), a 6 foot tall white guy with long dark hair and blue eyes wearing a policeman's uniform
I mean:
GEORGE (40), a police officer
Only include specifics of the character's appearance if it is absolutely necessary for the character, otherwise it detracts from the story and doesn't allow as much casting freedom. The director might ignore it anyway. Is it really important that your character has brown hair? Why? If it's not, don't include that piece of information.
d) Some screenplays also capitalise sounds, for example:
There was a KNOCK on the door.
And I've also seen the rare screenplay capitalise important props, though I don't personally do that.
e) Action should be written in present tense.
3. Character name
This is just to specify when a character is talking. The name should be consistent throughout the screenplay. Don't use one name and then change to the character's nickname, for example. This also needs to be in all caps. Occasionally you might have some directions after the name, such as:
GEORGE (CONT'D)
or:
GEORGE (O/S)
or:
GEORGE (V/O)
a) CONT'D is used when a character's dialogue is interrupted by some action (or a page break), but the character is continuing the same part of the discussion.
b) O/S is short for off screen. This is probably more likely to be a director decision, and should only be used if it's necessary to the story, or, perhaps if the character talking is in another room.
c) V/O means voice over. Basically it's used for narration.
4. Parenthetical directions
These should be used very, very minimally. It's mostly for short action that is done in conjunction with the dialogue. For example, (smiling), (nodding) or (laughing). Don't use it for every line of dialogue!
Eg:
GEORGE
(laughing)
You really have a way with words
5. Dialogue
Sometimes it's easy to fall in the trap of writing too much dialogue. This was something my mentor really drove home to me through countless edits of my student film. Is it necessary for the character to say that? Can that piece of information be conveyed visually instead of using expository dialogue? For example:
GEORGE
I'm hungry, I think I'm going to get something to eat.
Could be replaced with:
GEORGE's stomach grumbles. He opens the refrigerator and takes out an orange.
Long conversations might be more realistic, but they can detract from the actual story. Particularly in short films, it's important to keep the dialogue to the necessary information. Don't reveal too much! Unless the character is an over-sharer. An example of something that might be sharing too much:
GEORGE
I hate you and wish you would get the fuck out of my face.
Now, this dialogue may be acceptable, depending on the character, but GEORGE's feelings could also be shared in a more subtle way, such as with the action of GEORGE leaving the room.
---
How to copy from your document to LJ
What I do is copy the entire screenplay from the document, then paste it into LJ using Rich Text mode. Once that is done, I switch back to HTML mode and add a little bit of HTML at the start and at the end. You may not need all of this code, depending on how the document copies everything across to LJ.
The formatting of my LJ is such that my user icon pushes my text to the right at the start of my post. I prefer my screenplays to start underneath my icon, so I use this piece of code right at the beginning:
Then, because the formatting is designed to work where 1 page = 1 minute, with a specific page width, I make sure the page width looks right within the post itself. This one is the only necessary piece you will need. I'm actually not 100% sure if 6.25in is correct, but it looks right to me, so that's why I use it.
Finally, if the font didn't copy correctly (for me, sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't), you'll need this part:
Now, at the end of the HTML, you will need to close your HTML tags from above. If you changed the font, you will need to add this:
And the very last bit you must include, is this:
If you have any notes or anything you want to add after the screenplay, it is best to do that after your closing div tag.
This works in Firefox. When writing this post and trying to copy the formatting using Rich Text mode, it didn't work in both Safari or Chrome. I'm not entirely sure why. So I just wanted to point that out. I don't know if you would encounter the same problem I did in these browsers (it might've been an issue with my operating system), or even others.
---
Questions? Comments?
If there's anything you don't quite understand or want me to clarify, please feel free to leave a comment and ask!
First things first is format. From what I hear, if you're trying to submit a screenplay in anything other than the standard format as something you want to have produced, it'll be thrown straight in the bin. The reason there is a strict format is because they like to use the guide that 1 page = approximately 1 minute of screen time. A feature film screenplay can run anywhere between 75-120 pages long, on average.
It's actually been so long since I studied that I don't remember the exact widths for each type of line. The reason I don't need to remember is because I've been using the basic template I created ever since I had to create it for my studies. You can download this template in .doc or .odt formats.
This is what the document looks like:
INT/EXT. LOCATION - DAY/NIGHT
Action
CHARACTER NAME
(parenthetical directions)
Dialogue
Now for an explanation of each of the sections.
1. Scene heading. This is the part that starts with INT. or EXT.
Eg:
INT. KITCHEN - DAY
A break down of the scene heading:
a) This must start with INT. (short for interior), EXT. (short for exterior), or in rare cases where the action might take place both inside and outside, INT/EXT.
b) The location. This can be as general or specific as you need it to be. Maybe UNDER THE SEA is fine, or maybe you need to be specific like ARIEL'S UNDERWATER GROTTO. Really, it just depends what the scene calls for in order to help the director distinguish between locations.
c) The last part of the scene is to distinguish time of day, and is separated by a dash. DAY and NIGHT are the most commonly used words, but CONT'D or CONTINUOUS may be used if the action follows directly from the previous scene, for example if someone is walking between KITCHEN and LOUNGE ROOM. I suppose you could also use SUNSET/DUSK/DAWN/SUNRISE if necessary, though I've never personally used those myself. It is not necessary to specify how much time has passed between scenes.
The scene heading needs to be in all caps. My formatting in the linked documents auto-capitalises the heading, but when it comes time to copy from that document, and paste it into LJ using the Rich Text editor, the capitalisation is lost, so it's important to capitalise as you go if your intent is to post to LJ.
2. Action
a) The action is where you write what is seen on screen. A successful screenplay only includes the bare minimum of action - whatever is necessary to convey the important bits of the story. Example of what not to do:
The wind lightly blows the thin white curtains through the open window. The sun is setting. GEORGE looks longingly out at the city, thinking about his dead wife. He sees the wind blowing a weather vane around. GEORGE is crying.
First of all, you can't show what a character is thinking like that. If it is important for the story that the audience knows what the character is thinking about, cut away to a new scene and describe the scene of those thoughts. Otherwise, the director can decide what the character is thinking about, and use those ideas to direct the actor (see point b).
Questions you might ask yourself here are: Is the colour of the curtains important? How can I shorten this? What can't I possibly leave out? That paragraph can very easily be shortened to this:
GEORGE looks out the open window at the city.
Keep in mind that the sunset part isn't important if that has already been specified in the scene heading.
b) It is also not the job of the screenwriter to direct the actors. For example:
There are two identical suitcases in front of GEORGE. GEORGE is confused.
vs.
GEORGE looks at the identical suitcases in front of him.
In the first example, you are telling GEORGE how he should be feeling in this situation. But maybe the director doesn't agree with this interpretation. Maybe the director has decided on some specific motivation for GEORGE. The second example gives the director more freedom to decide how to approach the scene.
c) Character names should be in all caps. The first time a character is mentioned, it is also a good idea to provide a brief visual description of the character, including age. By brief, I don't mean:
GEORGE (40), a 6 foot tall white guy with long dark hair and blue eyes wearing a policeman's uniform
I mean:
GEORGE (40), a police officer
Only include specifics of the character's appearance if it is absolutely necessary for the character, otherwise it detracts from the story and doesn't allow as much casting freedom. The director might ignore it anyway. Is it really important that your character has brown hair? Why? If it's not, don't include that piece of information.
d) Some screenplays also capitalise sounds, for example:
There was a KNOCK on the door.
And I've also seen the rare screenplay capitalise important props, though I don't personally do that.
e) Action should be written in present tense.
3. Character name
This is just to specify when a character is talking. The name should be consistent throughout the screenplay. Don't use one name and then change to the character's nickname, for example. This also needs to be in all caps. Occasionally you might have some directions after the name, such as:
GEORGE (CONT'D)
or:
GEORGE (O/S)
or:
GEORGE (V/O)
a) CONT'D is used when a character's dialogue is interrupted by some action (or a page break), but the character is continuing the same part of the discussion.
b) O/S is short for off screen. This is probably more likely to be a director decision, and should only be used if it's necessary to the story, or, perhaps if the character talking is in another room.
c) V/O means voice over. Basically it's used for narration.
4. Parenthetical directions
These should be used very, very minimally. It's mostly for short action that is done in conjunction with the dialogue. For example, (smiling), (nodding) or (laughing). Don't use it for every line of dialogue!
Eg:
GEORGE
(laughing)
You really have a way with words
5. Dialogue
Sometimes it's easy to fall in the trap of writing too much dialogue. This was something my mentor really drove home to me through countless edits of my student film. Is it necessary for the character to say that? Can that piece of information be conveyed visually instead of using expository dialogue? For example:
GEORGE
I'm hungry, I think I'm going to get something to eat.
Could be replaced with:
GEORGE's stomach grumbles. He opens the refrigerator and takes out an orange.
Long conversations might be more realistic, but they can detract from the actual story. Particularly in short films, it's important to keep the dialogue to the necessary information. Don't reveal too much! Unless the character is an over-sharer. An example of something that might be sharing too much:
GEORGE
I hate you and wish you would get the fuck out of my face.
Now, this dialogue may be acceptable, depending on the character, but GEORGE's feelings could also be shared in a more subtle way, such as with the action of GEORGE leaving the room.
---
How to copy from your document to LJ
What I do is copy the entire screenplay from the document, then paste it into LJ using Rich Text mode. Once that is done, I switch back to HTML mode and add a little bit of HTML at the start and at the end. You may not need all of this code, depending on how the document copies everything across to LJ.
The formatting of my LJ is such that my user icon pushes my text to the right at the start of my post. I prefer my screenplays to start underneath my icon, so I use this piece of code right at the beginning:
Then, because the formatting is designed to work where 1 page = 1 minute, with a specific page width, I make sure the page width looks right within the post itself. This one is the only necessary piece you will need. I'm actually not 100% sure if 6.25in is correct, but it looks right to me, so that's why I use it.
Finally, if the font didn't copy correctly (for me, sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't), you'll need this part:
Now, at the end of the HTML, you will need to close your HTML tags from above. If you changed the font, you will need to add this:
And the very last bit you must include, is this:
If you have any notes or anything you want to add after the screenplay, it is best to do that after your closing div tag.
This works in Firefox. When writing this post and trying to copy the formatting using Rich Text mode, it didn't work in both Safari or Chrome. I'm not entirely sure why. So I just wanted to point that out. I don't know if you would encounter the same problem I did in these browsers (it might've been an issue with my operating system), or even others.
---
Questions? Comments?
If there's anything you don't quite understand or want me to clarify, please feel free to leave a comment and ask!