Screenwriting is the craft of verbalising audio-visual content. It aims to produce a vivid, continuous stream of story that is easily interpreted by the reader both on a textual and visual level. Unlike prose writing, screenwriting has strict formatting guidelines that have been developed by the industry. Although these may seem stringent, they allow scripts to be standardized so that, for example, a producer can accurately predict how many minutes of screen-time a screenplay will produce. In short, these guidelines are here to help you, not hinder you. Whilst it can be original to bend these rules, demonstrating ignorance of them is a surefire way to ensure your script ends up in a waste paper basket (digital, mental, physical – take your pick). Script readers will forever thank you for presenting your work in a recognizable, professional format. And so familiarizing yourself with the idiosyncrasies of screenwriting is an essential task; it should be done even before you begin to plan your first script, since it demands clarity of thought and expression at each stage and will help you formulate your ideas clearly. Ignore these principles at your peril!

With that fiery admonition out of the way, let’s turn to the specifics. Each screenplay contains three key elements: scene headings, action and dialogue. We’ll illustrate these formatting guidelines with examples from the ANNIE HALL screenplay, written by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman in 1977.

SCENE HEADINGS:

Scene headings can be broken down into three groups. We’ll tackle them one-by-one below:

1. Master Scene Headings:

Master scene headings indicate the position of the camera in the script, either EXT. for outside, or INT. for inside. (Note that if the camera is placed on the front lawn of a house, shooting a domestic scene through a window, the master scene heading will still read EXT.) Secondly, the master scene heading designates the location of the scene, and thirdly, they specify whether the action is taking place during the day or night. Seasoned writers tend to avoid terms like ‘dawn’, ‘dusk’ and ‘moments before sundown’; if you’d like to specify a time, try including a brief description in the action – you might conjure up a bonus vivid image.

2. Secondary Scene Headings

These scene headings indicate the specific part of a location in which the action is taking place. If the scene is taking place in Durham Cathedral, for example, then secondary locations could include the antechapel, the shrine, the monks’ dormitory, or the cloisters. Since these locations are already part of the main location (usually interior), there is no need to add an INT. / EXT. or time of day. For instance:

ANTECHAPEL

On some occasions, secondary locations will be included along with the main location in the master scene heading:

INT. DURHAM CATHEDRAL – ANTECHAPEL – NIGHT

In ANNIE HALL, Woody Allen opens one scene in the locker room of a tennis club. The characters are walking towards the courts:

At the moment when Rob and Alvy reach the court, we are at a new location. Therefore, a secondary scene heading is used:

Note: secondary headings can be particularly helpful when guiding the ‘eye’ of the reader without resorting to obvious camera directions. An example:

SIMON

drops hesitantly to one knee. He pulls a small velvet box from his overcoat pocket.

MARIA

draws breath sharply. She recoils.

3. Special Scene Headings

These include the MONTAGE, SERIES OF SHOTS, INSERT, FLASHBACK, DREAM and DAYDREAM. Each of these can be typed in bold on the page. Each heading has its own unique usage, but a useful rule of thumb is that these special headings can either appear at the end of the master scene heading:

EXT. SLOPES OF MT. BLANC – DAY – FLASHBACK

or a whole line of scene heading can be given over to them:

MONTAGE – SIMON AND MARIA’S FIRST DATE

ACTION:

Remember that narrative description is written in the present tense. This draws your reader into the work, and gives the impression that events are unfolding in an unpredictable, exciting sequence. Always be sure to double space between paragraphs and never indent the start of a paragraph. Try to limit your action paragraphs to a maximum of four lines each.

Do dramatize your description, allowing the reader to experience what is being felt, seen and heard (sounds can be in all-CAPS). At the opposite end of the scale, avoid unnecessary or implied detail: we do not need to be reminded each time your Russian tsarina takes a drag on her cigarette. Dave Trottier recommends that, as a general principle, ‘write short, crisp sentences.’

Remember that ultimately, clarity is king. If contravening one of the rules above allows the reader to more effectively visualise setting and action, then go ahead and break the rule with confidence and élan.

DIALOGUE:

On the page, dialogue can appear over three lines. The top line is always the character name (sometimes called the character caption or character slug). This should always appear in CAPS. Be sure to never leave a character name floating at the bottom of a page. Immediately after a character name, on the same line, an extension such as (O.S) or (V.O) can be used.

Optionally, you can insert a parenthetical immediately beneath the character name. These lines grant your reader an insight into how a line will be spoken in the film; they frequently suggest subtext or attitude. That said, be sure to avoid directing actors at the screenwriting stage; these lines should be used sparingly. The frequent occurrence of the parenthetical wryly has earned this line a nickname favoured by some writers: the wryly.

Finally, the speech line consists of the words spoken by a character. There is no need to use quotation marks or italics. Dave Trottier advises that each sentence should convey one thought, and that longwinded soliloquies are to be avoided. If a character is interrupted at the end of their line, then use -- . If a character finishes another’s sentence, then use an ellipsis (…).

Dave Trottier’s website: https://www.keepwriting.com/

The new, 7th edition of Dave’s book, ‘The Screenwriter’s Bible’, is now available here: https://www.keepwriting.com/store.html

How to Format A Screenplay - A Guide to Scene Headings, Action and Dialogue