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When writing a screenplay, especially a screenplay one would want to be produced into a film, a writer has to keep in mind that there is this screenplay standard that’s widely accepted in many film industries worldwide.

If a screenplay does not look like a screenplay, most producers would just pass from reading it or throw it away.

Following the standard for the screenplay would present the screenwriter as someone who knows what s/he is doing, who takes care of working with the material, a professional.

A screenplay’s pages should be set to the following dimensions:

PAGE SIZE
8 1/2” by 10”, regular, bond-size paper

MARGINS
1” to 1 ½” from the left edge, 1” from the right edge

HEADER
1/2” to 1” from the top of the page

FOOTER
1/2” to 1” from the bottom of the page

PAGE NUMBERS
1/2” inch from the top, 1” from the right
*no page number for the title page

FONT SPECS
Courier, Courier New, 12 pt, Left or Justified.

Each page, except the cover page, should contain the following:

1. SCENE HEADING - Align with left margin, precedes with a Scene number (optional), ALL CAPS, Bold and/or underline.

The scene heading sets up scene, whether it’s exterior or interior, with the name of Location, and time when the scene occurs.

Examples:
EXT. A HOUSE – DAY
INT. BATHROOM, THE HOUSE – NIGHT

2. ACTION - Align with left margin, Normal Font

The Action paragraph follows after the scene heading, gives some general description of the scene, introduces Characters, and describes the action happening in the scene.

Example:

EXT. A HOUSE – DAY
Jenny opens the front door, slides inside. She winks an invitation before disappearing.

3. CHARACTER in ACTION - ALL CAPS when Character is first introduced, followed by a short description.

Example:

EXT. A HOUSE – DAY
CHRIS (20s, skinny) reaches the front door. His excitement shows by his bouncing on his toes.

4. CAMERA ANGLE - Indicates Camera focus, ALL CAPS within Action paragraph.

If it’s required for a certain character, item or object to be the central focus of a camera view, insert the instruction before an action paragraph. This is not required since it is a director’s job to interpret how a scene is to be particularly presented.

Examples:
THE TABLE is a mess of scratches as if it suffered through a storm of stray cats mad for wood.

ON ANNIE, her eyes wide as plates, pale with shock as she surveys the damaged table.

Other Camera Angles that can be used:

• WIDE ANGLE to indicate a full shot of the scene
• ANGLE ON to focus on one character or item in the scene.
• REVERSE ANGLE usually followed after ANGLE ON, to focus on the perspective/viewpoint of the character in focus.
• NEW ANGLE to indicate a new camera angle on a character or item in focus.
• CLOSEUP or CU or CLOSE ON to indicate a close up on a character or a particular item in scene.
• ECU (Extreme Close-up) to indicate a full head shot on a character’s face or extreme focus a particular item on scene.
• PULL BACK to indicate the camera to move back from close focus to reveal the entire scene.

5. CHARACTER AND DIALOGUE - 4” from the left edge, ALL CAPS for Character, 3” from left, 2” from right for the Dialogue.

JENNY
So you want to kiss me, Chris? You
want or you don’t?

6. PARENTHETICALS - Align within dialogue

The Parenthetical describes manner of how a character delivers particular lines of dialogue and or other instruction. This is also optional. Give the actors work, let them do their job to interpret the dialogue best within context.

JENNY
(sweet)
So you want to kiss me, Chris? (off his
shrug) You want or you don’t?

Other common parentheticals:

• (O.S.) - off-screen, to indicate that the dialogue is delivered by a character but the character isn’t in the immediate vicinity of the scene or in camera focus.
• (V.O.) - voice over, to indicate that the dialogue is used as narration or a character’s internal conversation.
• (filtered) – used for dialogue that’s transmitted through electronic devices such as telephones and tape recorders.
• (cont’d) – used to continue a dialogue that’s interrupted by a page break or an action paragraph.

7. TRANSITIONS - ALL CAPS, align with right margin

Transition indicates to an editor how one scene ends and the other begins. This is not necessary to include but can be useful.

Examples:

CUT TO:
DISSOLVE TO:
FADE TO BLACK.
FADE TO WHITE.
FADE IN/ FADE OUT.

Prepared by DM Judilla. This article is part of an ongoing series on discussion about independent filmmaking, the education and its experiences.