I've been spending a lot of time searching the forums and I am getting so much good information! I just have a quick formatting question for tv scripts and scripts in general: Is it ever appropriate to follow the scene heading with the list of characters in the scene, perhaps underneath between parenthesis?
formatting - list characters in scenes?
- Thread starter Kitara
- Start date
Actually listing characters at the beginning of the scene is a common practice for some sitcoms - if the show is shot in front of a live audience.
There are other formatting differences for these scripts - i.e. the dialogue may be double spaced and new scenes begin on new pages. But different shows have different formatting rules.
If you are writing a spec script for TV show you should try to get your hands on a script for that show. Final Draft has script templates for dozens of seires and you may be able to find some online.
Some good sites:
http://sites.google.com/site/tvwriting/bibles
http://208.69.125.106/~dailyscr/tv.html
http://www.zen134237.zen.co.uk/
There are other formatting differences for these scripts - i.e. the dialogue may be double spaced and new scenes begin on new pages. But different shows have different formatting rules.
If you are writing a spec script for TV show you should try to get your hands on a script for that show. Final Draft has script templates for dozens of seires and you may be able to find some online.
Some good sites:
http://sites.google.com/site/tvwriting/bibles
http://208.69.125.106/~dailyscr/tv.html
http://www.zen134237.zen.co.uk/
Kitara, you also see character lists and one-phrase bios in theatrical plays. Example:
GREG KELLER....An actor nearing 50 whose looks are fading fast
BEN LEVY...A successful theatrical agent in his 30s, more interested in his percentage than his clients
Maryn, play reader
GREG KELLER....An actor nearing 50 whose looks are fading fast
BEN LEVY...A successful theatrical agent in his 30s, more interested in his percentage than his clients
Maryn, play reader
I would suspect that it really depends on a few factors.
If your already writing on a show and it has that format. I would have to guess the answer is yes.
If you are writing a TV spec to try to get a job...I would say it's a toss up.
To be safe though, just go with a no.
If your already writing on a show and it has that format. I would have to guess the answer is yes.
If you are writing a TV spec to try to get a job...I would say it's a toss up.
To be safe though, just go with a no.
An additional point
DevelopmentExec answered the question.
Maryn is talking about the Cast List, which is part of the "preliminary" pages of a stage play. You can find discussions of preliminary pages at these links:
VCU Playwriting Seminars
Playwriting 101
If you read much about playwriting (as opposed to screenwriting), you will find that the rules are much more relaxed, so don't be perplexed when you discover one person saying one thing and somebody else saying something different on the subject.
A final point, if only for educational purposes. In playwriting, you may encounter "French scenes" — scenes that list the characters who are on stage. Every time there is an entrance or an exit, you have a new scene. This format is not common, as far as I know, but I guess it is sometimes used.
DevelopmentExec answered the question.
Maryn is talking about the Cast List, which is part of the "preliminary" pages of a stage play. You can find discussions of preliminary pages at these links:
VCU Playwriting Seminars
Playwriting 101
If you read much about playwriting (as opposed to screenwriting), you will find that the rules are much more relaxed, so don't be perplexed when you discover one person saying one thing and somebody else saying something different on the subject.
A final point, if only for educational purposes. In playwriting, you may encounter "French scenes" — scenes that list the characters who are on stage. Every time there is an entrance or an exit, you have a new scene. This format is not common, as far as I know, but I guess it is sometimes used.
Thank you all! It's actually a spec script for a sitcom I created and have a couple episodes for. I don't live in Hollywood and have received feedback that it would be impossible to get someone to look at it (something about they only look at new script ideas from existing writers they have), I have decided to enter it into a few contests.
But since I've seen it mentioned a few times about writing a spec script for existing shows... now I'm wondering if it would be worth my time to try that as well. I always have ideas for existing characters on existing shows when I watch them so perhaps that is something else I can explore once I send one this sitcom idea out to a few contests.
thanks again!
But since I've seen it mentioned a few times about writing a spec script for existing shows... now I'm wondering if it would be worth my time to try that as well. I always have ideas for existing characters on existing shows when I watch them so perhaps that is something else I can explore once I send one this sitcom idea out to a few contests.
thanks again!
It is common in Australian soups- but I've heard it's less common in the US.
If you have 'Final Draft', check out the template for 'Mcleod's Daughters' (an Aussie soap/drama) in your 'Templates' directory - it lists the characters in each scene.
That's because even if someone doesn't have dialogue you still want to know if they are in the scene ... otherwise it would be simple enough to stuff up and have a regular there in a scene where they should be somewhere else. And you don't want to have to say 'the receptionist is at the desk like normal' at the start of every frigging scene.
It reduces stuff-ups. In expensive US shows like CSI, they film only about four minutes of final footage per shooting day, and have a $1.9 million budget for below-the-line, so they can afford to examine everything in detail. But on our local soapies they are filming about 20 minutes of footage per day - with a total budget of about $80k per episode ... so it would be easy enough to stuff something up with the rush with fewer staff !.
Mac
Last edited: