How do you properly format a script?

When characters are introduced for the first time their names get capped, I believe this is to draw attention to them so the producer/casting director can more easily estimate number of actors required, or somesuch logic.

Why random words are sometimes capped is one of the universe's great mysteries but I believe it has to do with either drawing the reader's attention to something important, and/or subtly suggesting a camera shot, e.g. and just for fun's sake,

Fred opens the drawer. Inside, a bloody KNIFE. Fred GASPS in surprise.

...Spec screenwriters aren't supposed to use camera directions, that's the director's domain, but in the above example capping KNIFE suggests the camera ought to zoom on the drawer to see the knife and the blood, while GASPS suggests a close shot of Fred's surprised expression. That's my theory anyway.

In the Pulp Fiction script, by capping BARRELS methinks the writer may have intended a shot of the Chevy Nova zooming down the road, kicking up dust. Again, that's my theory. When you're Tarantino you can write your script any way you damn well please!

In the good old days before PCs, screenwriters used typewriters and manually set their tabs to conform to industry standard. I've heard tell that they learned that standard by buying copies of screenplays and measuring spacing with a wooden ruler.

Nowadays software is available that does all the hard work for you. You can download trial versions for the following industry standard products, each of which will go some way to teaching you correct format as you write. (Some function may be limited, e.g. you can only save 15 or so pages, printed pages will have a TRIAL VERSION watermark, etc.)

Movie Magic
Final Draft
Sophocles

...You might also take time to read their onboard help panels and tutorials.

I haven't tried it myself yet, but recently a couple of folks have said good things about this software:

Celtx

If you're a Microsoft Word user, screenwriting templates are available here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scriptsmart/

Some other miscellaneous screenwriting info, if you don't already know:

Check out Absolute Write's own screenwriting page.

If you don't already, visit screenwriter Bill Martell's Script Secrets site every day to soak up Bill's screenwriting tips. Take a look at the various links to classes, seminars, CDs, blue books, etc. Bill has also made many of his produced scripts available for educational purposes.

Site link removed per request of other site's Webmaster

Visit the following sites to download free-for-educational-purposes screenplays. Pick your top 100 favorite movies, read the scripts and discover how the words translated to the images and dialogue you loved!

http://www.script-o-rama.com
http://www.simplyscripts.com
http://www.imsdb.com

The following how-to books have been recommended by various members (listed in no particular order of preference):

The Screenwriter's Bible by David Trottier
Screenplay by Syd Field
Story by Jim McKee

Hope it helps! And welcome!

-Derek
Derek's Web Page - stories, screenplays, novels, insanity.

Geez D

Leave something for the rest of us!

Oh wait, you did!

INT. the inside (interior) of anything. INT. CAVE , INT. CAR , INT. MIKE'S HOUSE, INT. DRAGONS BELLY.

EXT. the outside (exterior) of anything. EXT. CAVE , EXT. MIKE'S YARD, etc.

Always ALL CAP a new character the first time they are introduced.
Sound effects are ALL CAPPED but use them sparingly. You don't want the script to look like a comic stript SPALT! BAM! POW! BANG! BOOM!

Keep action/description paragraphs to five lines or less.

Format in Microsoft word.
Left margin should be 1.5 inches wide. (this leaves room for brass brads, 2 not 3) Right margin should be 1 inch.
Dialog is at 2.5,
parenthecticals [how the line is delivered] (wryly) placed underneath the character name at 3. [use these very sparingly.]
Character name is ALL CAPS at 3.5

Single space all dialog, action and description.

Double space before and after a slug line which is your location identifier.

EXT. MIKE'S YARD - DAY

Mike stares at the toilet paper dripping from his prize winning trees.


Yeah, check out Site link removed per request of other site's Webmaster
Get some books.
Read over the message boards.
And ask questions.
We'll help you out.

Welcome to the boards!

If you're a first timer I wouldn't use a Tarantino script to base your format on. Tarantino breaks almost every rule in the book, but he can because he's Tarantino and he knows the rules well enough to know how to break them and still make it work.

Check out script-o-rama.com. I recommend MIDNIGHT RUN, it has pretty much textbook structure. WITNESS is also a good script to read as many of the major books use it as an example.

stuff it. i've been looking back over some of my scripts, and i noticed my macro for the slugs had mysteriously gone SNAFU, giving me just a single spacing before. having sorted that tho, on my double-checking to make sure everything was right, i've noticed that most sites say you should double space AFTER a slug too, before the action description. bugger. my macro doesn't do this, and none of my scripts are like this. i've noticed, however, a lot of scripts on the net don't have this either.
So : how critical is it? worth messing about with my macros, if possible? or don't fret over it?

TIA

Double space after a slug? Not quite sure what you mean. I have 2 blank lines before sluglines and 1 blank line after.

Methinks my reply above (from 2005! where did the time go?!) is a forerunner to the stickied tips thread, which has links to a couple of solid screenplay formatting guides.

-Derek

Ron Maiden, if there's any way you can get yer hands on a copy of Final Draft, DO IT. It does ALLLLLLL the work FOR you.

...As do several other software packages, some of 'em free, all listed in the tips thread. (I'm not allergic to FD, but it's not the only one out there... and aspiring screenwriters are under no obligation to pay $$$s for software when functional freebie alternatives exist.)

-Derek

"Ron Maiden, if there's any way you can get yer hands on a copy of Final Draft, DO IT. It does ALLLLLLL the work FOR you."
well, i use ScreenPro97 which does too, it was cheap (agree with dpaterson, some of the packages are vastly overpriced IMHO) and i love it : the "problem" is not exactly with the word processors, it's with all the conflicting opinions out there as to what is the "industry standard" format. the more i look around, the more i feel confused.

eg : http://www.scriptologist.com/Magazine/Formatting/formatting.html says "Leave a two-line space following the scene heading before writing your scene description." (which is what i was on about above), but http://www.oscars.org/nicholl/script.pdf etc appear to have single blank lines after the slugs.
alternately, that Nicholl one has no hyphens separating the time indicator in the slugs, most everwhere else says you should have them.

...so, in short, would i mostly be right in assuming that the most important thing in a format is the margin/tabs (which 99% of sites seem to agree on) and the rest is somewhat less set in stone? as long as your script is generally following the formatted style (ie, you haven't done something completely whacky to be original), is consistent and readable, it won't get sneered at and thrown back in the slush pile?

it may seem i'm fretting over nothing, but i'm a relative newbie to all this, and there seem to be some real horro stories out there as to what we're up against in the genereal scheme of things as regards to getting someone just reading us, never mind buying/optioning, and the more i can do to prevent alienating someone against my script, the better. also, this two spaces before and after etc can potentially affect the page length of a script.

thanks again.

I seriously wouldn't angst about this (or the dozens of other little things aspiring screenwriters angst about). Any close approximation to the (non-existent/mythical) universal screenplay standard will do fine.

Me, I'll stick with...

INT. SOMEWHERE - DAY
<blank line>
First action line in this scene.
<blank line>
Last action line in this scene.
<blank line>
<blank line>
EXT. SOMEWHERE ELSE - NIGHT
<blank line>
First action line in this scene.
<blank line>
etc.

One, because I see it in so many screenplays, and two, because that's my software's default (Movie Magic), ditto the demo version of Final Draft I have installed.

-Derek

the most important thing about "industry standard" is the content on the page. if the content is amazing then no one will care so much about the formatting which is easily fixed... as opposed to a poorly written script which is not easily fixed.