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The thing is, a lot of aspiring writers develop the itch to write a movie or TV show, but often don't know the format, leaving them searching for the next step. Well, let me see if I can't get you started.
Before we get too much into the individual format of the film and one-hour TV drama setup (which are similar), it's important to know the terminology of scriptwriting, and how those parts work.
SCENE HEADINGS / SLUG LINES – These are important and must appear in a script. They give the reader a quick view of where they are and when they’re there. A SLUG LINE looks like this: (Only not in bold, and not blue
)EXT. MIKE’S HOUSE – DAY
INT. APARTMENT – NIGHT
We have three parts to look at here. The fist part – the EXT / INT part – tells us where we are... outside or inside. INT. stands for interior; EXT. stands for exterior. The second part tells us the specific location. In other words:
EXT. MIKE’S HOUSE -- means we’re outside of Mike’s house.
INT. APARTMENT -- means we’re inside an apartment.
The third part tells what time of the day it is. DAY, NIGHT, MORNING, DAWN, ect. This part is not meant to (but can) give specific times, but it’s mostly just a quick overview. So:
EXT. MIKE’S HOUSE – DAY -- means we’re outside Mike’s house during the day.
What if you want to be more specific with your location? I mean an apartment can have a kitchen and a bedroom, right? Of course, so if you want to be more specific and tell where in a place someone is, you simply do this:
INT. APARTMENT - KITCHEN – NIGHT
Now we know where in the apartment we are.
SLUG LINES are always typed out in this order. It’s always INT / EXT first, location and specific location second, and the general time of day third. Slug Lines are also always capitalized.
MINI SUG LINES – This is a little more advanced, but nice to know. Sometime a full SLUG LINE is a bit overkill, so instead of using a complete SLUG LINE, you can use a MINI SLUG LINE. For example, if someone is in the kitchen of an apartment and then walks into the living room, you could simply use a MINI SLUG LINE to convey the movement from one room to the next. Like this:
INT. APARTMENT - KITCHEN – NIGHT Joe grabs a jug of Milk from the refrigerator. He pours himself a glass, puts the milk back in the frig, then makes his way to-- THE LIVING ROOM And takes a seat on the couch.
THE LIVING ROOM is the mini slug line. It would be overkill to write out a full SLUG LINE for a simple movement such as moving from one room to the next. These are also always capped.
ACTION LINES – Now, off the subject of Slug Lines and onto Action Lines. ACTION LINES are just what the name implies... you use them to tell the action. You can also use them to give quick (I stress quick) descriptions of your characters as we meet them. Example:
MIKE, 20s, handsome, stands in line with a basket of
groceries in hand.
ACTION LINES, I must stress, are not used for telling a character’s inner thoughts or story exposition that can’t be seen on screen; ACTION LINES are for telling the action. Those whom are used to writing in prose style (short stories, novels, ect.) may find the transition difficult at times. It’s tempting to write what a character is thinking, or giving background info that can’t be translated to visuals, but scriptwriting is a visual style of writing, and inner thoughts are not action; therefore, don’t translate on screen. Action Lines need not be capped, only SOUNDS are usually capped, and sometime writers choose to cap important parts.
CHARACTER CUES / CHARACTER NAMES – First we’ll discuss Character Cues. A Character Cue is used, as you most likely know, before dialogue. A Character Cue lets the reader know which character is about to speak. Example:
MIKE Hey, Joe! What's up? JOE Not much. Going to the store.
See? Simple, isn’t it?
Now, Character NAMES are a little different, in my book. For the most part it’s like this:
Mike grabs a doughnut and takes a bite.
However, the first time you introduce a character in the action lines of your script, you must CAPITALIZE their name. That’s the only time you have to cap a person’s name in the action lines; however, CHARACTER CUES have to be capped every time.
DIALOGUE – This is fairly simple. You simply place dialogue under the Character Cue.
EXTENSIONS – There are several extensions to know.
V.O – V.O stands for VOICE OVER. A Voice Over means a character is speaking, but they’re not present in the scene. A good example of this is, for example, when a narrator is talking to us, the audience, telling us a story of something. Or take Season 6 of Buffy where Willow is talking to the gang telepathically while on patrol. We could hear Willow speaking, but she wasn’t speaking physically; it was mentally. That’s an example of a Voice Over, also. A Voice Over is basically used when a character is speaking, but the voice is not being physically projected from the person or from within the scene. Here’s an example:
EXT. GOLD KINGDOM – DAY The Kingdom is a glorious sight to behold. It’s a mass of brilliantly crafted concrete, stone and gold, shimmering in the hot, gleaming sun of the day. MAN (V.O) Once upon a time in a kingdom far, far away, there lived a princess.
What we see in the above is that someone is talking while we’re looking in on the kingdom, which means he’s speaking, but not actually physically in the scene. He’s speaking from somewhere else, in so many words. This is a Voice Over.
O.S – more often then not, new screenwriters mix this up with the idea of the Voice Over, and it’s because it’s a little tricky to figure out at first. O.S stands for OFF SCREEN. This means that the character is physically in the scene, and is physically speaking; it’s just that we can’t see them while they’re do it. In short, the best example to give is when, for example, a character is talking to another character that is in a different room. For example:
INT. HOUSE – LIVING ROOM – DAY Mike and Joe sit happily on the couch. Mike gets up and heads for the BATHROOM, shutting the door behind him. Joe thumbs through a newspaper. JOE Hey, Bob's having a sale at the lot today. Wanna head on over later on? MIKE (O.S) Sure.
You see, Mike is in the scene and talking, but we can’t see him because he’s in the bathroom. When he speaks, he’s speaking Off Screen, meaning he’s not visible to us, even though he is there in the house and part of the physical scene. I know this sounds confusing, but it gets easier with practice.
CONT’D – This is short for CONTINUED. What this does is let the reader know that a character’s dialogue is continuing after having been broken up by an Action Line. I know, it probably sounds confusing, but it’s actually pretty simple. It works like this:
MIKE Now, we can play this game all night, or we... The Thug turns, tries to run. Mike grabs him by the collar. MIKE (CONT'D) Can do it this way instead.
See, it simply means that Mike's dialogue continues after the action line. It’s not major, and is sort of falling out of practice in Hollywood, but it’s nice to know the rule anyway.
Basically, that’s about it for EXTENSIONS. They don't need to be capped, but usually are.
PARENTHETICALS – Parentheticals are used to tell the reader how dialogue is delivered... emotionally. It’s placed directly under the Character Cue.
MIKE (Annoyed) The car isn't working!
Because of the parenthetical, we now know that Mike is saying what he says in a tone that suggests he’s annoyed. I do stress, however, to watch the number of parentheticals you use. Only use parentheticals when a character’s tone isn’t clear based on the way the dialogue is written. There are exceptions, of course.
Parentheticals can also be used to convey small (I stress small) amounts of action. For example:
MAN (Reveals a Lighter) Let me light that for you.
YOU SHOULD NOT, I repeat, SHOULD NOT do the following:
MAN (He takes out a lighter, flicks it open, and lights the guy's cig) Let me light that for you.
Again, use only SMALL amounts of action.
Parentheticals can also be used to clarify to whom a character is speaking to if there are several characters or more in a scene. For example, if Angel is talking to Spike and then turns his attention to, lets say Wesley; it would look something like this.
ANGEL Not now, Spike! (To Wes) As I was saying...
SHOT DIRECTIONS – Let me start by saying you aren’t going to be using these very often, if at all. You may use the occasional CLOSE UP / CLOSE ON or ANGLE every so often, but not very much. Shot Directions are used mainly in Shooting Scripts, not in Spec Scripts, which is what you’ll mostly be writing. If you use a shot direction, only use it if it truly does enhance the visual experience. Shot directions look like this:
FADE IN: CLOSE ON: A pair of EYES. Female. They’re a bright blue, uncanny bright. They belong to-- INT. VIOLET’S BEDROOM - DAY VIOLET -- 20’s, pretty, shoulder length hair.
The "CLOSE ON" is a shot direction. It's telling the director where to put the camera. Most directors don't like to be told where to put the camera on a regular bases. Equally, they don't like to be told how to move the camera. A lot of aspiring writers tend to write what they’re seeing in their mind, so they try to describe the camera movements. Again: small doses. The job of the writer is to tell the story, not direct it... unless they actually are directing it, and then this stuff will come out in the shooing script. They're always capped.
TRANSITIONS – Transitions are another aspect of scriptwriting you won’t be using very much, only when it’ll help enhance the visual experience of the scene. Transitions move us from scene to scene, but in Spec writing, you only use it when it helps set a visual tone. Some common Transition terms are: CUT TO, DISSOLVE TO, WIDEN TO REVEAL, WIPE TO, SMASH CUT TO, FADE OUT, BLACK OUT, and FADE IN. It gets confusing fast, so to make it easy, you’ll mostly only use FADE IN, FADE OUT, or BLACK OUT. Once you, as a writer, understand how all these terms are used, feel free to play around a bit with them, but never over do it. Transitions look something like this:
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CATWALK, the blue door swings open. Guards pile in and spread out. Examine the scene. They don’t notice-- IN THE RESERVOIR, bubbles are forming on the liquid surface. FADE TO BLACK: SUPER: "Present Day" FADE INTO: INT. ANGEL'S HOTEL - NIGHT Angel sits in his office, thumbing through some papers.
Use Transitions only if it really does set a certain visual tone you simply just cannot convey without using one. However, you’ll almost always start your script with a FADE IN, and end it with a FADE OUT or FADE TO BLACK. They're always capped.
SUPERIMPOSED TITLE – You just saw an example of this above. This is also known as simply SUPER. You know when a show or movie shows a year or date on the screen, or maybe a location or quote? That’s what a Superimposed Title is. A Superimposed Title is simply words that appear on screen. The opening quotes at the beginning of each Andromeda episode are an example of a Superimposed Title.
MONTAGE / SERIES OF SHOTS -- Once upon a time these used to be considered different things, but now they’re pretty much interchangeable. A Montage is used to show a series of events taking place over a period of time, such as lovers meeting, walking in the park, eating ice cream, and getting married. This is usually accompanied by music playing in the background. I’m sure you’ve all seen something similar to this many times. A Series of Shots is pretty much the same; the only difference is that a series of shots is taking place during a particular event in one location. For example: alien ships appear over the Statue of Liberty, people on the island panic, the ship fires at the Statue of Liberty and blows it up, and so on. Don’t worry yourself over the minor differences. In either case, there are different ways to write them, but here are a couple of examples.
BEGIN MONTAGE: 1. Mark and Jane meet. Love at first site 2. They go to the park, to an ice cream shop, dance club, and other places to do other activities with each other. 3. It’s their wedding day. Both look happy as they pull away in their car, a “Just Married” sign attached to the window. END MONTAGE
Equally, a Montage can also be written like this:
BEGIN MONTAGE: THE CITY A) Various shots. Aerial panning and whipping past buildings, taking in the magnitude of the city’s size. People walking the streets; shopping; working; driving. The rich eating well, the poor dig through trash, and then-- B) THE WEST SIDE HIGHWAY Alice TEARS down the highway at a breakneck speed, masterfully weaving through traffic. END MONTAGE
The idea is to simply write the Montage or Series of Shots clearly.
POINT OF VIEW – POV, or POINT OF VIEW, is simply when we’re looking through the eyes of one of the characters. We see what they see. It looks like this:
WILLOW’S POV: Buffy and Angel lovingly embracing each
other.
That's about it for the terminology, now on to the more specifics.
The margins for the film and one-hour TV drama formats are identical.
Action Lines -- Left Margin of 1.5 inches, Right Margin of 1 inch
Slug Lines -- L. of 1.5", R. of 1"
Character Cues -- L. of 3.5", R. of 2"
Parentheticals -- L. of 3", R. of 3.5"
Dialogue -- L. of 2.5", R. of 3"
Shot Directions -- L. of 1.5", R. 1"
Transitions -- L. or 5.5". R. 1"
Act Numbers -- If used, they're centered.
Sounds confusing, doesn't it? It's not that bad once you get going. Not to mention the margins don't have to be pinpoint exact, just as long as the script looks like a script, and the margins are generally right. On top of that, there is software out there that will properly format these margins for you. Professional programs will run into the $100+ range, but there are free scriptwriting templates that work with the various forms of Microsoft Word, which will format these things on the page for you at the simple click of an icon. My personal favorite is Script Smart Gold: U.S Edition, distributed for free by the BBC at: http://www.bbc.co.uk...m/scriptsmart/#
All scripts are written in present tense, never in past tense, never in future tense, but always, always, always in present tense. "Mark hits the ball," not, "Mark hit the ball," or, "Mark will hit the ball." The accepted word font is 12 point Courier. You can use Courier Final Draft font, plain Courier, even Courier 10 BT, most which you can download legally for free. If the font isn't Courier, it's the wrong font. That rule is pretty straightforward as well.
Now for the spacing:
Double space between a Slug Line and Action Line. Double space between an Action Line and Character Cue. Single space between a Character Cue and the Dialogue. If there is a Parenthetical before the dialogue, single space between the Character Cue and Parenthetical, then single space between the Parenthetical and the Dialogue. After the Dialogue, no matter what it is (Unless it's a Slug Line -- more later on that)... more action lines, Shot Direction, ect... double space. If you use a Shot Direction, Transition, or Superimposed Title after an Action Line, double space. If you use a Slug Line after anything -- Shot Direction, Dialogue, Action Line, Superimposed Title, ect. -- you can either double space or triple space. It's up to you.
Confused yet?
Again, there is software and templates out there that will do this for you, so don't freak out. And it always starts off confusing, as most things do, and becomes second nature once you've learned. Now for the more specifics in the two formats.
FILM
The film format follows a three-act structure. The acts are not labeled. Film scripts run anywhere from 90 to 122 pages, give or a take a few. The goal is to have your scripts fall somewhere in that area.
ONE-HOUR TV DRAMA
The one-hour TV drama format follows a four-act structure, with a teaser and an optional tag. All acts are labeled, including the teaser and tag. Most TV shows tend not to use a tag, and instead end the show when Act Four ends. These scripts run between 50 to 55 pages, give or take a few pages. The goal is to have your script fall somewhere in that area, though there are exceptions. Some shows use larger scripts, but unless you know, the rule of thumb is 50 to 55 pages.
After trying to decipher this, you're probably scratching your head, and I don't blame ya.
Well, the best way to learn the format, really, is to see it in action. With that said, here's a couple of examples to look at: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (Movie -- Early Draft: By Joss Whedon)
- http://www.dailyscri...ire_slayer.html
SLIDERS "REQUIEM" -- By Michael Reaves (Shooting Script)
- http://www.earth62.n...quiemscript.htm (Click on the page number to view the page)
Well, that's it for now. I kind of wrote this on a whim, so if anyone has anything to add, or sees something I missed, feel free to add it.
This post has been edited by Slipfighter: 12 October 2004 - 01:07 AM
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proud member of the Celtic Kelp... 7672.5 miles and counting 
Yeah, but I think they're treated as superimposed titles within the script... or at least they can be. 
