Moving Images, Understanding Media

104 Moving Images: Making Movies, Understanding Media

The Essentials of Screenplay Format

Motion picture scripts are designed to put all essential story information onto

the page so that the participants in the fi lmmaking process can use them

easily in the preparation and shooting of a motion picture. Th e three basic

components of screenplays are scene headings, action, and dialogue. From these

three sources of information, the reader can tell when a location or major time

change is indicated, the physical views and actions witnessed on the screen,

and words and important noises heard from characters or other audio sources.

Screenplays are written single spaced with a blank line in between scene

headings, action, and each separate piece of dialogue. Some of the parameters

of script format change depending on the type of production and the stage at

which the script exists in the development and production process.

Scene Heading

At the beginning of each scene in a movie is the scene heading (also commonly

called a slug line). Th is line of information in full capital letters begins with a

reference for interior or exterior (abbreviated INT. or EXT.), followed by an

indication of the location (dining room; school cafeteria; backyard garden;

and so forth). Finally, aft er a dash ( – ) there is a word or two to tell the time

of day or night (early morning; day; sunset; late night; and so on). In the

screenplay format prepared for production, the shooting script, the scene

headings begin with the scene number (1, 2, 3, etc.) at the far left and right.

For a short fi lm that will quickly go into production, this can be a useful

inclusion to make.

Action

Th e part of the script that tells us about the actions we observe and important

visual aspects of the world on the screen is the action (also called scene

directions or body copy). Action is a description of actions and important

stage directions, mood establishment for the scene, and key aspects of the

physical setting. It is written in the present tense in paragraph form stretching

from margin to margin on the page. When a character is introduced, his or

her name is in full caps. Traditionally, distinct noises, props, vehicles, and

special eff ects are also in full caps when introduced, although newer formats

sometimes drop this rule so there is less capitalization.

Dialogue

Th e third key aspect of a screenplay is the dialogue. First, the name of the

character who speaks the lines is placed in full caps on a single line of the script,

at about 2 inches inside the full margin. If there are brief acting directions

or other important information to the actor—called a parenthetical – that

one word or short indication is placed in parenthesis on the line below the

character’s name, at about 1½ inches from the left margin. If dialogue is

being spoken off -screen or through voice-over, this is also indicated using

parentheses next to the character name (O.S. or V.O.). On the next line beneath

the character name or any parenthetical, the actual dialogue spoken by that

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