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Explaining Here: How to format A Screenplay

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Explaining Here: How to format A Screenplay

You might often wonder how the directors are formatted a Movie script, especially such doubt might be higher, If you are a person haven’t worked a film set yet before. A script must be look wise clutter- less and it should be easily understandable for every crew members. To maintain this easiness, you must follow some globally accepted parameters in scriptwriting, here it is.

However in scriptwriting software’s this writing format is auto enabled; over there you don’t need to format the script manually. Let’s pause that topic for a while 

Below Here, we are detailing about Movie scriptwriting format that is followed by the Scriptwriters and Filmmakers.

Script/Screenplay- Page Aligning Format

  1. Systematically the screenplays are writing on 8 1/2″ x 11″ white left side 3 hole punched paper.
  2. Page Numbers must be marked on the top left hand header side. It should be positioned 3.8 cm (147 px) far away from the margin.
  3. There is no needed to add page number on the Title page . Title page is assumed as “0” 
  4. Courier 12 Font-the internationally accepted font- is used for digital script writing
  5. The Top margin of the script should be .6’’(1.524 Cm) and the bottom margin should left a space of 1” (2.54cm).The right margin is between 1.3” (3.302 Cm) and 1.7” (4.49Cm ). The left margin is between 1.2 ‘’ (3.048)and 1.3’’(3.307 cm)
  6. In between a scene description to dialogue, the space is in between (0.33”) 0.85 cm to 0.33” (0.89).
Script writing format

Script Writing Format {Top= 1.524 cm, Bottom 2.54 cm:

Title Page Format of A Movie Script/Screenplay

This following information must be add on the forefront page, of your script

a) Title Of the Movie – The title of the movie should appear on line 25 (3.6 cm/1.41”) . Always. it must write in Caps letters and aligned in the centre of the page.

b) Below to that, add a centred text “Written By”; it should be aligned  4 lines(0.90”/2.30 cm) below the title text.

c) Thereafter, add the writer’s name below the script, this must be positioned on line 32 (from top ) (1.63 cm/0.63”)

D) Below that tab, you can add the registration details and the copyright notification of the script. This must be placed 163” (413) above from the page break.

E) In the lower right hand side corner i.e. exactly 213 Cm (83.8”) from the bottom page break, you can add the contact information of the script writer

Script Writing format

Movie Script Title page Format

Screenplay writing Format -content

General: The page aligning format is same as previously explained.  But there are lots of glossaries coming on this section; before starting to write further, you must be familiar with those glossaries. 

  • Fade In – A common term that used in the beginning of almost all scripts. Fade-in is a technique whereby a visual is gradually come into view from the zero level.
  • Fade Out – An unusual term that you occasionally mentioned in Film scripts.  This is a dissolving effect; here the scene disappears into a black.
  • EXT – EXT is the notation denotes the term Exterior; As the name Implies it is an action happens outdoor locations. Alongside, a script writer denote detailed description where the story happens in EXT (Exterior-)  Eg: EXT Railway station, Day (Here, anyone can understand this format i.e. the story is happening at railway station on day time)

EXT Text Position: 2.5”(6.35 cm) to 7.8” (19.812cm) from the right ending of the page

  • INT – INT is the notation denotes the term Interior; The scenes that are took place on the interior of studio floors, mansions or any such.

          Eg: INT ; Universal Film production studio Set, Day; The scene took place on day time at Universal Film                       production studio Set.

INT Text Position: 2.5”(6.35 cm) to 7.8” (19.812cm) from the right ending of the page.

 Content

 Scene Description;

Now the script writer elaborates the action that took place on that particular location. A vivid explanation is quite important, if the director is itself not a scriptwriter in that movie.

Example Of a Scene Description: Vincent’s attention goes to the window, out which are streams of energy vehicles… looks to the airspace, filled with LAPD and news Helicopter.

Character Name;

It must aligned in the centre of the page. The row gap between the scene description and the character name is 0.32”. Character name must be aligned on the centre of the page and it positioned 3.2”( 8.128 CM) from the left side of the page.

Eg: Vincent    

(Here VINCENT is the character name that we aligned at the Centre Position)

Parenthetical Expression ;

Parenthetical is the present expression or feeling of the concerned characters. This text is aligned below the character name, and it positioned 3.2” to 5.2” from the left side of the page. However, based on the text size, the writer must align until it fix on the centre.

                                                                                            Eg:Vincent

                                                             (Ignoring Him):

 Here the phrase “Ignoring Him” is called Parenthetical Expression

 Dialogue:

It should be positioned from the left side at a distance of 2.7”(6.8 cm) to 5.3” (13.7).

Cut To/ Continue/Fade To–

These are terms transition terms that denoted in the end of the each scene.

Cut To – Means cut to the next scene,

Continue –Means the scene activity is Continuing and on the consecutive scenes the action will continue as by- scenes

Fade To – It means the image slowly disappears from the scene and gradually re-appears in the next shot

– Thanks For Reading-

 Tag: Film script format 

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3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. Pingback: 20 – 30th NOV 2015 46th INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OF INDIA (IFFI) | cin11site

  2. Freddy

    May 8, 2016 at 8:41 pm

    In Replay to- How to Format a Screenplay. Well written, worthy than other Indie-Filmmaking websites like Indiehustle, indiefilmmaking etc . So, please do update regularly

     
  3. Rockyy

    January 12, 2017 at 8:43 am

    Hii

     

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