What Does a Screenplay Look Like?

A screenplay is written in 12-point Courier on US letter paper. It uses scene headings (INT. or EXT., location, time of day), action lines in present tense, character names in capitals above dialogue, and wide margins. One formatted page equals roughly one minute of screen time.

• 12-point Courier keeps the one-page-per-minute rule consistent.
• Describe only what the audience can see and hear.
• Leave camera directions to the director.

A sample page

Here is a short scene in standard format. Every element on it is explained below.

Scene headings

Every scene starts with a scene heading, also called a slugline. It tells the reader three things: whether we are inside (INT.) or outside (EXT.), where we are, and roughly when. Day and night are the most common times. Use INT./EXT. for scenes that move between the two, such as a car pulling out of a garage.

A new scene heading means a new location or a jump in time. If a character walks from the kitchen into the hallway, that is a new scene.

Action lines

Action lines describe what we see and hear, in present tense. Keep paragraphs to three or four lines so the page stays readable. When a character appears for the first time, write their name in capitals, followed by an age range, as with MAYA (30s) above.

A reader cannot see thoughts, so a screenplay shows them through behavior. Instead of writing that Leo is reluctant, the sample shows him keep eating and slide the page back.

Character names and dialogue

The speaking character's name sits in capitals, indented to roughly the middle of the page, with their dialogue in a narrower column below it. Write dialogue the way people talk, with interruptions and short sentences, rather than the way people write.

Extensions after the name tell the reader where the voice comes from. (V.O.) means voice-over, such as narration or a phone call. (O.S.) means off-screen: the character is in the scene but we cannot see them. (CONT'D) means the same character keeps talking after a line of action.

Parentheticals

A parenthetical is a short direction in brackets under the character name, such as (reading) or (quietly). Use it only when the line would be misread without it. Actors and directors prefer to find the tone themselves, so most pages have none or one.

Transitions

Transitions such as CUT TO: and DISSOLVE TO: sit at the right edge of the page. Modern spec scripts use very few of them, because a new scene heading already tells the reader we have cut. FADE IN: at the start and FADE OUT. at the end are still common.

Fonts, margins and length

The standard is 12-point Courier on US letter paper. The left margin is about 1.5 inches to leave room for binding, and the right margin is about 1 inch. Dialogue starts about 2.5 inches from the left edge, and character names about 3.7 inches. Page numbers go in the top right corner, starting on page two.

Screenwriting software applies all of these settings for you. A feature usually runs 90 to 120 pages, a one-hour TV drama 50 to 60, and a short film anything up to about 30.

The title page

The title page has the title in capitals, centred about a third of the way down, with "Written by" and your name beneath it. Your contact details go in the bottom left corner. Leave off dates, draft numbers and copyright notices on scripts you send to readers or competitions.

Write only what can be seen or heard

This is the rule that most separates a screenplay from a novel. If the audience cannot see it or hear it, it does not belong in the action lines. Backstory, inner thoughts and explanations of motive need to come out through what characters do and say.

Leave the camera to the director

Spec scripts rarely include shot directions like CLOSE ON, PAN or ANGLE ON. You can still guide what the audience notices through how you write the action. A short line on its own, such as "Her hand is shaking.", tells the reader where to look without naming a shot.

Common formatting mistakes

Long blocks of action that read like prose. Camera directions on every page. Parentheticals under most lines of dialogue. Scene headings that are missing day or night. Changing fonts or margins to hit a page count. Readers notice all of these within the first few pages, and software will catch most of them for you.

Questions

Do I have to use Courier?

Yes, for anything you send to readers or competitions. The fixed-width font is what keeps page count tied to screen time.

Is TV script format different?

Hour-long dramas use nearly the same format as features. Some multi-camera sitcoms use a different format with double-spaced dialogue and capitalized action.

How many pages is a short film script?

Most short film scripts are five to fifteen pages. Festivals and competitions often prefer shorts under fifteen minutes, which is about fifteen pages.

Where can I read real screenplays?

Studios publish many scripts during awards season, and sites such as Simply Scripts and the BBC Writersroom have free libraries of produced screenplays.

Related course: Screenwriting 101