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.
The elements of a page
A scene heading, also called a slugline, says where and when a scene takes place. Action lines describe what we see. The character name appears in capitals, with dialogue beneath it. Parentheticals and transitions are used sparingly.
Fonts, margins and length
The standard is 12-point Courier, a left margin of about 1.5 inches, and dialogue set in a narrower column in the middle of the page. Screenwriting software applies these settings automatically. A feature typically runs 90 to 120 pages.
Write only what can be seen or heard
Action lines are short and in present tense. A reader cannot see a character’s thoughts, so a screenplay shows them through behavior and dialogue. Paragraphs of three or four lines keep the page easy to read.
Leave the camera to the director
Spec scripts rarely include shot directions like CLOSE ON or PAN. You can suggest what the audience notices through how you write the action, without directing the camera.
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.
Related course: Screenwriting 101