Screenplay formatting, measured.
Every example is set the way a script is.
How to format a screenplay
Screenplay format, measured: 12 point Courier on US Letter, a 1.5 inch left margin, and where every element sits on the page, with examples.
Read the guideScene headings
How to write a screenplay scene heading: INT. or EXT., the location, sub-locations and the time of day, with examples and the mistakes to avoid.
Read the guideDialogue and parentheticals
How dialogue is formatted in a screenplay: character cues, parentheticals, (V.O.), (O.S.) and (CONT'D), with the exact indents and examples.
Read the guidePage count and running time
One screenplay page is about one minute on screen. Typical page counts for features, one-hour and half-hour TV, and what makes a page run long or short.
Read the guideMontages and series of shots
How to write a montage in a screenplay: the heading, one line for each shot, how to end it, and how a series of shots differs, with an example.
Read the guideV.O., O.S. and O.C.
What V.O., O.S. and O.C. mean in a screenplay, how to write them after a character name, and which to use for narration, phone calls and voices in the next room.
Read the guideTitle page
What goes on a screenplay title page and where: the title, the writer's name, contact details and draft date, with the conventions for specs, adaptations and TV.
Read the guideTransitions
How to format screenplay transitions such as CUT TO:, FADE IN: and DISSOLVE TO:, where they go on the page, and why most modern scripts use few of them.
Read the guideTV pilot length and acts
How many pages a half-hour or one-hour TV pilot script runs, how teasers and act breaks are laid out, and where practice varies between network, cable and streaming.
Read the guideFountain format
Fountain is a plain-text format for screenplays. The basic syntax for scene headings, dialogue, transitions and the title page, and how First Page opens and exports it.
Read the guideFlashbacks and dream sequences
How to format a flashback, a dream or a memory in a screenplay: marking it in the scene heading, handling a run of scenes, and getting back to the present.
Read the guideIntercut and phone calls
How to write a phone call in a screenplay: when to use INTERCUT, how to set up both locations, and when the other speaker gets a V.O.
Read the guide(MORE) and (CONT'D)
What (MORE) and (CONT'D) mean in a screenplay, when a character cue gets a CONT'D, and which of them screenwriting software adds for you.
Read the guide
Let the format take care of itself.
First Page sets every element as you type.
macOS 14 or newer, on Apple silicon and Intel.