Deus's One Minute Format Guide

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  • Deus's One Minute Format Guide

    DEUS'S ONE MINUTE FORMAT GUIDE


    Part I of III


    Format makes it easy to know at a glance what the characters are doing and saying.



    First rule of format: CLOSE IS CLOSE ENOUGH.



    Don't obsess over margins and measurements, indicated below in brackets.



    If it looks like script format - it is the right format.



    The following is not carved in stone, they are conventions.



    Some writers may have smaller or larger margins. Some writers may use more or less blank lines.



    It doesn't matter so long as you approximate the look of a script.



    Now that I have said what doesn't matter, I'll tell you what does matter. If you can tell at a glance that there is something wrong with the format, and readers have seen enough scripts to be able to do it, then you have a problem with your format.



    Readers aren't going to get out a ruler and measure your margins, but they can tell at a glance if there are easy to see sluglines, if the dialogue is centered and if the font is exceptionally small or big. This sends the message that you have not yet learned the basics of screenwriting so a reader can expect the same level of expertise with the higher and more complex aspects of craftsmanship.







    SLUGLINES

    Capitalized. Indicates where and when the action happens.

    Blank line
    (1.5") INT. LOCATION - DAY (1")
    Blank line


    INT = Interior

    EXT = exterior



    The first elements in a slugline (int/ext) indicate where the scene is perceived from, i.e. the location you imagine the camera or the audience's POV for the action.



    If you imagine seeing the action from outside of a car or house, it is EXT.



    If you imagine seeing the action from inside a car or house, it is INT.



    It doesn't matter if the car is a convertible or if the windows of the house are open, what matters is if the audience's POV is from INSIDE the structure/vessel/vehicle or from outside of the structure/vessel/vehicle.



    Next is the location of the action.



    Be specific, clear and concise.



    INT. JACK'S BEDROOM

    EXT. FRED'S CONVERTIBLE

    INT. KITCHEN



    Next comes the Time of Day (TOD). As a rule of thumb, it is always best to use either DAY or NIGHT regardless of if there is actually any natural light in the scene. Even in scenes where there is no natural sunrise and sunset like in space or deep underground, it helps to use day and night to keep track of the story's time line.



    DAY = Action occurring during the hours after DAWN and before DUSK, including sunrise, sunset and twilight. Basically any time when the sun's light might naturally be visible.



    NIGHT = Action occurring after DUSK and before DAWN. Basically any time the sun's light is not naturally visible.



    You can use SUNSET, SUNRISE, MORNING and AFTERNOON or leave the TOD off for those stories that do not have natural sunlight.



    DAY and NIGHT are conventions, not rules. Unless you have a very specific reason for not using the convention, you should stick with it.



    INT. LOCATION - DAY

    EXT. LOCATION - NIGHT

    Miscellaneous slugline info can be the use of:

    CONTINUOUS for the TOD to indicate an unbroken continuous temporal connection between two scenes. (one immediately after the other)


    INT. LOCATION - CONTINUOUS

    SAME for the TOD to indicate two scenes happening at exactly the same time as each other. (one overlapping the other)

    INT. LOCATION - SAME

    (FLASHBACK) to indicate a jump backward in the story's temporal line.

    INT. LOCATION - DAY (FLASHBACK)

    (UNDERWATER) to indicate action occurring under water.

    EXT. SUBMARINE - DAY (UNDERWATER)



    ACTION



    Blank line.
    (1.5") Action block (1")
    Blank line.

    An account of the action and sounds that are necessary to understand how and why the story unfolds. Basically it is almost everything the audience sees and hears (except for dialogue spoken by characters).


    The reason I say almost is because there isn't room for details and minutia that are not relevant to the advancing narrative.

    A good rule of thumb is to imagine you are in a theatre describing a movie, as it plays, to a blind friend sitting next to you. You don't want to get caught up on details and scenery because you will fall behind the film, you need to focus only on what is necessary to understand the unfolding story.

    In other words, focus on what we see (usually what the character does) and what we hear (usually what the character hears) that advances the story.

    There is a rule of thumb that information that is not "filmable" should never be included.

    This is partly correct but if taken to an extreme it could drain your story of the details that help the reader to envision the story and reduce it to a "see Jack run" story.

    Here's my only rule: Include only that which advances the story and/or shades what is being seen and heard so it changes it and gives it a more filmic quality without distracting from or impeding the read.

    Do that and you will be fine.

    As a rule of thumb you should keep your action blocks to four lines or less, with a blank line between each "block" of action.


    Some use one space after a period, some use two. It doesn't matter one way or the other.




    NAME HEADERS

    Blank line.
    (3.5") NAME (1")
    Dialogue.

    Capitalize. Indicates the character who is speaking the block of dialogue.

    NAME (V.O.) indicates VOICE OVER, used when a character's voice is heard from a non-organic source, like hearing a character's thoughts or from a radio or telephone or intercom.

    NAME (O.S.) indicates OFF SCREEN, used when a character's voice is heard from an organic source like a character calling out from under a blanket or from an adjacent room or from an air duct.

    You can also use extensions like NAME (ON PHONE) or NAME (VOICE) or even combine them like NAME ON PHONE or NAME'S VOICE.

    The key is to make whatever you use logical, clear, concise and used consistently.
    Fortune favors the bold - Virgil

  • #2
    Re: Deus's One Minute Format Guide

    DEUS'S ONE MINUTE FORMAT GUIDE





    Part II of III




    DIALOGUE

    NAME
    (2.5") Dialogue block (2.5")
    Blank line.





    In screenplays there may be several people in a scene talking, but unless it advances the story and/or character you don't need to indicate it as dialogue. There are times when a line in the action is more appropriate for generic background talking and/or voices that can be heard.


    Another rule of thumb is to keep blocks of dialogue to four lines or less, limiting a block to what can easily be spoken in one breath.

    Dramatic dialogue has a purpose.

    Dramatic dialogue is not conversation, it is action through discourse. Dialogue is the act of characters using language to reach their goals and/or block others from reaching their goals. Dramatic dialogue is not just ramblings and disjointed thoughts, unless there is a specific thematic or dramatic need for your character to make a rambling disjointed speech.


    Dramatic dialogue implies more than it says.

    The text should be concise, clever and memorable to advance plot. Subtext should be the primary method for revealing and advancing character.

    When writing with accents or characters who use unique phrasings, it's a rule of thumb to use just enough phonetically spelled words to give a sense of the character's unique voice but not so much that it encumbers the read.







    PARENTHESIS

    For actions or information directly related to the dialogue, you can use parenthetic after the NAME or within the block of dialogue.

    NAME
    (3.25") (Parenthesis) (3.25")
    Dialogue block.

    or

    NAME
    Dialogue block
    (3.25") (Parenthesis) (3.25")
    Dialogue block.
    (3.25") (Parenthesis) (3.25")
    Dialogue block.



    Parenthesis use can include speaking in a foreign language (which is written in English in the script).



    NAME
    (in French)
    Dialogue written in English but is being spoken in French by the character.



    This allows the reader to understand what is being said. You also must consider the audience and decide how the audience will come to understand what is being said. If the audience is not intended to understand it, you may move the dialogue to a line in the action like:

    "Charles passionately says something in French."

    If you want to subtitle you can indicate the use of subtitles in the parenthesis.



    NAME
    (in French; subtitled)
    Dialogue written in English but is being spoken in French by the character.


    Parenthesis can be used to indicate a brief action by the character which directly connects to the dialogue.

    NAME
    (to telephone)
    Dialogue.
    (off Character's bemused look)
    Dialogue.
    (points gun at Character)
    Dialogue.

    Parenthesis can be used to indicate a tone or intent which may not be inescapable from the dialogue and situation alone.



    NAME
    (sarcastic)
    Dialogue.
    (jokes)
    Dialogue.
    (emotionless)
    Dialogue.





    TRANSITIONS

    Blank line.
    (5") TRANSITION: (1")
    Blank line.

    Capitalize. End with a colon.

    There was a time when the use of transitions were commonly used between each scene. Some writers still use them. In general, their use has fallen out of fashion.

    No one would consider discarding your script if you did use them, but it would make you seem a little antiquated and out of touch and might risk giving the impression that you have padded a thinly developed story so it won't look so short and thin.

    My rule of thumb is to use them only when you are trying to create a specific dramatic effect and never to use them just because that's how you think the film should be edited. In other words, use a transition only when the dramatic impact of going from one scene to the next may not be inescapable without the use of the transition (see reasoning for Parenthetic use).

    JUMP CUT:, SMASH CUT:, CUT TO: all basically mean the same thing.

    DISSOLVE TO: means to fade out from one image and into another.

    FADE IN: means to fade from black into an image.

    FADE OUT: means to fade out from an image to black.







    INTERCUT

    Blank line.
    (.5") INTERCUT: (1")
    Blank line.

    Capitalize. End with a colon.

    Intercuts are a screenwriting term for "cross cutting" and is most commonly found in telephone conversations, but is not limited to them. Intercuts can be used when wanting to indicate frequent and rapid cross cutting between two or more locations.



    INT. LOCATION A - DAY

    Character A talks on the phone.

    CHARACTER A
    Dialogue.



    INT. LOCATION B - DAY

    Character B talks on the phone.

    CHARACTER B
    Dialogue.

    INTERCUT LOCATION A AND LOCATION B:

    CHARACTER A
    Dialogue.

    Character B
    Dialogue.

    Character A does something.

    CHARACTER A
    Dialogue.

    CHARACTER B
    Dialogue.



    In the above example you could also use:

    INTERCUT CHARACTER A AND CHARACTER B:


    To end the intercut you can indicate it with a new slugline or if you are returning to the scene that began the intercut (in this example that would be LOCATION B) you can use:



    Blank line.
    (1.5") END INTERCUT: (1")
    Blank line.

    or

    Blank line.
    (1.5") BACK TO SCENE: (1")
    Blank line.
    Last edited by Deus Ex Machine; 09-07-2005, 09:24 AM.
    Fortune favors the bold - Virgil

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Deus's One Minute Format Guide

      DEUS'S ONE MINUTE FORMAT GUIDE



      Part III of III



      MONTAGE & SERIES OF SHOTS

      Blank line.
      (1.5") MONTAGE: (1")
      Blank line.

      Capitalized. Ending with a colon.

      Montage and Series of Shots are used, incorrectly, as interchangeable in HW. Don't obsess over the difference between them, just know that in HW they are used to mean the same thing and in a script they are formatted the same.

      A Montage or Series of Shots header can be augmented with a concise clear description of the essence of the sequence but it's not required nor is it frown on. For example:

      MONTAGE OF CHARACTER RUNNING ACROSS TOWN:

      or

      SERIES OF SHOTS AS CHARACTER TRAINS FOR BATTLE:

      The action lines in a Montage or Series of Shots should be brief.

      Some writers will use a dash or numbers or letters before each line to emphasize the quick assembly of images into the whole. This practice is neither required nor frowned on, though the use of a dash appears to be more in fashion than numbers and letters. For example:

      MONTAGE OF CHARACTER DANCING:

      - Character dances awkwardly in front of a mirror and trips.
      - Character leaps across the air.
      - Character spins.
      - Character falls.
      - Character dances gracefully in front of a mirror.

      You can end a Montage or Series of Shots with a new slugline to take us into a new scene or use and end header to take us back into the scene where the sequence began (see intercut usage). For example:

      Blank line.
      (1.5") END MONTAGE: (1")
      Blank line.

      or

      Blank line.
      (1.5") END SERIES OF SHOTS: (1")
      Blank line.

      or

      Blank line.
      (1.5") BACK TO SCENE: (1")
      Blank line.

      Capitalize. End with a colon.



      COMPUTERS AND TV

      You can indicate text messaging and images on monitors and TVs with headers like the Montage headers. For example:

      Blank line.
      (1.5") CHARACTER TYPES ON COMPUTER: (1")
      Blank line

      Capitalize. End with a colon.

      You can follow the header with what is seen on screen. For a chat room, you can use:

      CHARACTER A TYPES IN THE CHAT ROOM:

      CHARACTER A: This is what Character A types.

      CHARACTER B: This is what is replied on the screen.

      CHARACTER A: This is what Character A types.

      Using blank lines between the text messages is optional. You can can use them if you want or not use them, there is no rule or convention for spacing of a text message conversation.

      To indicate images on a monitor, you can use a header such as:

      Blank line.
      (1.5") ON TV: (1")
      Blank line.

      or

      Blank line.
      (1.5") ON THE COMPUTER MONITOR: (1")
      Blank line.

      Then under the header you use the action lines to tell us what is being done and what we are seeing.

      To end a text messaging or TV sequence you can use a new slugline to take us to a new scene or you can use and end sequence header to take us back to the scene in which the sequence began (see intercut usage). For example:

      Blank line.
      (1.5") END CHAT ROOM: (1")
      Blank line.

      or

      Blank line.
      (1.5") END TV: (1")
      Blank line.

      or

      Blank line.
      (1.5") BACK TO SCENE: (1")
      Blank line.

      Capitalize. End with a colon.



      MISCELLANEOUS FORMATTING ISSUES

      Use of (more), (Cont'd) and CONTINUED: are completely optional. No one will care if you do or do not use them.

      (More) and (Con'd) are extensions like (V.O.) that are used when a character's dialogue is split across a page break or when a character's dialogue is broken by action lines to indicate the end of the page is not the end of the speech or that the speech is not ending because of the action lines.

      CONTINUED: is added like a transition to the bottom of a page when a scene is split across a page break to indicate that the end of the page is not the end of the scene.




      TITLE PAGE

      (3" from top)
      (centered) SCREENPLAY TITLE (centered)
      Blank line
      (centered) By (centered)
      Blank line.
      (centered) Writer's Name (centered)


      Bottom left or right corner
      Writer's Contact Info


      Some writers will replace "by" with "written by" or "original screenplay by". It doesn't matter which you use, if any, no one will care or discard your script for it.

      You do not include your registration number or your copyright number on the title page or anywhere else in the script.



      COVERS

      You don't have to use a cover. If you do keep it to a neutral off white or white color. 60-80lb in weight (card stock).

      You can include your title on the cover, but it isn't required. If you do include a title, keep it limited to only your title. (see title page for usage).



      FONT

      Use only courier (any courier) font because it is a fixed width font. Use only 12pt size. When courier fonts are used at 12pt size they make exactly 10 characters and six lines per inch.


      Final Draft Dark Courier = okay
      Hewlett Packard Dark Courier = okay
      Corel Courier 10 BT = okay
      Courier = okay
      Movie Magic Old Courier = okay

      MS Courier New = not okay. It prints too thin and light. The font also has been known to have some line spacing problems, especially when used on MS Word.



      BRADS

      The convention is to use two solid brass brads (fasteners) one in the top hole and one in the bottom hole.

      #5 or #6 brass fasteners 1 - 1.25 inches long.






      That's it.



      As you can see, format is not complicated or worth worrying about.



      A few simple margin settings which most freeware and commercial software will automatically handle is all there is to making your script look like a script.
      Fortune favors the bold - Virgil

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Deus's One Minute Format Guide

        Oooo! Luverly! I can work with this for a while without a "how-to" book, and still buy groceries this week! Thank you, Deus!

        -TD, starving in Toronto (and that's no joke)

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Deus's One Minute Format Guide

          TDWoj,

          how can you be starving in Tarana? You ran out of back bacon?

          check out these links:

          http://www.screenwriting.info/


          http://www.scriptwritingsecrets.com/contents.htm


          http://www.oscars.org/nicholl/script.pdf


          http://lib1.store.vip.sc5.yahoo.com/...matarticle.pdf


          If you need formatting software absolutely free, check out celtx.com

          http://www.celtx.com/overview.html

          And in answer to your questions in the book thread:

          http://www.empirecontact.com/magicstar/

          http://www.empirecontact.com/screenwriting/

          http://www.teako170.com/faq.html#spelling

          http://www.pubinfo.vcu.edu/artweb/playwriting/film.html
          Last edited by odocoileus; 09-06-2005, 06:43 PM.
          If you really like it you can have the rights
          It could make a million for you overnight

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Deus's One Minute Format Guide

            Thank you, odocoileus, for the links; I shall explore them diligently.

            Alas, the "day job" one is advised never to give up when pursuing a writing career has signally failed to produce adequate income to cover the necessary expenses in order to pursue said writing career. Back bacon we have a-plenty; of the means to purchase same, not a jot. "I have cobwebs in my purse..."

            And now, before I get killed - or this thread gets killed - by the mods for thread drift (being a mod myself on another board, I know their many and mysterious ways), I should like to enquire about SLUG LINES (I did sort of ask this question elsewhere in the Flashback thread, but I'm being more specific here).

            Is this correct:

            EXT. STREET BERLIN, GERMANY - NIGHT (FLASHBACK - AUGUST 1939)

            Going by the example above, I'd say not. But what, not?

            Corrections, please?

            -TD, almost at the point of writing her first line of the WIP and already getting it wrong (sensing confidence issues here?)

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Deus's One Minute Format Guide

              Originally posted by Deus Ex Machine
              COVERS

              You don't have to use a cover. If you do keep it to a neutral off white or white color. 60-80lb in weight (card stock).

              You can include your title on the cover, but it isn't required. If you do include a title, keep it limited to only your title. (see title page for usage).
              I don't dispute, Deus X ... but does anyone disagree that it's okay to put the title on the cover? (Because when I asked about the cover, people said "no title on cover" I thought)

              But I'm overjoyed if you can put the title on the cover.

              Any more specifics?

              Can the Title be ... BOLD FACE ??? UNDERLINED ???
              sigpic
              "As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world -
              that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves."
              -Mahatma Gandhi.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Deus's One Minute Format Guide

                You don't need the title on the cover but if you want to put it on go ahead and put the title on your cover.

                You can make your title bold and/or underlined if you want. It's not necessary to do either but if you want to do it then go ahead and do it.
                Fortune favors the bold - Virgil

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Deus's One Minute Format Guide

                  I disagree with some of the things (and explanations) Deus said, but that is not what this thread is about.

                  Do what he said. And like he said, â€Close is close enoughâ€.

                  And be consistent!

                  And really … it really wonâ€TMt matter, one way or another, a single bit.
                  "I am the story itself; its source, its voice, its music."
                  - Clive Barker, Galilee

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Deus's One Minute Format Guide

                    Is this correct:

                    EXT. STREET BERLIN, GERMANY - NIGHT (FLASHBACK - AUGUST 1939)

                    Going by the example above, I'd say not. But what, not?

                    Technically it is fine.

                    As a personal choice, I would simplify the slugline and find some way to communicate the exact date to the reader AND the audience (which seems to be important and relevant enough to your story to indicate it).

                    EXT. BERLIN STREET - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)

                    SUPER: "BERLIN. AUGUST 1939".

                    HTH
                    Fortune favors the bold - Virgil

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Deus's One Minute Format Guide

                      Yes, I see the difference, that's precisely the emphasis I wanted. Thank you! With me still being at the low end of the learning curve, I appreciate your patience with my dumb newbie questions.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Deus's One Minute Format Guide

                        There are no dumb questions.
                        Fortune favors the bold - Virgil

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Deus's One Minute Format Guide

                          Originally posted by TDWoj
                          Oooo! Luverly! I can work with this for a while without a "how-to" book, and still buy groceries this week! Thank you, Deus!

                          -TD, starving in Toronto (and that's no joke)
                          No kidding, solidarity here from another starving line in Montreal.
                          Thanks Deum
                          A talent for drama is not a talent for writing, but is an ability to articulate human relationships.
                          Gore Vidal

                          "Aisatsu Yori Ensatsu"
                          Money is better than compliments.


                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Deus's One Minute Format Guide

                            bump

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Deus's One Minute Format Guide

                              It's almost as if he's still here.

                              Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself.
                              It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime.
                              -- Potter Stewart

                              Comment

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