Writing a Script

Show Don’t Tell

Film is a VISUAL medium.

Think of a way to show your story, not have someone tell it to the audience.

Page Setup

Set the left margin at 1.5”.

Set the font to Courier 12.

Script Elements

Slugline

Action

Dialogue

SluglineWhere

Interior (INT.) or Exterior (EXT.)

Where

Specific location

must be consistent

When

General time of day (T.O.D.)

Slugline

New slugline when the location or time change.

Written in ALL CAPS.

Typed at the left margin (left align).

Example

EXT. FRONT YARD - AFTERNOON

Action

What the audience can SEE happening.

Don’t write thoughts, emotions, or feelings in an action line.

Don’t write explanations in action.

ActionWritten in present tense and third person.

Written in Regular Case.

Except when introducing a character.

Typed in block style, left align.

ExampleThe hot afternoon sun beats down on the scraggly grass of the front yard of a small cottage. GOLDILOCKS, a young blonde haired girl, walks up the path to the front gate wearing her backpack and carrying her jacket. She pauses at the gate, looks up at the sun and wipes her forehead. Sighing she pushes the gate open and trudges up the walkway toward her front porch.

Dialogue

What the character says.

Dialogue cannot follow a slugline. There has to be action first.

Dialogue

Character’s name is ALL CAPS, typed five tabs from the left.

Dialogue is Regular Case, typed three tabs from the left.

Hit return for the next line at 6 - 6.5 inches.

Example

MOM (O.S.)Goldi? Did you get the mail?

Assignment

Write one full page of correctly formatted script based on your step outline.

Include sluglines, action, and dialogue.

Introduce at least one character.