Key Tips for Formatting a Screenplay
The recipient of a bachelor’s degree in film from The New School in New York City, Sawyer Petrick earned high honors for his senior capstone screenplay “The Newsboy Racket.” After graduating, Sawyer Petrick helped write scripts for a web series with Whole Picture Films.
To improve the chances of a screenplay being read and understood correctly in a script breakdown, it’s important to format it properly. The producer and director, among other crew members, should make note of characters, costume changes, and props that are required for the shooting of the film. This should all be obvious and indicated in the screenplay.
One of the most important considerations when developing a screenplay are scene headings, also known as ‘slug lines’. These indicate where and when the action is taking place. For instance, if a scene is set at a grocery store during the afternoon, the slugline should read: “INT. GROCERY STORE — DAY.” Moreover, if this scene is set in the immediate aftermath of the prior scene, it can be marked “continuous” in the time slot position. “Moments later” is also an appropriate time designation.
Action lines that describe what each character in the scene is doing should follow the slugline. Dialogue, meanwhile, should be formatted as follows: The character’s name should be centered and in all caps, with their speaking lines written on the subsequent row.
