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that is a good question. I did not encounter this in any class. I would suggest stating the dialogue is on a PC in the action lines.
Mary types to Frank on AIM.
then use regular dialogue
MARY What R U doin
or you could cut between her reading outloud and whats being typed
INT. MARY'S BEDROOM - DAY
Mary types on her PC to Frank. "What are you doing tonight" is typed across the dialogue box on the computer screen. Frank types back his reply, while reading it outloud as he goes.
Frank I'm going to the movies, what are you doing.
I would probably do it one of these two ways. I know in American History X danny types on his PC and we see what he types. I dont think the script is on the site though, but I'm sure you could buy it and see how they wrote it.
I´m not 100% sure about how this is done, but here is a bit of The Matrix script wich didn´t make it (completely) into the movie, but maybe it could give you some ideas:
INT. NEO'S APARTMENT
It is a studio apartirent that seems overgrown with technology.
Weed-like cables coil everywhere, duct-taped into thickets that wind up and around the legs of several desks.
Tabletops are filled with cannibalized equipment that lay open like an autopsied corpse.
We turn towards the center of this rat-nest of technology, following the slurping and crunching of cereal. We pass an open box of Capln Crunch as we find --
NEO, a younger man who knows more about living inside a computer than living outside one.
NEO Fuckin' idiots don't know shit.
He finishes his cereal and is about to disconnect when an anonynous message slices onto the screen.
SCREEN Do you want to know what the Matrix is, Neo?
Neo is frozen when he reads his name.
SCREEN SUPERASTIC: Who said that? JACKON: Who's Neo? GIBSON: This is a private board.
If you want to know, follow the white rabbit.
NEO What the hell...
SCREEN TIMAXE: Someone is hacking the hackers! FOS4: It's Morpheus!!!!! JACKON: Identify yourself.
Knock, knock, Neo.
A chill runs down his spine and when someone KNOCKS on his door he almost jumps out of his chair.
The above example is about 90% correct but is missing one thing. The SCREEN name is not a name but an INSERT, so it would be more properly formatted like this:
NEO, a younger man who knows more about living inside a computer than living outside one.
NEO f****n' idiots don't know s***.
He finishes his cereal and is about to disconnect when an anonynous message slices onto the screen.
INSERT COMPUTER SCREEN
Do you want to know what the Matrix is, Neo?
BACK TO SCENE
Neo is frozen when he reads his name.
INSERT COMPUTER SCREEN
SUPERASTIC: Who said that? JACKON: Who's Neo? GIBSON: This is a private board.
If you want to know, follow the white rabbit.
BACK TO SCENE
NEO What the hell...
INSERT COMPUTER SCREEN
TIMAXE: Someone is hacking the hackers! FOS4: It's Morpheus!!!!! JACKON: Identify yourself.
Knock, knock, Neo.
---
Alternatively, I believe the following would also be acceptable.
NEO, a younger man who knows more about living inside a computer than living outside one.
NEO f****n' idiots don't know s***.
He finishes his cereal and is about to disconnect when an anonynous message slices onto the SCREEN:
Do you want to know what the Matrix is, Neo?
Neo is frozen when he reads his name.
ON THE SCREEN
SUPERASTIC: Who said that? JACKON: Who's Neo? GIBSON: This is a private board.
If you want to know, follow the white rabbit.
NEO
stares at the screen, mouth dropped open.
NEO What the hell...
ON THE SCREEN
TIMAXE: Someone is hacking the hackers! FOS4: It's Morpheus!!!!! JACKON: Identify yourself.
Knock, knock, Neo.
KNOCK, KNOCK.
NEO
starts in his chair.
---
Those are my thoughts on the matter. The SCREEN dialogue header could be just as well though, too.
Formatting is not an exact science and final draft can't do it all. A base knowledge of formatting (or at least a good book on it) relaly helps no matter what you use to write.
Couldn't you get around this if they use voice messaging? It makes it a lot easier unless it's for a horror script and you don't want to give away the killer.
In the eight grade I wrote WILLIE12 and I want to revise it because I look back at it and its clearly embarrassing, but it has good potential. It's posted on the site, but WAY before the discussion boards existed.
Here's how I had it:
Willie12: That’s right, u guys don’t have a mall over there.
AMiller85: Sucks. Maybe we’ll bump into each other sometime.
Willie12: Maybe. That’s a possibility. We’ll I hope to hear from u again.
AMiller85: What? We’re done? No more chatting?
That's not the only coversation there is though. Yes, it does deal with a seriel killer who befriends a young girl on the internet.
Why not just have whoever is chatting with one another via IM be heard in voice-over? It'll be a lot easier, and the audience won't have to keep up with the text on the PC screen. Instead, they'd hear it and see the characters typing, with their face expressions and stuff. I don't know, man. That's what I'd do, but I don't know much. Just throwing what I got out there...
Well, people have decided they don't like silent movies anymore and so all vestiges that could possibly remind of the opening strains of movies must be purged. Silent movies are ripe with "read it yourself" material. Nowadays, people like to be readto and not admit how illiterate they really are, so your suggestion of voiceovering the IM stuff is quite common and was done in "You've Got Mail."
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