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SimplyScripts Screenwriting Discussion Board    Screenwriting Discussion    Screenwriting Class  ›  Character Heading and Dialogue Moderators: George Willson
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Oney.Mendoza
Posted: July 3rd, 2005, 12:58am Report to Moderator
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For my next script I am really trying to work on the format of the script, the main thing is where the character heading is placed and also the dialogue. As in "MISFORTUNE" I start the character heading at 3 tabs and the dialogue at 2, also my dialogue runs to the end of the page. I've looked at other screenplays as "guidance" but everyone's seems a little different. Can someone tell me the standard way? Thanks.

-ONEY


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NW3
Posted: July 3rd, 2005, 3:43am Report to Moderator
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Hello Oney,

You probably realize there is no standard, but there is definitely non-standard. I took a look at MISFORTUNE and straight away I see a problem with the font size and right-wrapping dialogue. The character names look a little too far left as well. These things won't prevent anybody reading the script but sends the wrong signal.

Courier 12-point. Always.

Try starting the character heading at 4 tabs (when set to half inch). 3 tabs can be for your bracketed description (which should be more like 2.75 inches indent but since you will hardly ever use them it won't matter). Dialogue starts where you have it and runs to about 3.5 inches (set Dialogue paragraph margin 1.5 inches from right). You can do this in a plain word processor such as Notepad or TextEdit by counting 35 characters per line and using Return.

Apart from missing DAY/NIGHT off your scene headings, the format otherwise appears excellent.
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Oney.Mendoza
Posted: July 3rd, 2005, 12:39pm Report to Moderator
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Thanks a lot Jon.

      The DAY/NIGHT description has to be put on at every scene heading? I thought it was only when it changes? Thanks again.

-ONEY


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dogglebe
Posted: July 3rd, 2005, 12:54pm Report to Moderator
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Only when it changes.


Phil
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Old Time Wesley
Posted: July 3rd, 2005, 6:16pm Report to Moderator
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Really? Hmm, I never knew that. I guess you learn something new every day.

Maybe The Producer (Because he's the moderator here) needs to start a thread in here for little formatting tidbits to help writers make the format perfect. Tell them exactly what to do to format from EXT. to the 4 line break in action scenes.

That way instead of people starting new threads everytime they have a question they can all just be directed toward the one thread to rule them all when it comes to formatting screenplays.

I have a few questions myself for a few of the extra things I've noticed added on some screenplays. Sure, I can format good enough to get by and have nobody complain but perfection would be great.

I don't know maybe I'm just rambling on but it could be a great idea to help old and new writers with tiny problems in format.


Practice safe lunch: Use a condiment.

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Old Time Wesley  -  July 3rd, 2005, 6:17pm
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NW3
Posted: July 3rd, 2005, 6:46pm Report to Moderator
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Oney,

Are you using cascading slug lines? I didn't read all of your script so I took the scene headings on face value. If it said 'INT.' I'd expect it to include DAY/NIGHT, but you mean the action moves elsewhere and the time is already known? If that's so, you could drop the repeated INT. as well because it's equally obvious if we're still inside or not.

Where interior scenes continue one after another in the same building, you can safely drop everything except the location.


 INT. STAIRCASE

 Kayla is walking up the stairs; she gradually stops and listens.


Could more simply be:


 Kayla mounts the

 STAIRS --

 Stops.  Listens.


Or just:


 Kayla stops on the stairs and listens.


Excising DAY or NIGHT after first mention might make for a cleaner appearance, and perhaps it will become universally accepted if the trend follows the loss of CUT TO, but half a slug does look odd. The problem in MISFORTUNE is that some scenes run on for so many pages it's a risk that the reader forgets they are in a nested scene and have to skim back to find the designation of the next or carry the distracting DAY/NIGHT thought in their head. If the reader put the script down, where to pick up? For costing, the number of scenes/locations and time of day is important. I can't see any advantage to the method you used (half a slug); saving a few inoffensive characters makes things difficult. If you've been taught that then I suggest it's too ambitious in a spec script since it's not widely accepted.
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George Willson
Posted: July 3rd, 2005, 11:26pm Report to Moderator
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The standard I've read in the Screenwriter's Bible concerning margins and the indentation of Dialogue, wrylies, and character names are:

The margins should be set to either 1 inch on each side, or 1.5 inch on the left side and .5 inch on the right side. This is to allow space for three hole punch and brads.

Dialogue is one inch.

Wrylies are 1.6 inches.

Character names are 2.2 inches.

Dialogue should be between 3 and 3.5 inches wide although some stretch to 4.


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Oney.Mendoza
Posted: July 4th, 2005, 12:07am Report to Moderator
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Okay, thanks everyone for the help.

    Let me just make this clear with my interpretation. You DON'T have to do it this way:

INT. HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY

Hilary enters with her glass, she places it into the sink --

RING! RING!

INT. LIVING ROOM

She rushes in and grabs the cordless from the table.

INT. UPSTAIRS BEDROOM

Hilary, still on the phone, plops down on the bed and lays back.

That was just an example of how I would place scene headings, but it should be like this?:

INT. HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY

Hilary enters with her glass, she places it into the sink --

RING! RING!

LIVING ROOM

She rushes in and grabs the cordless from the table.

UPSTAIRS BEDROOM

Hilary, still on the phone, plops down on the bed and lays back.

So, you don't have to indicate the location with INT/EXT if we're in the same place?



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Oney.Mendoza  -  July 4th, 2005, 12:08am
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Oney.Mendoza
Posted: July 4th, 2005, 1:24am Report to Moderator
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Or does anyone have a suggestion in what type of screenwriting template I should use? SCRIPT SMART was suggested to me, but I have no idea what it is and I tried installing it but it wouldn't open, things popped up telling me something about macros. I have no clue what that's about.

-ONEY


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NW3
Posted: July 4th, 2005, 10:47am Report to Moderator
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2.2 inches?! Where did that come from? Curse you, Screenwriters Bible, here I've been using 2 inches all these years and now I find they're laughing at me.

Oney,

Me again. Sorry to cause confusion. Don't simply chop 'INT.' off the front! I meant use the full scene heading, or use the clean style where scenes flow from action and won't get in the way of the story. Now I understand what you were doing you can leave it the way you have it, in fact that is at the forefront of the new spec style in which even FADE IN and FADE OUT have gone. Do it whichever way you feel comfortable, but I am suggesting if you use INT. then you may as well write the full scene heading including DAY and no-one will have any adverse comment or even notice. It's a little extra typing but it's for the benefit of others beside yourself.

I can see the problem where many scenes crowd together and clutter the script. If you have a sequence of short scenes in one location then a particular way of laying it out would be to roam though the locations in the mind of the reader in run-on scenes. That doesn't mean simply dropping 'INT.' and '- DAY', it's more elegant than that. The locations need to be integrated into the action but still carry a line of their own in CAPITALS to establish them. The reader can scan quickly through and build up a picture of the action without the mental distancing of INT. and DAY.


 INT. HOUSE, KITCHEN - DAY

 Hilary places her glass into the sink.

 RING! RING! from the

 LIVING ROOM

 She rushes in and grabs the phone off the table.

 INT. UPSTAIRS BEDROOM - DAY

 Katya swings off the bed and listens to Hilary downstairs.
 She creeps out to the --

 STAIRCASE

 Watches through the banisters.

                     HILARY
           No, she's upstairs.  Don't worry,
           I'll take care of it.

 Hilary hangs up and returns to the

 KITCHEN

 The knife drawer is open.


The director will know exactly how to shoot all that. The full scene headings establish two characters in their own location, the other areas are subsidiary. The time is a given, the action continuous. The Staircase for example doesn't demand a full slug line. Even though it's practically a separate location, moving there in this way doesn't distance the reader from the action. In the shooting script it might get its own scene heading and half a day on the shooting schedule with three cameras and lights and all, or it might be covered in a longshot from the Living Room. As the writer you don't care, just that Kayla is eavesdropping. You only need to get your script read by someone with the power to make it into a movie, and they will prepare the full shooting script with scene breakdowns if that is needed. Your script will be judged on many more important things as you know.

Are you using Word? Which version? It's normal when installing software to quit all applications and disable macros (don't ever run a macro unless you know what it does). I have some templates which may be useful, I'll look up the web addresses for you when I can.
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George Willson
Posted: July 4th, 2005, 11:18am Report to Moderator
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The various rooms of the house are called Secondary Headings. These would be more like part of the description sentences and less like individual headings. The following example is given which will give you a pretty good idea.

EXT. TEMPLE RUINS - DAY

Abu nods gratefully to the MAn in Khakis, then rushes to

THE TEMPLE BASE

where a small hole has been cut into the foundation. The Man in Khakis leads Abu into the blackness.

INSIDE THE CATACOMBS

Abu and the Man in Khakis crawl on all fours toward the torch light ahead, and finally into

A LARGE CIRCULAR CHAMBER

where torches illuminate the stoic faces of a dozen workers standing back against the single, circular wall.

The only rule to remember when doing this is you never end a sentence with a secondary headings, i.e.:

He walked down the hall

INTO THE BEDROOM.

It is referred to as a "big no-no."

--

Also, it is proper if different scenes are occurring within the same location, such as a house, it is proper to simply tell the reader where the action is like a heading, but sort of less formal.

IN THE BEDROOM

So and so speaks to so and so.

IN THE LIVING ROOM

So and so speak to so and so about so and so.

IN THE KITCHEN

The killer snicks open the back door.

IN THE LIVING ROOM

The so and so continue talking.

IN THE BEDROOM

So and so notices light coming out the back door. Thinks its odd.

IN THE LIVING ROOM

The so and so's pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

And so on. Pardon the thinking line. Consider it like a treatment or something.

--

Finally, instead of ANGLE ON or CLOSE ON, ther is a way to use secondary headings in a spec script to avoid these terms. Check this out:

ILSA

removes a gun from her purse and points it at

RICK

who stops cold in his tracks. Looks at her in surprise.

No camera directions, a smooth read, and we know what the camera is doing.

--

As for programs, I have always just set the tabs in Microsoft Word and referenced the Screenwriter's Bible whenever I have any questions. All of my scripts posted on this site use MS Word as its base with no screenwriting program at all.



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George Willson  -  July 4th, 2005, 11:28am
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