I'm opening this thread in response to a discussion I had with Dreamscale in the
Midnight Lake thread concerning the proper use of uppercase words in screenplays.

I've read many sources which state spec scripts should be kept as simple and straightforward as possible. Some of these rules we already know -- no camera directions, no use of "we see," and so on.

These sources argued all caps should only be used when introducing speaking characters in your story while background and ancillary characters -- students in a classroom, pedestrians on a street, patients and nurses in a hospital, and so on -- don't need to be capitalized.

Dreamscale, on the other hand, argued all characters regardless of their importance in the story need to be introduced with all caps. Dreamscale went on to argue important props such as a character's vehicle should also be stated in uppercase letters.

I know there's rarely set rules on how to write a screenplay -- well, other than what font and margins to use -- but I'd like to know what the community's consensus is on this issue.

Should all caps in a spec script be reserved only for speaking characters, or should they be used for every character in the story? Should all caps be used only to highlight characters, or should they also be used to draw attention to important items?

Caps are there to bring the readers attention to a character or sound or something important. So, no... generally characters we don't see more than once or twice do not need to be put in caps.

Police Officers would not be put in caps, for instance.

A woman named Julia Hove, whome we only see once and then falls of the pages, would not need to be put in caps.

Caps are great for something you want to bring attention to. A sound. An item of interest. Main characters. Something you want to stand out to the reader should stand off the page.

That is my rule of thumb.

Use them very sparingly I guess is the simple rule but they can be useful.

I often use them for sounds if the sound is important to the scene. They are also good for moments you are going to reference again later in the script, maybe a particular car or colour for instance.

But, and this is a big but. There are many screenwriters out there who never use them at all, even some of the best screenwriters around. It depends on you as a writer how exactly you want to write, I don't think anybody would put down your script for not using them.

Other than capping character names, use caps when you want to create an effect (like sound) or when you want to direct the readers attention towards something.

I found this on a nice website:

Quoted Text Always capitalize the name of a character the first time he appears in the script. If the character is important enough to be singled out, even if it's an extra, it gets caps because casting is going to have to find someone to play the part.

There was a brief but interesting (to me, anyways) exchange in the script by James, No Guts, No Glory, about this issue.

That script is littered with props all in CAPS -- things like NIGHT TABLE and GLASSES.

James is in film school -- with people who allegedly know what they are doing -- and I asked him if this was a required element.

He said he did not like doing it, but in the past had received points off for NOT doing it.

That said, I probably will not incorporate this particular element -- which I find distracting to the reader -- but it was interesting to know that his film school professors required it.

I am not entirely sure what to do with that information.

Quoted from bert -- but it was interesting to know that his film school professors required it.

And even more interesting that these guys are working at a school and not in the industry.  

As a few others have said, I use caps for anything that I want to draw the readers attention to (and of course, first time character intro's).  I include all named or singled out characters, including extras, becuase as Steven said, they need to be accounted for.  If I intro an animlaA, I also cap it to show it's entrence, as it would not just be there and available for a shoot.  As  for props, I only cap those that are out of place, or unique to the scene, as in a weapon or the like, or something that will require a close up and be inportant to the story.

In the real world CAPS are for scanning a script you've already read or to save you having to read it at all.  

This is the first page of the Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes script:

GAS STREET LAMP
POOL OF LIGHT
TWO-HORSE CARRIAGE
SUPERIMPOSE: "London 1891"
GLIMPSE OF A FACE
DR. JOHN WATSON
DOWN RIVER
POLICE CARRIAGES
SINGLE SET OF FOOTPRINTS

And you don't need to read it (either again or at all).  We get the period, main character and that the police are tracking footprints near the river.

You don't necessarily do it for the production or the director even though it often does highlight major props or elements and can be helpful if they're searching for a scene.  You basically do it for the people with money who never read a script in the first place.

This kind of capping (which I believe is what Bert referred to) acts as a kind of map.  And I'm sure it breaks a lot of new writer's hearts.

I don't use caps to highlight anything. Why? Because none of my scripts will ever be read by industry people so it doesn't really matter.

I'm not bitter... just realistic.  

and I agree with Sniper about the teacher too.

Don't be so negative about your work, Pia.  That's our job.  

Just remember that the more things that you put in caps, the less impact they have.


Phil

So to sum up, CAPS are used to highlight important elements of a screenplay so that eyes are drawn to those elements. The idea here is that someone can know at a glance that the insignificant TEACUP that happens to be on the kitchen table is important enough to be there so that the prop department doesn't replace said teacup with a coffee mug.

It's a matter of making that roadmap so someone with very little time to peruse the script can read the dialogue and spot the items that are capped (the first time they appear only) and know basically what's going on.

Naturally, this can be overdone, so use carefully and wisely, but not necessarily sparingly.

CAPS of THINGS are more common in action scripts.  It's like hitting something with a highlighter.  It keeps things moving.

In the last few years in a lot of drama scripts characters are always capped at every appearance.   JOHN is always JOHN and never John.  It's a personal choice if you want to do it right now but it will be interesting to see if it becomes the norm.

Okay, it seems the consensus is to introduce all characters regardless of importance with all caps. How do I handle the introduction of groups of people when their appearances are staggered? My screenplay, for example, begins with several scenes which feature different sets of prison guards.

Should I state there is a PRISON GUARD at the gate, PRISON GUARDS in another room, and PRISON GUARDS in a van or should I start by saying the man at the gate is one of many PRISON GUARDS at the facility?

abelorfao, capitalize your characters that do something to be mentioned(whether they had a line or an action that impacted a scene). You don't have to give them people names but you can give the descriptive names like SLOPPY POLICEMAN or something.