Hello all,

I'm noticing a lot of scripts on the boards where sounds aren't capped any more.  What is the formatting standard now for sounds?

Thanks, Rob

Sounds are no longer capped, although some still do it.

Fucking hell. I can't keep up.

Who is the Great Script Monkey In The Sky who keeps changing everything?

I personally would CAP sounds, especially if important and leading to something. No doubt minor sounds I have probably forgotten to CAP

To me it's all about leading the reader to understand the story. If something is important ,then make it clear.

It's clear when it is written.

There is no monkey in the sky. This is a craft that is still evolving. Scripts written today are a lot different to ones written years ago. It's wiser to stick with the status quo... but everyone is free to do as they please. I find uppercase to be very distracting. It also leads writers to make up their own sound effects with oft disastrous results.

Quoted from DustinBowcot It's clear when it is written. There is no monkey in the sky. This is a craft that is still evolving. Scripts written today are a lot different to ones written years ago. It's wiser to stick with the status quo... but everyone is free to do as they please. I find uppercase to be very distracting. It also leads writers to make up their own sound effects with oft disastrous results.

I agree - the distracting element is important. It seems to me a bit like underlining. Used occasionally it is effective in pointing out a core fact, hidden amongst others. Too many and it loses it. One script in this OWC has had a bout of underlining that goes too far.

As Kevin often said, the rules aren't rules - hey does that make sense - they are guidelines. Thinking in that way lets you use them more freely.

Yeah, Kevin was just copying shit he'd read on the internet. It's been said by a million other writers in a million different ways.

There are unwritten rules, it's a little like etiquette. Screenwriters' etiquette. We write what looks most aesthetically pleasing to people buying the scripts. If the vogue switches, we should switch with it. Which is why I'm keeping a closer eye on bold slugs. I don't like them... but if they catch on, I'll have to use them too.

I'm going bold next time.

Looks a bit cleaner.

I do not cap SOUNDS unless they are special audio FX that is integral to the story.

I have also used BOLD slugs for a couple of years because it makes it easier to find and identify individual scenes. I've also noticed that the trend is towards bold slugs. The PAGE winner I just read used them and that writer has for years as well. I like them. I'm sticking with them. That does not mean not bold slugs is wrong however.  

I love bold slugs. I use them all the time and have an easier time keeping up with scene changes with them. Now SP's without them look washed out to me. Nothing stands out. Good for peeps with ADD also. When I read a book I use a black piece of paper and hold it under ever line as I read. (old ADD trick), so for me the black slugs really help.

I like using sounds to build tempo in my scenes. And in that case it makes sense to me to cap them. To be honest though, I think I get this more from Stephen King than any screenplay I ever read. He frequently caps and italicizes, especially when shit's getting crazy. Over the course of reading him I noticed his tendency to cap and italicize sounds or phrases, imbue them with a certain amount of dread, then simply repeat the sound or phrase over and over as the scene drives forward. It creates a completely different feeling in me while reading those pages than the ordinary pages, so I'm naturally drawn towards emulating it.

I do that too. I think though that it's best to avoid all of that stuff as a general rule and only use it for real dramatic effect. Many writers will overuse them and this negates any dramatic benefit rather than enhancing it.

When done right though, it's all good. I can't say that I don't do it. I've even capped and given its own line things like:

SILENCE

DARKNESS

When done right and for dramatic effect it's fine.

Yeah - in general it's fine to use them for dramatic effect in a spec script, but...

Quoted from Grandma Bear I do not cap SOUNDS unless they are special audio FX that is integral to the story.

...in a shooting script the intent behind capping is to enable Foley Artists to be able to easily see where they need to do their bit -- same for capping new characters, so people can easily count up the characters when they're prepping for production.