PROPER INDUSTRY FORMAT

The art of submitting your screenplay...

For the basics of what your script should look like, refer to any of the popular screenwriting books featured in my bookstore and even more importantly, read scripts! I can't stress this enough! Make reading scripts a priority, it will improve your craft.

DID YOU KNOW...

You should not write on the spine of your script. Doing so may give the impression that it has already been reviewed by production company/agency staff.

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THOSE DARN BRADS!

To answer your question - what about brads for a feature-length script? The answer is this... ACCO #6 SOLID BRASS FASTENERS (stock #71506). For a sitcom script, you would want to use the 1" length. DO NOT ADD WASHERS. The brads are all you need.

You can find these pesky things in abundance in Los Angeles, but where to find them if you live in Wisconsin? I order mine from OFFICE DEPOT. If you can't find them locally, do order these babies. Do not send your scripts with those wimpy brass-plated brads. Impression is everything. Those brass-plated brads smack of amateur!

Three-hole punch your script, use only two brads. Top and Bottom.

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COVERS

I use card-stock covers that I purchase from KINKO'S. I prefer Gray and Cyprus Green, but any color is fine as long as it's not too bright or too dark. I buy them by the ream, with paper to match. It's much cheaper this way. Please, do not use those hard, slick covers or college paper covers.

Your covers should not have artwork or writing on them.

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TITLE PAGES

Less is more! All you need is your title and your name. If you don't have an agent, then do include your contact information in the lower right hand corner. I ALWAYS place a copyright notice at the very bottom, but this is a matter of preference. If you are submitting to a contest and they forbid any contact info on the title page, then you may want to omit your name from the copyright notice.

Do not place your WGA registration nr., draft number (unless this is a work for hire in such case you would want to put draft number and date), or other such superfluous information. For all intensive purposes, when you send that spec screenplay out to production companies, it is the first draft. It doesn't matter how many times you may have rewritten the thing!

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STANDARD LENGTH

and other basic stuff...

Standard length for a feature-length screenplay falls between 100-130 pages, with the preferred length around 110 pages. A script that is too light or too heavy will make a negative impression before it's even cracked. Unless you're Steven Spielberg or James Cameron, try to stay within these parameters.

Courier (12-point, 10-pitch, non-proportional) is the industry standard font. "Pica" if you're using a typewriter. Do not deviate from this! It may look pretty written in italics, but it's one sure way to get it tossed in the trash or, if you're lucky, in that SASE you included with your submission. Don't BOLD FACE type (other than your scene headings, transitions, character names, and sound cues, of course). If you must emphasize it, underline it.

DO number your pages (with the exception of page number 1).

DON'T number your scenes! You should be writing your script in Master scenes only! Shooting scripts (complete with scene numbers and shot breakdowns) are prepared by the production company just prior to shooting.

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WRITING TRICKS

That makes your screenplay easier to read...

SOUND EFFECTS... Sound effects are written in ALL CAPS but sometimes there's confusion between what constitutes a sound effect and what constitutes dialog. For instance: Does Shelly scream or SCREAM? Does the dog bark or BARK? One simple way to remember the answer is to ask your self if the source of the sound is ON-SCREEN. If Shelly is on-screen when she screams, then it would not be capitalized. If she SCREAMS from another room, then it would be capitalized. If the dog is on-screen when it barks, then you wouldn't capitalize it. However, if the dog BARKS outside, then you would. Get it?
O.S. - V.O. - O.C. ... These terms sometimes confuse the writer. O.S stands for off-screen or out-of shot and is used in FEATURE FILM writing when the speaking character is talking but from another room or area of the set that's not seen in the current shot. V.O. stands for voice-over. Characters in the scene usually can't hear the dialog because it's said mainly for the audience's benefit. It's often used when someone is reflecting (to us) about the past, or when a character is reading a letter (we may hear whoever wrote the letter reading it to us aloud). O.C. stands for off-camera and is used in the same circumstance as O.S. except only for television.
PHONE CONVERSATIONS... These can be a real pain. When you cut back and forth between two locations with scene headings, the flow of the story is interrupted. One great way to get around this is to set up the first scene and when you cut to the second location, you'll set this up too. As soon as you've written your brief descript of the location, you'll want to add (INTERCUT PHONE SEQUENCE). Then carry on the conversation as you normally would if both characters were talking face to face. When the conversation is over, the character your left describing will dictate which location finishes out the scene. Get it?
TRAVELING SHOTS WITH CARS AND DIALOG... Use INT/EXT in your scene heading. For instance your scene heading may look like this: INT/EXT CAR/ROAD - DAY then write your description including outside happenings and inside dialog.
FOREIGN LANGUAGES... when you're using a foreign language that you don't know, simply add just prior to the dialog in narrative something like this: (She speaks ITALIAN, subtitled). Of course, you'll use whatever is appropriate for your situation.
WHEN A CHARACTER SINGS A SONG... Under the character name in dialog you'll want to "direct" the actor by adding (singing). Then when you place the song lyrics in the dialog, USE ALL CAPS and break the lines, if possible, where they break in the lyrics.

MONTAGE OF SHOTS... these scenes are very brief, usually do not include any dialog, and usually center around a common theme. For instance, your characters may be spending their time shopping at the mall. You want to show them with each other purchasing various items at a couple different stores but you don't want to set up each experience as an entirely different scene. For instance:

BEGIN SHOPPING MALL MONTAGE.

DEPARTMENT STORE COSMETIC COUNTER.

Shelly's makeup is done by a professional. Her mother's next.

FINE DRESS SHOP.

Pearl waits for Shelly outside the dressing room. Shelly appears in a gorgeous Chanel gown.

MALL.

Pearl and Shelly hurry toward the jewelry shop. They laugh as they struggle with bags bursting with purchases.

Then proceed to your next scene heading.

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