Chance Encounters
  • My Blog
  • Scarecrow and Mrs. King
    • What is SMK?
    • SMK Episode Guide Seasons One and Two
    • SMK Episode Guide Seasons Three and Four
    • SMK Quotes
    • SMK Vacations
    • SMK Avatars & Signatures
    • SMK Photos and More >
      • SMK Fan Art
      • SMK Promo Pictures
      • SMK TV Guide Ads
    • In Memoriam
    • SMK 25th Reunion
  • Screenplays
    • The More Things Change
    • Sins of the Father
    • SMK Season Five Project >
      • 1. Secrets, Lies, and Half Truths
      • 2. The Ties That Bind Also Gag
      • 3. The Choices We Made: Part One
      • 4. The Choices We Made: Part Two
      • 5. A Drop In The Bucket
      • 6. Life Interrupted
    • SMK Season Five Project : Part 2 >
      • 7. Guilt by Association
      • 8. A Cold Winter's Night
      • 9. Heart of Gold
      • 10. Year of the Spy
  • Fan Fiction
    • Alone in the Darkness
    • Amanda versus the Rings
    • Christmas Past
    • Duty
    • Ghosts from the Past
    • Just Fishing
    • Lee versus the Rings
    • Life's Lesson
    • One Moment in Time
    • Our Little Secret
  • Fan Fiction Two
    • Smooth Sailing
    • Stranger Than Fiction
    • Tears Into Wine
    • The Hand We Are Dealt
    • The Second Time
    • The Stand
    • There Comes a Time
    • Timing is Everything
    • Unexpected Beginnings
    • Waiting
  • Fan Fiction Three
    • Drabbles
    • Writing Challenges
    • Chuck and Scarecrow and Mrs. King Crossover Stories >
      • Chuck versus the Weekend
      • Chuck versus the G.R.E.T.A.
      • Chuck versus the Doppelganger
    • Virtual Season Seven Stories >
      • Even The Mighty Shall Fall
      • Black Saturday
      • When The Bough Breaks
      • Now I Lay Me Down To Weep
    • SMK Writing Buddies
  • SMK Music Vids
  • Children Say The Darndest Things
  • Chuck Episode Guide Seasons One To Three
  • Chuck Episode Guide Seasons Four and Five
  • Forest Fire Lookouts
  • Links
    • SMK Links
    • Favorite Blogs and Websites
  • Resume
  • Contact Me

Screenwriting 101

2/20/2012

0 Comments

 
Screenplays are not a literary form, like a novel, but are more like a blueprint for movies and television shows.

Today’s belief is that less is more when it comes to camera directions, unless you plan to direct the production yourself.  Gone is the close up, cut to, dissolve to, wide shot and high angle.  Movie and television scripts shouldn’t include camera directions as a rule, but there is some latitude if a specific camera shot or movement is necessary to move the narrative forward or reveal a joke.  The character’s action is what should move the story forward from scene to scene.

Basic Formatting:
On the average, one page of dialogue equals about a minute to a minute and a half of film.  Television shows are approximately 46 minutes without commercials, and a one-hour television script can range from 35 to 50 pages.

The format for a screenplay is fairly simple.  It begins with a FADE IN, always in caps an on the left-hand margin, and ends with FADE OUT, always in caps and on the right-hand margin.  If you want your screenplay to appear professional, the industry standard font is Courier and font size 12, and the margins for top, right and bottom are one inch; the left margin is set at 1 1/2 inches to allow for binding.

The most important transition is the SCENE HEADING, or what is sometimes called the slug line.  It starts with interior or exterior (letting the crew know if the shot will be inside or outside) and is always capitalized and abbreviated.  Also in the scene heading is the location.  Keep it brief.  In addition, the time of the scene needs to be a part of the line.  Time of the scene examples may include things like day, night, dusk, early morning, early evening, midnight, later, much later, next morning, week later, etc.  The use of the dash between the elements is the only punctuation.  The scene heading is always capitalized.

EXT. DOUGHNUT SHOT — EARLY MORNING

With this scene heading, we have established the scene takes place outside a doughnut shop in the early morning.  This is followed usually by a brief description of the scene or action.

The scene opens and we see a doughnut shop on a street located somewhere in Georgetown.  Painted on the outside window are the words, “Donut Express”.

The person speaking is capitalized and appears at the top of the dialogue.  Also capitalized is the first appearance of a character noted in the description.  Every moment in a screenplay takes place now, so use the active, not passive, voice.

DOTTY has made it through the busy shop and now stands a counter.  She talks to others around her, but no one seems to be listening.

DOTTY
I don’t usually buy doughnuts.  Not a healthy breakfast choice.

Basic Camera Directions Screenwriters Should Know (for when the specific camera angle is important):

ANGLE–another view of the previous shot
CLOSE UP–tightly frames a person or object
MONTAGE–a series of scenes
O.C.–off camera
DISSOLVE TO–a slow transition from one scene to another
POV–seen from the eye of the character
INSERT–to highlight an object in the scene
INTERCUT–two scenes cutting back and forth between locations simultaneously (for example, during a phone call)
V.O–voice over
B.G.–background
FREEZE FRAME–the illusion of a still photograph
PAN–stationary camera pivots back and forth or up and down

Script Presentation Guidelines:
There are several screenwriting software options available.  Find one that works best for you, otherwise, you will be formatting all day instead of writing.  However, dialogue should be 10 spaces from the left margin and no more than 60 spaces long.  The actor’s instructions start 16 spaces from the left margin and are no longer than two inches.  The character’s name should be 22 spaces from the left margin.

Crossposted on Lia London's website. Follow her series on "Screenwriting" for more tips. 

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

     "Hey. . . it's me."

    I live in the shadows of the Olympic Mountains, in the State of Washington and I love camping, boating, hiking, and hanging out with my husband, our three boys, and two Bernese Mountain dogs. 

    I enjoy beta reading, writing, listening to music, directing community theater, family history, and visiting forest fire lookouts.

    "Actually, I do a lot of things."

    My favorite television show growing up was Scarecrow and Mrs. King and my screenplays and fan fiction stories are all based on that series.

    "There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humor and hurt." ~ Erma Bombeck

    Archives

    June 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010

    Free Printable Calendar

    Tags

    All
    1980
    Accident
    Adam Baldwin
    Adventures
    Amanda King
    Amazon
    American Heart Association
    Anniversary
    Arrhythmia
    Author
    Autism
    Babylon 5
    Band
    Believe
    Beta Read
    Blog
    Bloopers
    Breasts
    Bruce Boxleitner
    Bucket List
    Camping
    Canada
    Cancer
    Cedar Cove
    Childhood
    Children
    Choices
    Chuck
    Church
    Cindy Morgan
    Collaborative Fiction
    College
    Comedy
    Conventions
    Cooking
    CPR
    Criticism
    David Giuntoli
    Dialogue
    Disappointment
    Disney
    Dreams
    Driving
    Earthquake
    ECCC
    Essential Oils
    Europe
    Family
    Family History
    Fandom
    Fan Fiction
    Fangirl
    Fantasy
    Favorites
    Friends
    Geek
    German Recipes
    Greg Morton
    Grimm
    Guest
    Hallmark
    Happiness
    Heart
    Heroes
    Hollywood
    Hospital
    Humor
    Hysterectomy
    Information
    Insurance
    Journal
    Kate Jackson
    Lantern City
    Law
    Lee Stetson
    Lesson
    Life
    Lifesaving
    Lighthouse
    Little House On The Prairie
    Martha Smith
    Me
    Medical
    Memories
    Miracles
    Mission
    Motherhood
    Movie
    Music
    Music Videos
    Mystery
    Netflix
    Novels
    Nugget
    Parenting
    Paul Stout
    Pet Peeve
    Pie
    Poetry
    Politics
    Portland
    Prayers
    Proud Momma Moment
    Random
    Rant
    Rave
    Reading
    Recomendations
    Reflection
    Remembrance
    Review
    Righteously Indignant
    Road Trip
    Romance
    Sadness
    Sasha Roiz
    SCA
    Scarecrow And Mrs. King
    School
    Science Fiction
    Screenplay
    Screenwriting
    Seattle
    Sequester
    Techniques
    Teenagers
    Television Series
    Thanks
    Theatre
    Travel
    Tron
    Twitter
    United States
    Vacation
    Walt Morey
    West Linn
    Writing
    Writing Challenge
    YMCA
    Young Adult
    Yvonne Strahovski
    Zachary Levi

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.