The Basics of Screenwriting

There is so much that goes into writing a script. Sometimes it can seem very daunting to start getting your ideas on paper, but there are so many different approaches and ways to write a story. Are you an aspiring writer? Do you have to write a script for a project? Are you unsure of where to start? No worries! Here is a guide to help you get started:

What is a Script?

To cover our bases, scripts are more than just dialogue and action on a page. A script is the outline for any creative project be it a film, series, news, live event, radio program, or podcast. With a good script, your creative project has a specific direction that can lead the project to success. A script has a lot of power. It can elicit strong emotions, connect to audiences, and tell a complex, compelling story. But most importantly, a script is what your entire project will be built upon. 

Sometimes screenplays and scripts will get confused with each other. Screenplays are simply more formalized and finalized versions of scripts. The first draft of your script will not typically be your only draft. Creating a script and learning the format and best ways for you to tell your stories will take time.

Programs that Help with Formatting

When writing a script, especially for the entertainment industry, there are very specific formats that every project will want you to follow. There are particular ways that a film script gets formatted that are different from a script that would be used for a newsroom. Because these formats are so particular and can take a long time to format on traditional document writing programs, writers writing scripts use specific screenwriting programs. While you don’t need screenwriting programs to start writing scripts, if screenwriting is something that you plan on making your career or seriously pursuing, you should use a screenwriting program. Using a screenwriting program gives your story the best chance it has to get sold and made, and it will also help you write faster because you won’t have to worry about format as much. 

There are many to choose from at different price points and features, you should try a few and find which one works best for you and the kinds of projects you work on. 

1. Final Draft - Industry standard; it might be costly but it has a one-time cost for access to the most recent version. It will cost extra if you plan on upgrading to a newer version. Most professionals in the industry use Final Draft. Final Draft comes with a variety of templates for different types of creative projects and is generally user-friendly. You can get a 30-day free trial to try it out. 

2. Highland - An alternative to Final Draft. It is “made by writers, for writers.” It has basic features for free with a pro version that has more features. It also has a unique gender analysis tool that breaks down how much male and female characters in your script speak.

3. Celtx - Cloud-based program that can be accessed right on internet without downloading an app. You get a few free scripts and then it has a membership-based model. Because it is cloud-based, scripts are more easily shared and worked on with multiple people compared to other programs. 

4. Fade In - Another program that is used by many professionals in the industry. It is cheaper than Final Draft and offers free updates. Fade In has many similar features to other programs with cloud storage, breakdowns, and reports, and supports multiple file formats. It also has a mobile version. 

General Screenwriting Format 

While there are of course many different ways that scripts can be formatted for different mediums, here is a short general overview of what script format is typically industry standard. 

• Font: 12-point courier

• Margins: 1.5-inch on the left and 1-inch on all other sides of the page

• Dialogue: Character names should be centered on the page and capitalized. Their dialogue should start 2.5 inches from the left side of the page.

• Page Numbers: Should be in the top right corner and the title page should not be numbered. 

• Scene Headings: Should include INT. or EXT. for interior or exterior, a brief description of the location, and the time of day, either DAY or NIGHT. 

• There are many specific ways that scripts should be formatted for different situations like montages, parentheticals, and camera shots. 

Steps to writing a screenplay

Every writer has their own process; however, there are some universal steps that can help writers find their groove. While you will eventually find your own writing process and work out the best way for you to write a script, here are some steps to help you start out.

1. What are you writing? Figure out what you are writing the script for, specifically what sort of project you are trying to create. Will your script be for a feature film, a series, a short film, a video game, or something else? Determining this will give you an idea of how long your script should be and what story arcs or beats your script should have.

2. Write a treatment, outline, or summary. Create some sort of outline for the script that you want to write. You can use traditional story structure to help figure out the “beats” of your story or what the big moments will be. Often these treatments or outlines will include a logline, character descriptions, plot points, and summaries. A logline is a short, one or two-sentence summary of your project introducing your characters, their situation, and the problem. A character description will help you have a better understanding of your characters and can remind you later how you should write your characters’ actions and dialogue. 

3. Start writing. Using the proper script format, start writing your story. You don’t necessarily have to start at the beginning. Some writers feel drawn to write certain scenes and fill in the rest later; others like to write their first rough draft from start to finish. Make sure to have a plan for writing. This can be in the form of a deadline for when you want or have to have the script finished, how many pages you plan to write per week, or having checkpoints in the story’s plot to meet. Make sure you are making the process manageable and not putting everything to the last minute or dragging the process out so long that you lose track of the original idea. That said, it is perfectly normal to start a project and realize that it isn’t the one that you want to be working on right now, so if that happens, don’t be afraid to go back to the drawing board and come up with a new idea. 

4. Take breaks. Once your first draft is done, or if a good chunk of your script is done, take a break. Give yourself some time away from your script so that you can come back to it with fresh eyes. 

5. Reread and make notes. After a break, go back to your work and reread it. While you are rereading it, you should be making notes about anything that needs to be relooked at. This can include dialogue that doesn’t seem natural or in character, plot points that are too complex and confusing, or scenes that need to be reworked or added. 

6. Rewrite. Scripts will go through many, many drafts. This means that you might have to keep cycling through rereading, making notes, and rewriting until you reach your finalized script. 

7. Share with trusted collaborators or friends. You can share your script with professors, friends, family, producers, or collaborators. Make sure that you trust them and that they will give honest feedback. They can help you refine your script and give you an outside perspective.

8. Present or start preproduction. Once you think your script is ready, you can start showing your script around to producers and studios who might be interested in producing your script. Or if your script already has a team working on it, that production team can start working with the script to plan out production. 

There might be a lot of reasons you are writing a script. It might be for a specific project. It might be a script that you wish to sell and have a production company make. It might just be for your portfolio. Regardless, learning the art of writing a script is important in this industry because scripts are vital to a good production. In your screenwriting journey, you might want to consider taking a look at these popular books about screenwriting: Save the Cat by Blake Snyder, The Coffee Break Screenwriter by Pilar Alessandra, and The 21st Century Screenplay by Linda Aronson. It will take time and practice to get a hang of all the specifics of writing a script but at the end of the day, if you have a good story that will show. Keep working at it and the next big screenplay could be yours! 

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