How to Format a Script for a Hollywood Movie
by Jaden
One of the most important things an aspiring screenwriter must know to sell a movie script to Hollywood is how to format a screenplay properly.
An incorrectly formatted script may quickly land in the trash. No clever title will spare it.
Why?
A script that is formatted wrong is the first sign of a bad writer, a writer who has not taken one single hour to figure out how to properly format a script; it is the sign of a lazy and uneducated writer, and no one in Hollywood wants to work with that person.
Good for you: here you are now, taking some time to figure out how to format your script. You are on the right path and you are taking the first important step to selling your script to Hollywood.
Formatting your script is easy.
SCRIPT APPEARANCE
There should be no cover on your title page, I repeat, NO COVER. If you think getting fancy and adding pictures or protection to your precious baby is going to help you sell a script, you will be sorrily disappointed when no one calls you back. Make sure your script cover page is a simple white piece of paper with your title on it.
Use all 3-hole punched white paper that measures 8.5 x 11 inches. Do not use colored paper! Colored paper may be used later for different drafts of the script for production purposes only, not by or for you!
Use two brass metal fasteners called brads to bind your script at the top and bottom holes only. Check your local office supply store for them before making a costly online purchase. Make sure that you get the right length of the binding brads to match the thickness of your script so that they are not too long because they will cut the hands of your readers and they will be extremely irritated with you for that.
You may put a piece of hard stock paper as your very last page for extra protection, as pages do tend to rip off the back after being read a few times.
SCRIPT MARGINS
The body of the script, that is Scene Headings and Action margins are 1.5 inches from the left side and 1 inch from the right side.
Character Names are centered.
Dialogue is 3 inches from the left side and 2 inches from the right side.
PAGE NUMBERS are on the top right side of the page 1/2 inch down from the top.
SCREENPLAY FONT
Font must be COURIER size 12. Use this font for the Title Page and all the way through the entire script. Do not stray from this font. This is an exact measurement that is used to gauge the time of the movie. 1 page of script in this font generally equals 1 minute of screen time.
SCREENPLAY TITLE PAGE
Title page should be the cover of your script.
The title page should have your TITLE in capital letters centered about 1/3 the way down the first page of your script.
After the title, add a line space, following on the next line is: “by“.
On the next line add the screenplay’s author’s name with only the first letters capitalized, like “Irene Rocks”.
On the bottom left side of your first title page, add your contact information; this may be you, your agent, or your mom. Put the name, address, telephone number, and email in a block style.
On the other side, put your WGA number or Copyright year.
SCREENPLAY FORMATTING
Once you begin your feature length movie story, script formatting can vary slightly.
What is best is to keep your formatting as simple and clear as possible.
Here is an example of the script formatting I like best:
Every scene must be introduced with a Scene Heading.
EXT. LOCATION – NIGHT
or
INT. LOCATION – DAY
At the top of the page, this should be the first text on page 1 of your movie script.
SCENE HEADING describes whether we are on the Interior of a structure or sheltered area, INT. for inside, or on the Exterior, EXT. for outside. Next, tell the Location and whether it is Day or Night. Keep this as simple as possible. This information is mostly for the film crew to prepare for production. Save elaborate descriptions and details for the ACTION area underneath the Scene Heading!
After the Scene Heading comes the ACTION DESCRIPTION area; this is where you put all your creative details and should consist of only a description of what you can actually see on the screen in the movie theater.
ACTION is not a place for feelings or smells or lengthy prose descriptions. If the audience cannot see or hear it, don’t write it! Only write what can be seen and heard. Again, this is not a novel or poetry, it is a screenplay, so you want to keep it as simple and direct to the point as possible.
Screenplays are the DNA of movies, instructing how the body is going to be made.
CHARACTER NAMES should be centered and in capital letters.
DIALOGUE immediately follows the Character Name, no space in between.
FEATURE LENGTH SCREENPLAY
Short is better!
A feature length movie script is 90 to 120 pages, that is an hour and a half to two hours.
A short film is 10 to 60 pages.
Long scripts are an issue with new writers. I see it all the time.
Trust me, no one is looking for the next Shakespeare; Hollywood is just looking to slam something together to make a few million bucks. If you want to make a sale and you want someone to invest in you, the unknown writer, keep it tight and short! Agents and producers don’t have the patience or interest to read long scripts over 120 pages. Actors are busy memorizing other scripts for other movie roles.
You are not impressing anyone with your verboseness. What you are saying to producers with your long script is that you don’t know how to tighten up your script and get rid of all the unnecessary slough and that you might have a problem with writing deadlines.
You only have a few minutes to capture a reader’s attention and wow all these busy people to keep them reading, all the many many people it takes to make a movie, they all have to read your script and fall in love with it.
How many minutes do you think Brad Pitt has for you?
Ultimately, audiences don’t want to sit through long movies either. They want to be kept on their toes and entertained, not put to sleep.
Write a tight script. Only say what needs to be said to tell your story. Keep it interesting and exciting.
If you can’t say what you need to say in 120 pages, maybe you should consider writing a novel instead and let someone else adapt your story for cinema.
TIME TO WRITE
Now you know screenplay formatting basics, it is time to write!
On this site, you can find years worth of inspiring and encouraging articles to help you write. Here are some of my favorites:
How To Be Funny: List of Joke Fodder
Write a Screenplay in One Month: Week Zero
Sunday Picture Posts, Script Writing Prompts & Exercises
Click on these movie titles to read actual OSCAR award-winning SCRIPTS!
Comments
11 Responses to “How to Format a Script for a Hollywood Movie”
Got something to say?
Thanks J! :)
am a writer who’s work is not yet seen by any of hollywood producer yet but hope that through your help i can get connected to one the producer in the hoolywood,i ll really appreaciate if you consider me,currently i have 14 movie scripts that i completed.thanks i look forward from hearing from you.
Samuel — I am a writer, not an agent or a producer. I am sorry I cannot help you with that directly, but I have provided some information about it throughout my website.
[...] –Above is my way. Some writers just have an idea and write the script without any preparation. Some writers have action plot points and then create their characters and dialog around the action. Some writers develop characters first and then put them into situations and see what they will do. Some people write non-fiction, life reflections of real events in chronological order. Some writers take a historical event and put fictitious characters into that. There is no right or wrong way to write a script, as long as it is in proper screenwriting format. [...]
[...] and memorize how to format a script properly. This is not optional. Agents and filmmakers will not read your script if they glance at [...]
Hi Jaden,
It’s me Walter, the guy from Perú again. I’m about to finnish the english script i’ve told you but i have a question,.. It is okay to put on the cover the name of all the writers or the nickname of the group(like the Perú guys)? Because we are too many people (7 writers) and maybe l if we put all the names wouldn’t be marketable.
Cheers!!
PS: Ah!! I forgot to tell you that i went to Dov Simons (American Film’s Producer) two day film’s school and i learn that is possible to sell my script to producction companies in U.S. (it will be difficult but not impossible) so i will try my best to make it happend. Wish me luck (i will really need it) = )
Sorry, it was Dov S-S Simens (Typo je je)
Walter — Hi.
2 to 3 is maximum amount of screen writer credits on a movie.
Being that you are not in the USA and are trying to sell to Hollywood, you already have one big hurdle.
Putting 7 names on the title page will be an additional enormous strike against you and your team.
I highly recommend using one fictitious name to represent all of you, or choose the lead writer’s name for now. You can work out the credits and money details later with a lawyer. For now, you just want to get your script read!!! and hopefully sold. Make it as enticing as possible: don’t put 7 writer names!
Good luck.
J
[...] ~ Write a Screenplay in One Month: Week Zero ~ What are Spec Scripts? ~ Who Gets Story Credit? ~ How to Format a Script for a Hollywood Movie ~ Screenwriter's Favorite Actors & Movies ~ Do I Need an Agent? ~ Reality Bites: Life of a [...]
I am adapting a book to a screen play – a book I wrote – do I use the name I write under for the screnpaly or my legal one?
Also, thank you for the sample. I have been searching for a simple example of a screenplay and this is the first site I’ve found that actually showed me. (I have the software but I still wanted to see one)
Suzanne — Hello!
Yes, you can use your book pen name for your screenplay pen name. Payments may eventually be made to your legal name, but you can work that out later when you have a deal and keep your real name private.
I am not sure what writing sample you are talking about, but I have a lot of links to scripts on my site.
Under RESOURCES at the bottom are links to lots of SCRIPTS.
Here are a few great scripts…
SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/shawshank.html
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
http://www.weeklyscript.com/No%20Country%20For%20Old%20Men%20(Shooting).txt
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
http://www.weeklyscript.com/Little%20Miss%20Sunshine.txt
Will add them to this article as well.
Happy Writing!