How To Write a Screenplay

Writing a script can be extremely difficult. The hardest part is developing an idea and a storyline. However, after you have figured out that aspect of writing a script, the rest is a piece of cake. Below I have a picture of a screenplay I wrote titled Tara as well as examples from a scene I pulled from my short film Our Place, which will be released sometime next month on my YouTube channel, Sydnayy. 

You will want to create a cover page for your screenplay, especially if you are planning on sending it to producers. Make the font size 12 and the font Courier or Courier New. Then, type the title of your screenplay at the center of the page in all caps, but do not change the font size or stylize it. Skip two lines and underneath the title type "by," enter, enter, and your name. If you are planning on sending it to publishers or producers, type your contact information in the lower right-hand corner. Start with your address, skip a line and type the city, state, and zip code. Then use the third line to type your phone number and the fourth to type your contact email address. If you have copyright protection you would also use this space to type that information. Type it above the address. Now you can start writing. 

The first thing you need to do is make sure you have the right format. The margins for a script are 1" for the right, top, and bottom. However, the left margin should be set to 1.5" Set the font to Courier or Courier New. Then, set the font size to 12 point. 

Almost every screenplay starts with FADE IN at the top left before the setting. However, Our Place does not start with a fade in, it cuts in from black.

Every scene will start with INT or EXT (for interior or exterior). SETTING - TIME OF DAY (MORNING, DAY, or NIGHT). This starts at the 1.5" margin on the left.

The text margins for descriptions before the dialogue goes from 0 at the start of the 1.5" margin to 6" or to the right 1" margin. When typing dialogue, set the margins for the text to 1" and the second one at 4". Center the name of the character speaking between the dialogue margins and type them in all caps. 

In the descriptions before the dialogue, simply type what is happening in the scene, or in other words, what is visually or soundly happening on screen. 

Occasionally you will have specific notes for movements or actions the actor should make. Put these suggestions in parenthesis within the dialogue. 

The worst thing you can do when you start writing is write the dialogue in an unnatural way. If you can't imagine someone saying your dialogue, then it is not natural. Films are supposed to reflect real life in an exaggerated way, so make sure the characters are relatable in some way and the dialogue is natural. Also, do not write in the music you want to have in the background or the specific editing marks you want to see. These are decisions the director and editors make producing the film not the writer. 

Once you have an idea and understand the correct format for a screenplay, you are well on your way to writing your own screenplay!