How do you format a screenplay?

A screenplay is written in 12-point Courier on US Letter or A4 paper, with a 1.5 inch left margin and 1 inch on the other sides. It uses six main elements: scene headings, action, character names, parentheticals, dialogue and transitions, each placed at a fixed indent so one page runs about a minute of screen time.

Why screenplay format matters

Readers, producers and competitions expect a script to look a certain way. The format isn't decoration: it lets a reader judge pacing at a glance, and because every page is laid out the same way, one page works out at roughly one minute on screen. A script that ignores the format is often put down before the first scene ends.

The page

Font: Courier or Courier Prime, 12 point. Every character is the same width, which keeps the page timing consistent.
Margins: 1.5 inches on the left (for binding), 1 inch on the right, top and bottom.
Page numbers: top right, followed by a full stop. The first page isn't numbered.
Paper: US Letter in America, A4 in most other countries. Either is fine if you're consistent.

The six elements

Scene heading (also called a slugline): where and when the scene happens, in capitals. INT. LIGHTHOUSE - NIGHT. See our guide to scene headings.
Action: what we see and hear, in the present tense, across the full width of the page.
Character: the speaker's name in capitals, about 2 inches in from the left margin.
Parenthetical: a brief note on how a line is said, in brackets under the name. Use sparingly; see parentheticals.
Dialogue: what the character says, in a narrower column about 1 inch in from the left margin.
Transition: an instruction such as CUT TO:, right aligned. Modern scripts use very few; see transitions.

Spacing

Leave one blank line between elements, but none inside a speech: the character name, parenthetical and dialogue sit together. A new scene heading has a blank line above it.

The easy way

You don't need to measure anything. A screenwriting app puts every element in the right place as you type. In True-Script you can even say "scene", "action" or "character" out loud and it formats the line for you.

A formatted page, line by line

Here is how a short exchange looks once every element is in place. Notice how little is on the page: white space is part of the format, and it is what makes a script quick to read.

INT. LIGHTHOUSE LAMP ROOM - NIGHT

The great lens turns. MARA (40s), soaked, climbs the last
step and freezes. A man sits in the keeper's chair.

                    MARA
          You're not supposed to be here.

                    TOM
               (not turning round)
          Neither are you.

The scene heading, action and character name are all in capitals where they should be. The action is short and visual. The parenthetical tells the actor something they could not work out from the line alone, and then gets out of the way.

Writing good action lines

Action is where new writers lose readers. Keep paragraphs to three or four lines, write only what the camera can see or the microphone can hear, and stay in the present tense. Instead of "Mara feels nervous about what she might find," write "Mara hesitates at the door. Her hand shakes on the latch." Introduce each character in capitals the first time they appear, with an age range and one telling detail, then use normal case from then on.

The most common formatting mistakes

Camera directions everywhere. "We see", "pan across" and "close on" belong to the director. Use them only when a shot is essential to the story.
Bold, italics and underlining. Keep emphasis rare. A page full of styling is harder to read, not easier.
Long speeches with no breaks. If a character talks for more than about five lines, look for a reaction, an action beat or an interruption.
Numbering scenes in a spec script. Scene numbers are added when a script goes into production, not before. See our guide to scene numbers.
Writing what can't be filmed. Back story, thoughts and feelings that no actor could show will be skipped by readers and cut by directors.

Spec scripts and shooting scripts

A spec script is written to sell or to enter competitions. It should be clean and easy to read, with no scene numbers, few camera directions and no revision marks. A shooting script is the version a production works from: it adds scene numbers, page locks, coloured revision pages and sometimes shot detail. Write the spec first; the shooting script comes later, usually with input from the director and the first assistant director.

Checking your format

Before you send a script anywhere, print a few pages or export a PDF and look at them as a reader would. Is there plenty of white space? Can you tell who is speaking at a glance? Do the scene headings stand out? If you wrote it in True-Script, press Table Read and listen: clumsy formatting often shows up as lines that sound wrong when they are read aloud.

Common questions

What font is a screenplay written in?

Screenplays use 12-point Courier or Courier Prime, a typewriter-style font where every character is the same width, which keeps one page to about a minute of screen time.

Should a screenplay be US Letter or A4?

US Letter is standard in America and A4 in the UK and most other countries. Either is acceptable as long as the whole script uses one size.

How many lines should an action paragraph be?

Aim for three or four lines at most. Break longer passages into separate paragraphs, each describing one beat or image, so the reader can move quickly down the page.

Do I need special software to format a screenplay?

No, but it helps. Screenwriting apps such as True-Script place every element automatically, so you can concentrate on the story rather than on margins and indents.