Formatting | READABILITY | Empire Screenwriting Resource

Screenplay Readability

SCREENPLAY FORMATTING

Good screenplay format promotes clarity and signals the consideration, seriousness, and professional level of the writer. With a high degree of familiarity and facility with professional screenplay format, you can experiment to achieve particular results, set tone, or establish a personal style.

But only break the rules once you know the rules you are breaking.

Picasso's greatness came as much from his grounding in classical training as from his innovative departure from it. Remember that as you gain confidence and seek to innovate your format.

Levels of screenplay formatting.

You will encounter three levels on your way to your own screenplay format nirvanna . .

Obliviously unaware of 'standard Hollywood format', you blithely pattern your script after your own muse in your head, submitting it to agents and producers without regard to their strict screening processes, and highly-sensitive nose for beginners. RESULTS: You don't get too far.
Aware and informed of what people in Hollywood are looking for in terms of professional screenplay format, and what distinguishes a beginner for them, you slavishly follow whatever appears to be your Bible at the time. RESULTS: You start getting read, at least until your content proves unsatisfactory, but you don't wow anyone into believing you're the next Shane Black.
With a firm footing in 'acceptable' Hollywood screenplay formatting, and experience in what trips triggers and what doesn't, you begin to experiment to set your own style, establish a mood for a given script, and just plain have more fun with your screenwriting. RESULTS: You've arrived.

Check the online screenwriting groups.

Energetic and rigorous discussion of every niggly topic related to screenplay format occurs regularly on such online screenwriting discussion groups as the Yahoo! Screenwriting one. You may find other good groups by searching Yahoo! Groups. Google Groups pulls from 700 million Usenet entries over a couple-decade period. And don't forget MSN Groups.

There are no rules!

WARNING: Apply any screenplay formatting suggestions with discernment, and at your own peril. No claim can be made to the absolute correctness of any approach, as no absolutely correct screenplay format is known to exist in Hollywood. There are no rules! (just be sure not to break any of them).

Help from software

One of the best ways to make sure your screenplay is formatted properly is to write it using popular screenwriting software such as . .