This guide covers every element of professional screenplay format with examples. Whether you are writing your first script or refreshing your knowledge, this is the reference you need.
The Page Layout
A properly formatted screenplay uses:
- 12-point Courier font (fixed-width ensures one page ≈ one minute)
- Left margin: 1.5 inches
- Right margin: 1 inch
- Top/bottom margins: 1 inch
- Page numbers: upper right, starting on page 2
- FADE IN: on page 1 (optional in modern specs)
- FADE OUT. on the last page
Scene Heading (Slug Line)
The scene heading tells us where and when:
INT. APARTMENT - KITCHEN - NIGHT
EXT. CENTRAL PARK - DAY
INT./EXT. CAR (MOVING) - DAY
Rules:
- Always start with INT. (interior) or EXT. (exterior)
- Location in CAPS
- Time of day: DAY, NIGHT, DAWN, DUSK, CONTINUOUS, LATER, SAME
- Sub-locations separated by hyphens: INT. HOUSE - BEDROOM
- CONTINUOUS means time has not passed since the previous scene
Action (Description)
Action describes what we see and hear:
Sarah stands at the kitchen counter, slicing vegetables with practiced
precision. Rain DRUMS against the window. She pauses, knife mid-air,
listening to something outside.
Rules:
- Present tense always
- First appearance of a character: name in CAPS with age — SARAH (28)
- Sound effects in CAPS — the door SLAMS, a GUNSHOT
- Keep paragraphs to 3-4 lines maximum
- No camera directions (avoid CLOSE UP, WE SEE, ANGLE ON)
Character Name
Centered, all caps, 3.7 inches from the left margin:
SARAH
Rules:
- Use the same name consistently throughout
- (V.O.) for voice over, (O.S.) for off screen
- (CONT''D) when dialogue is interrupted by action
Dialogue
Indented below the character name:
SARAH
I told you I''d handle it.
Rules:
- 2.5 inches from left margin
- About 3.5 inches wide
- No quotation marks
- Keep speeches short — break long speeches with action beats
Parenthetical
Brief direction within the dialogue block:
SARAH
(sotto voce)
Not here. Not now.
Rules:
- 3.1 inches from left margin
- Always lowercase, in parentheses
- Used sparingly — for essential delivery notes only
- Never for emotional direction (angry, sadly, happily)
Transition
Right-aligned, all caps:
CUT TO:
SMASH CUT TO:
DISSOLVE TO:
Rules:
- Modern screenplays rarely use transitions
- CUT TO: is implied between every scene
- Use only for dramatic effect (SMASH CUT TO:) or stylistic choice (DISSOLVE TO:)
Montage
MONTAGE - SARAH TRAINS
- Sarah runs stairs at dawn, gasping for breath.
- She spars with a trainer, taking hits, getting up.
- She studies video footage, rewinding the same moment.
- She runs the stairs again. Faster this time.
END MONTAGE
Intercut
For phone calls or parallel action:
INTERCUT - PHONE CONVERSATION
Sarah paces her apartment. Mark sits in his car.
SARAH
Where are you?
MARK
Does it matter?
Dual Dialogue
Two characters speaking simultaneously:
SARAH MARK
You can''t be serious. I''m dead serious.
Most screenwriting tools handle dual dialogue formatting automatically.
Title Card / Chyron
TITLE CARD: "Three months earlier"
CHYRON: "Brooklyn, New York"
Format your screenplay automatically in Seikan — every element styled to industry standards as you type. Free to start.