Structure: How to build your Screenplay

by Darrell J. Banks Copyright 2003 All Rights Reserved

If you have never seen an actual screenplay, please see the televison and film links at aintitcool.com. There you will see what a screenplay looks like on a standard sheet of paper. The focus of this article is on structure. A screenplay has dialogue centered in the middle of the page. Long margins are needed for comments and notes. A screenplay, once sold, will be changed and can differ from the original. It is often copied with scenes deleted and added. Don’t panic Kinkos has card stock, three whole punch paper, and the metal brass braids needed to assemble your script. You will appreciate this when you make copies of your original screenplay and need to make a deadline.

Like a house a screenplay has a certain structure. As stated in previous articles a comedy typically runs ninety minutes a drama 120 minutes. Each page you write is considered a minute of film time. The margins of the page should be as follows top fifteen lines down bottom fifteen lines up sides left 1.5 right 7.5 inches.

When you begin your screenplay include your name, the copyright year, and all rights reserved. You should have a separate title page that dependant on the studio should have your address W.G.A.. ( Writers Guild of America)or Copyright Number. On the first page type in FADE IN on the left margin at the top. Look at an example. Most scripts begin with a transition paragraph that describes the time, period, and setting. This establishes the mood and story tone for the actor and reader. When a character speaks, their names are in capital letters. This also applies to transitions between scenes.

The dialogue is centered between the above margins and with proper pronunciation. Remember this you want your script to look professional. While many contests and studios have other physical requirements, the font is generally twelve point Courier New, or Times Roman New. Do not under any circumstances make your script look different from what the studio or production company wants. After each character speaks there is a double space. This applies before and after transition scenes. The dialogue is single spaced.

Writing Programs. If you prefer use pen and ink, I often do. Especially, when I formulate the scenes and the premise of the movie. If you prefer, you can utilize a standard program such as “MS Word” or “Corel WordPerfect.” I have used macros for each of these programs. If you don’t want to invest one hundred to two hundred dollars on screen-writing software, those programs are fine for your first scripts.

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