John Bejko's Lounge Discussions

John Bejko
Script format question.

Hi,

I just signed up and I've posted several pages of a script I've been rewriting. One of the questions I have is that I seen various script formatting online. What is the rule for capitalizing? I know actions and character name are in caps, but what else?

Eric Christopherson

I wouldn't put actions in caps too often, only for serious emphasis. Character names are capped the first time they appear in the narrativer. A lot of people cap sounds, but IMO it's not required. The...

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Anthony Moore

I would suggest obtaining and studying a copy of The Screenwriters Bible which is the most definitive guide to the script formatting rules. Otherwise, I'd start using screen-writing software (some are...

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Pierre Langenegger

I just had a look. Yeah, you're capping too much. Also you should proof your work before posting. I know it's only a sample three pages but your typos and editing mistakes make a real impact and avoid...

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A. S. Templeton

The simple rule is caps only for CHARACTER intro and non-human SOUNDS, the latter as cues for foley and SFX artists.

John Bejko
Script formating

First I'd like to thank all of you who answered my first post. Thank You.

I tried to paste in my post several pages of a script, but it all came out as one long spaceless text. is there a way I could attach a file to this post?

Beth Fox Heisinger

Hi John. You may post script PDFs on your profile page under "loglines." ;)

John Bejko

Thank You Beth, I uploaded several pages of the script. (tlp.pdf)

Pierre Langenegger

John, there's no script attached to your logline. This site does have ongoing issues since late last year so maybe that's the cause.

John Bejko
Script fortmats

Hi, I'm new here and just purchased Final Draft 10.

I'm trying to rewrite a script of mine with the new software. I found that there are lots of different formats and rules governing how to write a script. Here's an example of a scene. I capitalize the characters, their actions and their description...

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Grady McShane

You're capitalizing too much.

Here's a list.

Generally, text in a screenplay’s actions or stage directions will be in ALL CAPS when something deserves special attention.

Some common all caps examples:

T...

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Pierre Langenegger

Yeah, you're capping way too much. In fact, I don't even cap half as much as what Grady suggests. Overuse of capping pulls the reader out of the story, the reader is your friend, don't upset them. Mak...

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Grady McShane

I don't cap everything I suggest either. HAHAHAHA!

Craig D Griffiths

Read a few scripts and find what works best for you. Tony Gilroy hardly ever uses sluglines he does clever transition. I can't write like him. I used sluglines to indicate hard cuts without saying CUT TO. There are format rules and accepted formats. It's up to you how you implement them.

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