OUAN502 - Screenplay Writing / Format

Earlier on in the year Sara gave us a short seminar on how to produce scripts in the correct format. She gave us an example script with the the majority of what we would need to go ahead and produce a script for a film or piece of television if we wanted to. Specifically, the script was in the format used for the BBC but for film and Hollywood films in particular there is very little difference between the two. This had me thinking further about the format and I wanted to learn more about how to produce screenplays and scripts in the correct format. Throughout each project we've undertaken over the past two years I've felt one of my strengths has been generating stories and writing scripts for each of them. It is also something I enjoy, outside of the production of a story in animation form, 'writing' is something I enjoy by itself and finding ways to tell a story through the use of language whilst factoring in an audience and figuring out the best way to tell a story is something I've become heavily invested in. For the purpose of the seminar Sara had given us a hand out produced by the BBC on how to write a screenplay in the correct and proper format, this guide can also be found online.

I looked into this further and tried to find out more about some of the basic specifications for a script and the format in which it is produced. I found that in its most basic form a screenplay is usually a '90-120 page document written in Courier 12pt font on 8 1/2" x 11" (also called US letter) bright white three-hole punched paper'. I like how specific this is and it makes sense to me now why all screenplays no matter who they're written by across all genres and areas of film or television they look the same. I also found out the reason why Courier is used as the typeface, and it is essentially an issue of timing within the film itself. In other words, one page of script that has been formatted in this way usually accounts for one minute of onscreen footage - and also explains the reason that one average a script is between 90-120 pages in length with 120 minutes being equivilent to 2 hours. Aside from the technical requirements and formatting of a script, a screenplay can be used to tell a range of different stories, from an original piece, or a story based on real events or even a retelling of a previously written story or piece; so a news article, novel or theatre play. A screenplay has a crucial role in the making of a film, and acts as a blueprint for the film it will become. Professionals working on a film set such as producers, the director, set designers and actors all read and interpret the screenwriter's vision using their individual style and talents. This again refers back to the common theme in film making and the general consensus that film making is a collaborative art - a team of talented individuals working together to achieve the directors vision. The role of the screenwriter is no different here, and must be aware of all of the other roles that will be involves in making the screenplay come to life. I imagine this is quite a difficult task because although the screenplay is a written piece the whole time the screenwriter has to be aware and thinking about the fact that film for example is a majority visual medium. One example I saw about how things may or may not work in film compared to other mediums is that, 'A 2-page inner monologue may work well for a novel, but is the kiss of death in a script. In essence the nature of screenwriting and writing for visual mediums is based around depicting a story on screen or to an audience visually, and something as subtle as the look on an actor's face can have a big effect on the audience.

There is actually software that allows you to format screenplays correctly without having to check everything manually. Softwares such as Final Draft, Movie Magic Screenwriter, Movie Outline and Montage makes it so anyone can theoretically write a screenplay in the traditional format. Despit this it is always good to make sure that you understand the requirements even though this helps a lot. In terms of spacing, the top, bottom and right margins of a screenplay are 1" and the left margin is 1.5". The extra half an inch in the left side makes it so the script can be ring bound but ensures that there is a balance between the white space around the edge of the screenplay text. As well as this the whole document should be single spaced and the very first item on the first page should be the words 'FADE IN:'. Interestingly, the first page is never numbered but pages following this one will have their numbers appear in the upper right hand corner, 0.5" from the top of the page, flush right to the margin. I found it interesting but that there were so many small nuances involved in the process of writing a screenplay in the correct format - although it makes sense so that a screenplay can be universally read and understood by all who need to read it.