What Is a Script? Basic Elements of Screenplays and Playscripts

A script is a document that comprises setting, characters, dialogue, and stage directions for movies, TV shows, and stage plays. When directors stage such productions, they follow the instructions provided by the script. In live theatre, script writers are playwrights, and the scripts are also known as playscripts. In film and television, script writers are called screenwriters. A film script is called a screenplay, and a TV script is called a teleplay.

The script starts the artistic process for a dramatic performance, but film, TV, and theatre are all inherently collaborative. Directors, actors, and designers interpret the script. Sometimes these professionals uncover new insight about the material that the original screenwriter may have never imagined during the scriptwriting process. While a great script forms the foundation of a great performance, it is not the only factor in the artistic process.

The vast majority of TV and film screenplays and teleplays follow an industry standard script format. Key formatting standards include:

1. 1. Page margins: You should have a 1.5-inch margin on the left of the page, a 1-inch margin on the right of the page, and 1 inch of white space on the top and bottom of the page.
2. 2. Proper font: An industry standard screenplay uses size twelve Courier font.
3. 3. Title page: The script should have a title page with no content apart from the title, author's name, contact information and representation (if applicable).
4. 4. Page numbers: Page numbers mark every page of the script apart from the first page.
5. 5. Character names: When characters speak, their names appear in all capital letters, centered on the page, and indented 3.7 inches from the left side of the page.
6. 6. Dialogue: Lines should be centered on the page, below the name of the character speaking. Each dialogue block should be indented 2.5 inches from the left side of the page.
7. 7. Voiceover: Characters speaking in voiceover signified by "V.O." next to their names.
8. 8. “Off-screen” or “off-camera”: Characters who can be heard off screen signified as O.S. (off-screen) in film scripts and O.C. (off-camera) in TV scripts.
9. 9. Dialogue descriptions: These should be centered in parentheses, directly above the dialogue.
10. 10. Action lines: Descriptions of action are aligned with the left margin of the page. Action lines should always appear this way, never in parentheticals.
11. 11. Proper character introductions: Characters’ names should be capitalized the first time they appear. (This applies for everyone from the main character to unnamed extras passing through a scene.)
12. 12. Scene headings: Often called sluglines, these belong in all caps, aligned left on the page.
13. 13. Locations: Scene headings must always be preceded by “EXT.” for "exterior" or “INT.” for "interior."
14. 14. Transitions: Instructions like "FADE OUT" or "BLACKOUT" appear in all caps, aligned with the right margin.
15. 15. Minimal camera directions on spec scripts: On a TV show or feature film, camera and lighting choices belong to the director and their photography team. Refrain from including camera or lighting directions unless it’s absolutely essential.

Playscripts follow a similar format to screenplays and teleplays, but there are a few key elements that make playscripts unique:

1. 1. Dramatis personae: Playscripts feature a dramatis personae, a list of character descriptions after the title page.
2. 2. Stage directions: Instead of action lines, plays include stage directions, which can include particular blocking notes or instructions for the actors. Typically, playwrights indent and italicize stage directions.
3. 3. Dialogue: Plays are often dialogue-heavy and include monologues. The dialogue can be in prose or verse.
4. 4. Acts: Playscripts typically feature more than one act, building for suspense and allowing for set changes onstage. Though screenplays may be broken up into acts, they rarely have act breaks the way playscripts do.

Most screenwriters and playwrights use screenwriting software to automatically format their scripts. The industry standard scriptwriting software Final Draft offers templates for most script styles, including spec scripts and shooting scripts (for both screenplays and teleplays), as well as playscripts. It also provides script templates of how to properly format examples of each type.

Final Draft formats its scripts such that one page is equal to approximately one minute of screen time. (Note that this is only true for spec scripts; shooting scripts may contain much more information and wider spacing, which means multiple pages may fill a single minute.) Final Draft has free competitors, including Fade In and Celtx.

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