Why screenplay format is so strict
Screenplay format looks fussy until you know what it is for: one formatted page equals roughly one minute of screen time. That single convention is why the whole industry standardised on the same margins, the same font, and the same element layout. A producer flipping to page 90 knows the film runs about 90 minutes. A 1st AD counting eighths of a page knows how much to schedule in a day. The format is not decoration - it is a shared measurement system, and breaking it makes your script read as amateur before anyone reaches the first line of dialogue.
Here is the complete standard, element by element.
The non-negotiable page setup
Every professional screenplay uses the same physical layout:
- Font: 12-point Courier (or a Courier-equivalent). The monospaced width is what makes the page-per-minute math work.
- Paper: US Letter (8.5 x 11") for US productions; A4 in some territories.
- Margins: roughly 1.5" left (room for the brad/binding), 1" right, 1" top and bottom.
- Page numbers: top right, from page two onward.
Any modern screenwriting app applies all of this automatically - which is the entire reason not to write a script in a generic word processor. (See the best free screenwriting software.)
The elements, in order
A screenplay is built from a small, fixed set of elements. Master these and you can format anything.
Scene heading (slugline)
The line that opens every scene, always in capitals:
INT. DINER - NIGHT
Three parts: INT. or EXT. (interior or exterior), the location (DINER), and the time of day (NIGHT), separated by a hyphen. This one line is what the breakdown and the schedule both read to sort your film, so keep locations named consistently - "DINER" and "THE DINER" will be treated as two places.
Action (scene description)
Present-tense prose describing what we see and hear, in standard sentence case, full width of the text block:
Maya slides into the booth. Rain streaks the window behind her.
Write only what is visible or audible on screen. No internal thoughts, no backstory the camera cannot show.
Character cue
The speaking character's name, in capitals, indented to about 3.7" from the left:
MAYA
Dialogue
What the character says, in a narrower block (roughly 2.5" wide) beneath the cue:
You came. I wasn't sure you would.
Parenthetical
A short direction on how a line is delivered, in lower case in brackets, between the cue and the dialogue - used sparingly:
MAYA (quietly) You came.
Extensions
Small notes beside the character cue: (V.O.) for voice-over, (O.S.) or (O.C.) for off-screen/off-camera, (CONT'D) when a character continues after action.
Transition
Right-aligned, in capitals, marking how we move between scenes:
CUT TO:
Most modern scripts use these sparingly - a plain scene heading usually implies the cut.
Shot (used rarely)
An occasional line to specify a specific camera view (ANGLE ON, CLOSE ON). Directors and writer-directors use these; spec scripts generally avoid over-directing on the page.
Dual dialogue and other special cases
When two characters speak simultaneously, the script uses dual dialogue - two side-by-side columns. It is a real convention with a real use (overlapping arguments, chaotic crowds), but it is easy to overuse. See dual dialogue formatting for when it serves the scene and when it is a gimmick.
Other cases worth knowing: MONTAGE and INTERCUT sequences, flashbacks (noted in the slugline or action), and (MORE) / (CONT'D) when dialogue breaks across a page.
Spec script vs shooting script
Two versions of the same screenplay, formatted slightly differently:
- Spec script - the version you send out to sell or get staffed. Clean, no scene numbers, minimal camera direction. It should read like a story, not a technical document.
- Shooting script - the production version. Scenes are numbered and locked, revisions are tracked on coloured pages, and camera/technical notes are welcome. This is the version the crew works from.
Locking scene numbers on the shooting script matters enormously, because every downstream document - breakdown, schedule, call sheets - references those numbers. Renumber after locking and you break the whole pipeline.
Frequently asked questions
What font is a screenplay written in? 12-point Courier (or a Courier equivalent). The monospaced letter width is what makes one page equal roughly one minute of screen time, which is why the standard has never changed.
What are the main elements of screenplay format? Scene heading (slugline), action, character cue, dialogue, parenthetical, extensions like (V.O.) and (O.S.), and transitions such as CUT TO:. A small, fixed set of elements formats every screenplay ever written.
How do you format a scene heading? INT. or EXT., then the location, then the time of day, all in capitals, separated by hyphens - for example, "EXT. ROOFTOP - DAY". Keep location names consistent so the breakdown and schedule treat each place as one location.
What is the difference between a spec script and a shooting script? A spec script is the clean selling version with no scene numbers and minimal camera direction. A shooting script is the production version with locked, numbered scenes, tracked revisions on coloured pages, and technical notes the crew needs. Lock the numbers before you break the script down.
Do I need special software to format a screenplay? Practically, yes - a screenwriting app applies the margins, font, and element indents automatically so you write instead of formatting. You can write for free (see the best free screenwriting software); you just want a tool that knows the standard.
What this looks like inside StoryboardCanvas
The Script app applies the full industry standard automatically - Courier, correct margins, and every element indented right as you type, with import and export for Final Draft (FDX) and Fountain so your script is portable. Then it goes further than a formatter: a finished, correctly-formatted script is exactly what the breakdown reads to tag your film in about a minute, because clean sluglines are what make the whole pipeline downstream possible. Format it once, and the format does work for you all the way to the shoot day.