I’m not going to give you a step-by-step guide on how to indent, capitalize and parenthesize your screenplay. There is already a ton of information out there on the internet that can show you how to do this.
Instead, I’m going to write about the little things you can do to improve your screenplay and help you pick up good formatting habits at the same time.
Read Good And Bad Scripts
Before you begin to write screenplays of your own, it’s a good idea to first read a whole bunch of good quality screenplays followed by a bunch of bad quality screenplays.
You need to read good quality screenplays to know what level your reaching for. To know how the great screenwriters write and what a great script looks like. You also need to know how to format a screenplay properly. And this all comes from reading good quality screenplays.
Once you know what a screenplay should look like, the next step is to use a good piece of software to write your script.
Use Screenwriting Software
A good piece of computer software like Final Draft (commercial) or Celtx (free) can help you format your script and save you a lot of time. Either piece of software will do a great job of formatting your script to the exact specifications required by Hollywood.
Do you need to write your screenplay at your computer? Personally, and from working with other screenwriters, this choice seems to be entirely personal. Some screenwriters like Eric Roth always sit in front of the computer to write; while other screenwriters like Tarantino prefer to write on a notepad with different colored pens.
Meet Industry Standards
How and where you write your screenplay is entirely up to you. However, I would like to mention that you will need to meet certain standards when submitting your screenplay. To begin with, when submitting your script to a screenwriting agency, a film production company or a screenplay agent, you will need to make sure that your screenplay is correctly formatted.
If you use a piece of screenwriting software, you generally can’t go wrong here. I really don’t recommend using Word or notepad or some other text editor unless you want to make the screenwriting process particularly time consuming.
In summary, make sure you get your story onto paper by any means possible. This is your number one priority. Once you’ve done this, you can then focus your energy on formatting your script. This is important as a last step as an agent will expect to receive a properly formatted screenplay from any screenwriter seeking representation.
* Liz Fairbanks has worked as a reader, development assistant, and talent agent in Los Angeles over the last seven years. Liz loves traveling, reading and yoga. Liz also works as a freelance consultant for Script Mailer (a company that connects screenwriters with agents and producers in Hollywood).