Thread: Screenplay Format

Here is a link to the industry standard in screenplay format.
http://www.oscars.org/nicholl/format_a.txt

An incredibly useful resource. And from the Academy, no less. If that's not definitive, nothing is.

Thank you for posting the link.

I thought it was useful enough that I've made it a sticky topic.

Jp...That was a VERY good source for screenwriters Thank you for that bit of information..it's VERY useful..

Novicwriter

that's the format guide i send to all my screenwriting mentees... that said, it's still no substitute for reading/studying real scripts by the best writers in the biz... here are the ones i use and recommend as models:

the abyss
as good as it gets
chinatown
contact
nixon

they're all available for downloading at www.script-o-rama.com ... be sure to ignore all scene numbering and camera directions you'll find there, though... some are shooting or director's scripts and such stuff is NOT to be done in a spec script by a newbie...

love and hugs, maia

Thanks for that useful link... very helpful.

I need to go re-format my scripts now!

Thanks for the wonderful link. It will come in handy and I've printed it out.
Once again thanks!

You are all very welcome, glad you enjoyed!

have to add...

a few minor aspects of the nicholl format guide are not exactly what would be best to do in a spec script one wants to submit to agents and prodcos... as with a doctor's advice, it's always good to get a second opinion... trottier's 'bible' is a good place to go for that...

i have a 'tools of the trade' basic reference book list i'll be glad to forward to anyone who wants it...

love and hugs, maia
maia3maia@hotmail.com

This is a bit belated but I guess it's better late than never. Here's a pdf document of the guidlines we were given at uni for a script format which I've uplaoded onto my own domain.

Scirpt Format as approved by the Australian Film Commision

some things in that guide do not gibe with hollywood standards, kimba... the first and most glaring is in 2. where it says scene headings [we also call 'sluglines'] 'should be numbered'!... they are never numbered in a spec script... that's only done by the director, for a shooting script... and bold is never used anywhere in a script for the us market... plus, we don't put periods after anything but 'int.'ext.' in the slug line... location and day/night are separated by a single hyphen...

i'm sure there are other differences, but even if only those, you should make it clear that your offering does not refer to scripts for the hollywood market... i'm not even sure they'd work in the uk, as the scripts i've seen by british writers generally follow hollywood dictates...

i know you aussies are a delightfully idiosyncratic bunch, so differences in form are no surprise... i'd suggest simply labeling the link 'australian film industry format' or some such, to avoid misleading those who are writing for hollywood prodcos...

hugs, maia

Noted and edited. Thanks for that.

you're welcome!... adding 'australian' should help a bit... but you might also want to add that the hollywood-mandated format is very different in some aspects...

fyi, the spelling goofs are still showing on your site's opening page:

bring them to life with speculator realism.

and

See what our members have to say about the forum
Enter the fourm

Speaking of the industry "standard"... I use Scenewriter Pro (I know it's not the top-notch) but for ME the most affordable. Although there are others out there, people will tell you what they prefer... Just my six cents worth.

if whatever you use formats your script properly, that's what really matters...

in years of writing scripts and helping aspiring screenwriters/playwrights, i've found final draft to be the best for serious writers looking to make a career on the stage or screen, but for beginners who can't afford the cost, there are several ok alternatives... that seems to be one of them...

Originally Posted by mammamaia

fyi, the spelling goofs are still showing on your site's opening page:

Thanks for that. So it was you who increased the counter number. I didn't expect anyone bring the spelling errors to my attention in this forum [admittedly I didn't reaslise I'd made those errors] so thanks once again.

Novicewriter, industry standard formats are what gets accepted by the industry, hence the name. It may be affordable but it's also worth having a look at the format that is preferred by your country's industry standard. Perhaps the format can be tweaked in program you're using? I use ScreenPlay which is British and, curiously, that seems to be acceptable in Australia. Well, at least my tutors have accepted it in my assignments so far.