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Film Script Format: How to Write the Blueprint for Your Movie or TV Show

Properly-formatted scripts are easier to read, easier to film, and will take your movie-making efforts to the next level. We'll go over the parts of a script, look at some real Hollywood examples, and whiteboard your ideas on the fly.
Willow Polson
Average rating:
4.8
Number of reviews:
(87)
Class

What's included

1 live meeting
55 mins in-class hours

Class Experience

In this one-hour class, we'll whiteboard a one-page script together on the fly as we discuss proper movie, television, and short film script format. 

Scripts are technical documents -- they are the blueprint for how to build a show, and must communicate everything a film crew needs to know to shoot your project, as well as being artistic at the same time so that the actors know what kind of performance is needed. Having your script in industry-standard format is also more professional and is taken more seriously by others (important when you're just starting out).

We'll go over what must be included in any good film script, and what NOT to put in your script. I'll explain what the parts of a script are, and what they mean, such as Transition, Parenthetical, and what a "Chyron" is. We'll also cover tricky things like intercut phone conversations, whether driving in a car is considered Interior or Exterior, montages, the difference between Offscreen and Voiceover, and more. Screenwriting software choices will be touched on as well (not required for this class).

Other Details

Supply List
Highly recommended (but not required) books:
"The Screenwriter's Bible, 7th Edition, A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script" by Dave Trottier
"Complete Screenwriter's Manual: A Comprehensive Reference of Format and Style" by Bowles, Mangravite, and Zorn

A screenwriting program (optional, some are free):
- Studio Binder
- Final Draft
- Celtx
- Movie Magic Screenwriter
- Writer Duet
- Fade In
- Scrivener
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined April, 2020
4.8
87reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
I'm a writer-producer-director who has worked on a number of film and television projects of all budgets and sizes, from $0 to $3 million. Some of my scripts have been finalists or semi-finalists in various competitions, such as Roadmap Writers, CAMERAderie, and "The Seekers" with Stan Lee and MTV. I am also showrunner of "Vintage America with Ginger," "Triune," "Manos: The Debbie Chronicles," and "Hidden Gems," so I understand from the production side of things just how important various script elements are for a real film crew to work with. As a script doctor and editor, I see a lot of formatting problems from other writers, so I'm aware of what the most common format mistakes are.

Reviews

Live One-Time Class
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$15

per class
Meets once
55 min

Completed by 44 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 9-13
3-12 learners per class

This class is no longer offered
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