1) A screenplay is a technical document that tells a story in pictures through sluglines, action, character names, and dialogue. It provides instructions for what the audience will see on screen. 2) The key elements of a screenplay are the slugline, action, character names, and dialogue. A slugline indicates interior or exterior location and time. Action describes what is happening visually. Character names appear in all caps above dialogue. 3) Dialogue is indented and follows rules of capitalization. It has no quotation marks unless quoting another character. A new slugline is needed for a new scene in a different location or time.

1. “THE FORMAT OF A SCREENPLAY”
A screenplay
By
Alan Hardcastle
Copyright 2007 by Alan Hardcastle
All Rights Reserved
Bridgwater College
01278 441367

2. What is a screenplay?
• A story told in Pictures
• A set of instructions
• The “Hook” for the production team to
hang their ideas on
• A description of what the audience sees
• It is a technical document that needs to be
in a specific format.

3. The Big Four
•
•
•
•
Sluglines,
Action
Character Names
Dialogue

4. Sluglines
• 1) INT. or EXT. Short for Interior and Exterior,
this tells the production crew whether or not
they'll need to wear sunblock on the film shoot.
• 2) Location. Where the scene takes place.
These should be short: LIBRARY
CIRCULATION DESK or TRAILER PARK or
AL'S BRAIN.
• 3) Time. Usually just DAY or NIGHT but can be
as specific as 4:59 A.M. (if, say the bomb is set
to go off at 5:00.)

5. Action
• This describes what is happening on the screen,
and which characters, if any, are involved.
• Action will always follow a Slugline.
• Action follows standard rules of capitalization.
• It's single-spaced and always in present tense.
• If the action happened in the past, the Slugline
will tell us this.

6. Character Names
• This always appears above Dialogue and tells
us which character is speaking.
• Character names are always in ALL CAPS.
• And sometimes you'll have minor characters that
you won't want to name. It's okay to just call
them CLERK or PEDESTRIAN or MONKEY
WARRIOR. If there are several of the same type
of character, add a number: COP #1 or BODY
BUILDER #2,

7. Dialogue
• Dialogue is single spaced and follows
standard rules of capitalization (If it's in all
caps, you're probably reading a TV script).
• Unlike in novels, there are no quotes
around Dialogue, unless the character is
quoting someone
• Dialogue is ALWAYS Indented.

8. .
INT – Interior
1
EXT - Exterior
“HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY”
The Slug Line – Says
FADE IN:
Where – Exactly where – When.
INT. TV STUDIO – DAY
The studio is a large room with a high ceiling. It is obviously not a
classroom. 30 students sit around tables, chatting. As ALAN ENTERS, they
pay little attention.
Action or Description
The visual elements – what the
audience needs to see – and nothing
else!
Character names need to
appear in CAPITALS the
first time they appear in a
scene, as does their action

9. 2.
“HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY”
FADE IN:
Character indented
INT. TV STUDIO – DAY
The studio is a large room with a high ceiling. It is obviously not a
classroom. 30 students sit around tables, chatting. As ALAN ENTERS, they
pay little attention.
ALAN
Right you lot! Shut up now!
(MORE)
Speech Indented

10. 2.
ALAN
(CONT.)
Today we are looking at how to format a script.
The students continue to talk. JACK, JAKE and ALEX giggle to each other.
Alan turns towards them.
ALAN
(SHOUTING)
I told you to be quiet!
New Slug Line because it’s
a new scene, in a different
location, at a different time
of day
INT – STAFF ROOM – EARLY EVENING
A dingy, badly lit office. Smoke hangs in the air. A group of dishevelled
staff members console each other. MINO passes a BOTLLE OF WHISKY to DARREN
while ALAN speaks.
ALAN
I just can’t take it any more…