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61 practical guides to screenplay formatting, Final Draft FDX files and the craft of finishing a draft, written by working screenwriters for people who intend to finish one. Every guide answers the question in the first paragraph, shows the rule on a formatted page, lists the mistakes readers notice, and points you to the free tool or next guide you need.
Screenplay Formatting: The Complete Guide
How to format a screenplay: scene headings, dialogue, parentheticals, CONT'D, phone calls, montages, flashbacks, transitions, margins, font and page count.
What Is a Scene Heading? Format, Rules and Examples
A scene heading is the single line of capital letters that starts every scene in a screenplay. It states three things in a fixed order: INT. or EXT., the location, …
Screenplay FormattingWhat Is a Slugline? Master and Secondary Sluglines Explained
A slugline is the line of capital letters that opens a scene in a screenplay, for example INT. KITCHEN - DAY. It is the same element as a scene heading. …
Screenplay FormattingINT. vs EXT. in a Screenplay: Meaning, I/E and the Grey Areas
INT. stands for interior and EXT. for exterior; they are the first word of every scene heading and tell the reader whether the scene happens inside an enclosed space or …
Screenplay FormattingO.S. Meaning in a Screenplay: Off Screen, Off Camera and V.O.
O.S. means off screen. It is written in parentheses after the character cue, as in MARA (O.S.), and tells the reader that the character is physically present in the scene …
Screenplay FormattingV.O. Meaning in a Screenplay: Voice Over Format and Examples
V.O. means voice over. Written as (V.O.) after the character cue, it marks dialogue the audience hears from a source outside the scene: a narrator, a phone caller, a character's …
Screenplay FormattingHow to Format Dialogue in a Screenplay: Cues, Blocks and Rules
To format dialogue in a screenplay, put the character's name in capitals on its own line about 3.7 inches from the left edge of the page, then the spoken words …
Screenplay FormattingHow to Write Parentheticals in a Screenplay (Wrylies)
Parentheticals, also called wrylies, are short lower-case notes in parentheses on their own line between a character cue and the dialogue, such as (quietly) or (into phone). They tell the …
Screenplay FormattingWhat Does CONT'D Mean in a Screenplay? (CONT'D) Explained
CONT'D in a screenplay means continued. Placed after a character cue as (CONT'D), it tells the reader the same character is still speaking after an action line or a page …
Screenplay FormattingHow to Format a Phone Call in a Screenplay (4 Methods)
To format a phone call in a screenplay, pick one of four methods: stay with one character and write only their side, write the caller's lines with a (V.O.) extension, …
Screenplay FormattingHow to Format Text Messages in a Screenplay (Plus Emails & On-Screen Text)
To format text messages in a screenplay, use one of three accepted methods: write each message as dialogue under a character cue with the (TEXT) extension, put the message in …
Screenplay FormattingHow to Format a Montage in a Screenplay
To format a montage in a screenplay, write MONTAGE (or SERIES OF SHOTS) on its own line as a header, list each beat as a short dash-led line beneath it, …
Screenplay FormattingHow to Format a Flashback in a Screenplay
To format a flashback in a screenplay, add FLASHBACK to the scene heading, either as a suffix such as INT. KITCHEN - DAY (FLASHBACK) or as a FLASHBACK TO: transition …
Screenplay FormattingDream Sequence Screenplay Format: How to Write Dreams, Visions and Hallucinations
Dream sequence screenplay format works like a flashback with a different label: add (DREAM) or (DREAM SEQUENCE) to the scene heading, or open with DREAM SEQUENCE on its own line, …
Screenplay FormattingScreenplay Transitions: CUT TO, FADE IN, DISSOLVE TO, SMASH CUT and When to Use Them
Screenplay transitions are the right-aligned, capitalised instructions such as CUT TO:, DISSOLVE TO: and SMASH CUT TO: that tell the reader how one scene becomes the next. A spec script …
Screenplay FormattingHow to Format Foreign Language Dialogue in a Screenplay
To format foreign language in a screenplay, write the dialogue in English and mark the language with a parenthetical such as (in Spanish; subtitled), or add one note at the …
Screenplay FormattingHow to Format a Screenplay Title Page
A screenplay title page carries four things: the title in caps, centered about a third of the way down; the credit line Written by; your name beneath it; and your …
Screenplay FormattingScreenplay Margins and Font: The Full Spec
Standard screenplay margins are 1.5 inches on the left and 1 inch on the right, top and bottom, on US Letter paper, with dialogue starting 2.5 inches from the left …
Screenplay FormattingHow Many Pages Should a Screenplay Be?
A feature screenplay should be 90 to 120 pages, and most working writers aim at 100 to 110. Comedies run shorter, dramas and thrillers a little longer, half-hour TV scripts …
Screenplay FormattingScreenplay Formatting Examples: Every Element on One Page
These screenplay formatting examples put every standard element on a single sample page: FADE IN, scene heading, action, character cue, parenthetical, dialogue, V.O. and O.S. extensions, dual dialogue, a transition, …
Screenplay FormattingSpec Script vs Shooting Script: What Is the Difference?
A spec script is a screenplay written on speculation to be read and sold; a shooting script is the production version of a screenplay, with scene numbers, locked pages, coloured …
FDX Files: Open, Edit and Convert Final Draft Scripts
What an FDX file is, how to open and edit one without Final Draft on any device, how to convert PDF, Fountain and Word to and from FDX, and free alternatives.
What Is an FDX File? Final Draft's XML Format Explained
An FDX file is a screenplay saved in Final Draft's native format: a single plain-text XML document in which every paragraph is tagged with its element type, alongside the title …
FDX & Final Draft FilesHow to Open an FDX File Without Final Draft (Free, Any Device)
To open an FDX file without Final Draft, drop it into a free browser FDX viewer to read it, or import it into Zen Writer on iPhone, iPad, Mac or …
FDX & Final Draft FilesHow to Edit an FDX File Without Final Draft (and Send It Back)
You can edit an FDX file without Final Draft by importing it into a screenwriting app that reads and writes the format, such as Zen Writer on iPhone, iPad, Mac …
FDX & Final Draft FilesHow to Open an FDX File on iPhone (Files, Mail, AirDrop)
To open an FDX on iPhone, save the file to the Files app, press and hold it, tap Share and choose Zen Writer, which imports Final Draft files for free. …
FDX & Final Draft FilesHow to Open an FDX File on iPad (and Rewrite in Split View)
To open an FDX on iPad, put the file in the Files app or iCloud Drive, press and hold it, tap Share and choose Zen Writer, which imports Final Draft …
FDX & Final Draft FilesHow to Open an FDX File on Mac (Without Final Draft)
To open an FDX on Mac, right-click the file in Finder, choose Open With, and pick an app that reads Final Draft files, such as Zen Writer for Mac, which …
FDX & Final Draft FilesHow to Open an FDX File on Android (Free FDX Viewer and Editor)
To open an FDX on Android, install Zen Writer from the Play Store, then tap the .fdx in Google Files, Drive or a Gmail attachment and choose Zen Writer from …
FDX & Final Draft FilesHow to Convert PDF to FDX (Screenplay PDF to Final Draft)
You can convert a PDF to FDX in under a minute if the PDF contains real text: drop it into the free PDF to FDX tool or import it into …
FDX & Final Draft FilesHow to Convert FDX to PDF (Final Draft Script to PDF)
To convert FDX to PDF, drop the .fdx into the free FDX to PDF tool in your browser, or open it in Zen Writer and export a PDF from the …
FDX & Final Draft FilesHow to Convert FDX to Word (.docx) or Google Docs
To convert FDX to Word, either export the FDX to PDF and open the PDF in Word, or convert the FDX to Fountain plain text and paste it into a …
FDX & Final Draft FilesHow to Convert Fountain to FDX (Fountain to Final Draft)
To convert Fountain to FDX, drop the .fountain file into the free Fountain converter in your browser, or import it into Zen Writer and export FDX. Scene headings, action, cues, …
FDX & Final Draft FilesWhat Is Fountain? The Plain-Text Screenplay Format Explained
Fountain is a plain-text screenplay format: you write a script in any text editor using a few simple conventions — a line starting with INT. or EXT. is a scene …
FDX & Final Draft FilesFDX vs Fountain: Which Screenplay Format Should You Use?
FDX is Final Draft's XML format: exact, app-owned, and what production offices expect. Fountain is plain text: readable in any editor, tiny, and perfect for version control and phones. In …
FDX & Final Draft FilesFinal Draft Alternatives: The Best Screenwriting Apps Compared
The best Final Draft alternatives open and save FDX faithfully, format as you type, export a clean PDF and work offline: Fade In and Highland on the desktop, WriterDuet and …
FDX & Final Draft FilesFinal Draft Alternatives for iPhone: The Best Screenwriting Apps
Final Draft's desktop software does not run on an iPhone; its phone app is a separate subscription. The best Final Draft alternatives for iPhone are apps that format as you …
FDX & Final Draft FilesFinal Draft Alternatives for iPad: The Best Screenwriting Apps
The Final Draft desktop application does not run on iPad; its tablet app is a separate subscription. The best Final Draft alternatives for iPad are the apps that work properly …
FDX & Final Draft FilesFinal Draft Alternatives for Mac: The Best Screenwriting Software
The best Final Draft alternatives for Mac are Fade In and Highland if you want software you own outright, WriterDuet or Arc Studio if you co-write, KIT Scenarist if the …
FDX & Final Draft FilesBest Screenwriting Apps for Android: The Honest Guide
Android is the platform the big screenwriting brands skip: Final Draft, Highland and Slugline have no Android version. The best screenwriting apps for Android are Zen Writer from the Play …
FDX & Final Draft FilesFree Screenwriting Software: The Best Free Apps, Honestly Compared
The best free screenwriting software depends on what you can live with: Trelby and KIT Scenarist are free on the desktop with no watermark, Fountain in any text editor costs …
Screenwriting: How to Write a Screenplay That Gets Read
How to write a screenplay: outlines, three-act structure, Save the Cat beats, loglines, treatments, scenes, dialogue, TV pilots, short films and query letters.
What Is a Screenplay? Definition, Format and a Sample Page
A screenplay is the written blueprint for a film or television episode: every scene, every line of dialogue, and every action the audience will see, set down in a fixed …
Screenwriting EducationHow to Write a Screenplay: Step by Step, From Idea to Polished Draft
To write a screenplay, turn an idea into a one-sentence logline, expand it into a beat outline, draft 90 to 120 pages in standard format at a steady daily page …
Screenwriting EducationHow to Write a Screenplay Outline (With a Template and Example)
A screenplay outline is an ordered list of every scene in the film, one to three lines each, built on top of a beat sheet of the major turns. Most …
Screenwriting EducationThree-Act Structure for a Screenplay: Page Ranges, Table and Example
Three-act structure divides a screenplay into setup, confrontation and resolution in roughly a 1:2:1 ratio. In a 110-page feature that means act one ends around page 25 to 30, the …
Screenwriting EducationWhat Is a Beat Sheet? Definition, Templates and an Example
A beat sheet is a one- or two-page list of a screenplay's major turning points, each with an approximate page number. It is the shortest complete description of a story's …
Screenwriting EducationSave the Cat Beat Sheet: All 15 Beats With Page Numbers
The Save the Cat beat sheet is Blake Snyder's 15-beat structure for a feature screenplay, each beat pinned to a page number in a 110-page script: Opening Image on page …
Screenwriting EducationWhat Is a Logline? Definition, Formula and Examples
A logline is a one- or two-sentence summary of a screenplay, about 25 to 35 words, that names the protagonist, what they want, what stands in the way and what …
Screenwriting EducationHow to Write a Logline: The Formula, the Method and the Tests
To write a logline, name a specific protagonist, the event that upends their life, what they must do about it and what stands in the way, in one sentence of …
Screenwriting EducationLogline Examples: 20 Loglines by Genre, With Notes on Why They Work
These 20 logline examples are invented for this page and sorted by genre, each paired with a one-line note on why it works or how it was rebuilt from a …
Screenwriting EducationWhat Is a Treatment? Screenplay Treatment Format, Length and Example
A treatment is the complete story of a film told in present-tense prose, with no sluglines or dialogue blocks, usually between two and ten pages. It exists so a producer, …
Screenwriting EducationHow to Write a Screenplay Synopsis (With a One-Page Example)
A screenplay synopsis is a one-page, present-tense summary of the whole story, ending included, written so a reader can judge the film's shape without opening the script. Write it in …
Screenwriting EducationHow to Write a Scene in a Screenplay: Goal, Conflict, Turn
To write a scene in a screenplay, give one character a goal they can pursue in the room, put something in the way, and end the scene on a turn …
Screenwriting EducationHow to Write Dialogue in a Screenplay: Subtext, Voice and Rhythm
Good screenplay dialogue is what characters say instead of what they mean. To write it, give each speaker a goal and a reason not to state it, make every character …
Screenwriting EducationHow to Write Action Lines in a Screenplay
Action lines describe what the audience sees and hears, in present tense, in paragraphs of no more than three or four lines. Write only what can be filmed, capitalise a …
Screenwriting EducationHow to Write Character Introductions in a Screenplay
A character introduction in a screenplay puts the NAME in capitals with an age in parentheses the first time the character appears, followed by one line that tells the reader …
Screenwriting EducationHow to Write a Short Film Script: Length, Structure and Endings
To write a short film, pick one idea that can turn once, write it in 5 to 15 pages of standard screenplay format, and build it around the cast, locations …
Screenwriting EducationHow to Write a TV Pilot Script: Acts, Page Counts and the Series Engine
A TV pilot script is the first episode of a series, written to prove the show can run: a half-hour pilot lands at 25 to 35 pages, an hour pilot …
Screenwriting EducationHow Long Is a Screenplay? Page Counts by Format and Genre
A feature screenplay is 90 to 120 pages long, with most produced scripts landing between 100 and 115. Because standard format runs close to one page per minute, screenplay length …
Screenwriting EducationHow Many Screenplay Pages Equal One Minute? The Page-Per-Minute Rule
One page of a screenplay in standard format equals about one minute of screen time. The one page one minute rule is an average across a whole script, not a …
Screenwriting EducationHow to Copyright a Screenplay: US Copyright Office vs WGA Registration
A screenplay is copyrighted the moment you write it down; you do not have to do anything to own it. To copyright a screenplay in a way you can prove …
Screenwriting EducationHow to Write a Query Letter for a Screenplay (With a Full Example)
A screenplay query letter is a short email, under 250 words, that asks a manager, agent or producer to request your script. It leads with a logline, gives a two- …
Screenwriting EducationHow to Write a Screenplay on Your Phone (iPhone and Android)
You can write a screenplay on your phone in proper industry format using a free screenwriting app that formats as you type, works offline and exports PDF and FDX. The …