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Your screenplay needs to stand out from the crowd; your formatting needs to blend in with one and all.

The format must be the same that everyone else is using, not just in Hollywood, but all over the world. Why, you ask? Because anyone reading your screenplay – reader, producer, studio, agent – needs to know that they’re going to spend their time reading your screenplay and not waste time trying to decipher the style in which you’ve written it.

If all screenplays are formatted in exactly the same manner, your writing will have the chance to stand out. If you try something fancy like not using the right font (twelve point courier typeface) then your screenplay is already on its way to the trash can. It won’t even get read because you won’t get treated like a professional screenplay writer.

For the actual words on the page, the BBC’s format guide takes you through the main set up planning. Download it and keep it by your side as you type. You’ll find it most useful. You can find it at: http://www.raindance.co.uk/site/picture/upload/image/general/screenplay.pdf

The advantage of using industry standard software like Final Draft is that it’s easy to send a copy of your work to someone else using the same software. This saves you printing your 110+ pages, boxing it up professionally and posting it safely so it arrives in pristine condition, all for the cost of a small mortgage, so the reader believes they’re the first to see it. Some companies in LA will do this work for you if you email them the script. You could try http://www.hollywoodscriptexpress.com/prices.html and if you go to their formatting page they provide all the useful up to date information you’ll require to set up your screenplay.

It’s at http://www.hollywoodscriptexpress.com/formatting.html They show you the materials to use paper, covers, binding, how to set up the title page and exact dimensions for margins. They’ll even send the script on for you. An advantage of using a script delivery service is the speed at which it arrives with the reader. This will be crucial and especially important to your probable cash flow if you’ve just been asked to send your script for a reading!

Industry software is also useful if you collaborate on a script and your partner doesn’t live in the same building.

It’s best to use an industry standard quantity piece of software like Final Draft www.finaldraft.com/ or MovieMagic Screenwriter www.screenplay.com both of which you’ll pay for, or if money is tight, then try Celtx from www.celtx.com as it’s a free download. If you want a Microsoft Word editor, then Script Wizard from www.warrenassoc.com is a good bet. Whatever you choose, they may still only be 99% correct. You’ll still need to go line by line and check your formatting is correct.

Formatting needs lots of white space and short sentences of both dialogue and scene action description. Lots of dense typing tells the reader that the screenplay wasn’t written by a professional. When you flick through a completed screenplay you want to see space, plenty of it. Shorts lines of dialogue; that’s how we really speak so keep to it. Short action and scene descriptions keep the pace moving well.

Don’t direct your actors. It goes without saying that directors want to direct the actors and actors want to decide how to portray your words. Please don’t try to tell them what to do. You can give occasional hints, but don’t step on their toes.

It’s easier to decide upon format for screenplay writing, but if you want to write a theatre play, there are many different formats in use, different for the US and the UK, for the BBC and for local theatres. You’ll need to check with the theatre or producer that you wish to write to and ask for what format they require, as there are so many.

At the end of the day you’ll want your reader to forget and not even notice your formatting so they can enjoy your writing.

Need help getting your screenplay ready to show to a reader, producer, studio or agent? Check our screenplay analysis service first. No second chance to make a first impression!