Scene Headings (Sluglines)

INT. inside  ·  EXT. outside  ·  INT./EXT. both — then LOCATION, then TIME after a dash. Keep it to one line.

INT. COFFEE SHOP - MORNING
EXT. HOUSE - BACKYARD - CONTINUOUS

Time can be relative: CONTINUOUS, MOMENTS LATER. Mid-scene shifts can use an uppercase subheading without INT./EXT. (e.g. THE KITCHEN).

Action

Present tense. Only what the camera sees and hears — no inner thoughts, no flowery prose. UPPERCASE a character's name on first appearance; uppercase SOUNDS and key PROPS sparingly. Never write camera shots — that's the director's job.

Character & Dialogue

Name in uppercase above the dialogue. Extensions: (V.O.) voiceover · (O.S.) off screen · (PRE-LAP) dialogue starts before the scene · (CONT'D) same speaker twice in a row.

Parentheticals

A performance note or pause on its own line between name and dialogue — use sparingly.

SARAH
    (exhausted)
Make it a double today.

Transitions

Uppercase with a colon: CUT TO: DISSOLVE TO: MATCH CUT TO: — only when crucial to the story. Editing belongs to the editor.

Montage & On-Screen Text

BEGIN MONTAGE / END MONTAGE on the left. On-screen text: CHYRON: followed by the text.

Why it matters

Producers skim hundreds of scripts — wrong format is a fast excuse to discard yours. The format also keeps the 1 page ≈ 1 minute rule intact and lets every department (AD breakdowns, production design, budgeting) read the same blueprint. The rules are strict, but voice lives inside them — Sorkin's dialogue rhythm, Spike Lee's action commentary, Kaufman's blurred montages all fit the format.