The Hollywood Standard
This site caters largely to aspiring screenwriters new to the profession. That’s by design. My initial ambition in writing the IMDb column, and then in creating the site, was to answer a lot of the questions I had when I was first starting out.
Screenwriting is an odd form: half stageplay and half technical document, somewhere between art and craft. And nowhere is its strangeness more apparent than the formatting. So it’s entirely reasonable that I’ve received many, many questions about margins and sluglines and whether a half-covered stadium is “INT.” or “EXT.”
But I’m done. Or at least, done for the time being. I’m going to cede all formating concerns to a printed book (yes, they still make them) which can answer newbie questions and let me focus on other points of word-pushing.
The book I’ve chosen to give up with is The Hollywood Standard by Christopher Riley. It’s not perfect, but it’s refreshingly straightforward and anticipates most of the situations screenwriters are likely to face.
The author used to work for the Warner Bros. script processing department, which the book’s blurbs highlight as why he’s an expert. Honestly, if I had seen this before I bought it, I would have put it back on the shelf with a shudder.1 David has Goliath; Ahab has the whale; I have the Warner Bros. script processing department. In my head, the department consists of three women in their 50′s who smoke and gossip as they retype scripts on 1980′s computers with amber monitors. For CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, I had the displeasure of reading their “official” version of the script, and realizing that they don’t just spellcheck and change margins — they rewrite things. Just because. Fortunately, we were shooting in London, beyond the reach of their nicotine-stained fingers. We threw their script in the bin.
So I would say despite his background, rather than because of it, I’m still giving Riley’s book a thumbs-up. He admits (on page xvii) that “good writers with long Hollywood careers may find details here with which to quibble. That’s fine.” And I do have minor quibbles.2 But I also have a website with which to note my second opinions, so here they are.
Courier and margins
The term “fixed pitch font” is quaint, but let’s just say 12-pt. Courier. If you have a couple of Couriers on your computer, pick the one that looks best on-screen and printed. It really doesn’t matter that much.
Riley’s margins are fine, but I had to really think back to remember what “position 17″ referred to (p. 4).3 Back in the old days, typewriters had mechanical stops to set the left and right margins, with painted (or engraved) markings to line them up. Tabs were set the same way. “Position 17″ would be seventeen spaces over from the left edge of the paper.
That’s kind of fascinating in a post-neo-Luddite, technology-as-history Make-magazine way, but without explanation, it’s apt to be confusing to 21st-century readers. So perhaps that will be omitted in the next edition.
Medium shot (p. 12)
I’ve never typed this, and never seen it. Don’t use it. Same with “two shot,” unless it’s crucial for a joke.
Back to scene (p. 17)
Awkward. Better to use the “BACK TO HUCK” format he shows later on the same page.
Flashback (p. 33)
He underlines FLASHBACK and puts it in front of the scene heading. That’s not wrong, but I generally put it in brackets after the time of day. This way, it’s more likely to make it onto the call sheet for production.
INT. BEDROOM – DAY [FLASHBACK]
Capitalizing people (p. 47)
The book tells you to capitalize the first occurrence of only those characters who end up speaking, on the theory that AD’s need to treat these roles differently. I disagree. Capitalizing indicates which scene people are established in, which is a boon to other department heads, such as wardrobe and props. I capitalize the introduction of all roles, speaking or otherwise, including groups like FIVE SCHOOLCHILDREN or ANGRY VILLAGERS.
Parentheticals at the end of a speech (p. 70)
He’s right–a dialogue block shouldn’t end with a parenthetical. The exception is in animation, where this is common. You’ll often see dialogue end with (exasperated grunt) or (sigh).
Song lyrics in dialogue (p. 72)
He puts them in quotes. I suggest italics, in an 11-point sans-serif font. (I use Verdana, which pretty much every computer has.) It looks much, much better, and subtly signals that it’s not true dialogue.
Numbering “A” scenes (p. 95)
The A.D. on Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Katterli Frauenfelder) taught me a different scheme which ends up being a lot less confusing for production and post-production. If you need to insert a scene between 121 and 122, you number it A122. That is, lettered scenes go before the normal scenes. The great advantage to this method comes during shooting, when each new setup for a scene is given a letter. If you shoot a master and two close-ups for scene 100, they’re labeled 100, 100A, 100B. For our inserted scene, Riley’s scheme would get confusing: he’d have 121A, 121AA, 121AB. Whereas Katterli’s method would give us A122, A122A, A122B.
If you’re doing A/B pages on a script, there’s very likely an A.D. involved, so consult with him or her about preferred numbering/lettering schemes.
Managing page numbers when a script is revised (p. 103)
Riley makes a heroic effort to explain a confusing topic, but trust me, you should never have a page A5B. If you, the writer, has a hard time understanding it, pity the poor wardrobe PA who has to figure out how to insert pages into her bosses’ scripts.
Once you get into the second revision on a series of pages, you’re almost always better off backing up and releasing a run of pages that uses true numbers. To use Riley’s example:
- Between 5 and 6 comes 5A. (Yes.)
- Between 5A and 6 comes 5B. (Okay.)
- Between 5A and 5B comes A5B. (Never do this. Instead, revise starting at page 5, replacing 5A, 5B and adding 5C and further if need be.)
In general, the writer’s goal with A/B pages should be to release as few sheets of paper as possible, while still making it abundantly clear how it all fits together. In fact, I often attach a memo to colored pages explaining it. (Here are the memos I attached for the blue and pink pages of Charlie.)
Multi-camera (sitcom) script formatting (p. 117)
Here’s where I’m of no use. While I’ve read half-hour scripts, I’ve never written one, so I can’t say how accurate his advice is. But I will point out that every show is likely to have a “house style,” so it’s doubly important to get a real sample script from the show and duplicate it, right down to the punctuation.
And that’s it for my addendum/errata. Riley’s book will be nothing new to most screenwriters, but it’s a helpful and practical guide for newcomers. Note that he deliberately doesn’t teach anything about writing–and his snippet examples aren’t particularly inspiring. This book is strictly about formatting, and on that level, it’s solid enough that I hereby abdicate all common formatting questions to it.
- I got it on Amazon, and by the time I saw the blurb, I’d already broken down the box. ↩
- Yes, I’m claiming to be a good writer with a long career. ↩
- It’s not kama sutra. ↩
Filed under: Formatting,General,Resources,So-Called Experts
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January 14th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
Good for you. You’re required for all the heavy lifting around here. Let the noobs figure the basics out on their own.
Besides, I’m tired of reading the super noob stuff anyways. My attraction to this site is the things you say that can’t be taught from a manual and the general Hollywood buzz.
Thanks again, John.
January 14th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
I am glad to see you recommending this book. I have built up a nice little library of screenwriting books and of the ones I have read so far, The Hollywood Standard seemed to be the only one that really told me how to write. Most of the others talked more about characters than anything else.
Yes, I realize characters are very important, but they seem to forget that you are writing a screenplay, not a novel or play. Those books seem to treat the formatting of the screenplay as a very minor thing to touch on.
A writer could have a killer story, but if their formatting is horrible, that spec will have a microscopic chance of being optioned, let alone made.
Granted, I have yet to complete a draft, but I am glad I picked up The Hollywood Standard. This book at least made me feel like I had a far better idea on how to write a screenplay than I did before I read it.
Thanks for all of the great information on your site John.
January 15th, 2007 at 1:45 am
What do you think about the Cole & Haag book/format?
Thank you.
January 15th, 2007 at 4:28 am
Does anyone know where can I find a book or something where all the camrea directions and transitions are explained? ALL.
January 15th, 2007 at 11:39 am
Is there a standard color scheme for revisions in production? as in blue, pink, then what?
January 15th, 2007 at 11:42 am
Thanks, btw, for removing your Alt-D shortcut to the downloads so that I can get to the address bar without using the mouse.
January 15th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
Hey John…
Why would you want to write camera angles or transitions into your script? Unless you are a director, leave it alone. If you are a director, you should already know what these are.
I’ve directed lots and don’t put camera angles in – even on the scripts I write that I am going to shoot.
January 15th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Johnny (5):
White, Blue, Pink, Yellow, Green, Goldenrod, Buff, Salmon, Cherry, Tan, Gray and Ivory.
You may find variations; always check with the production office. For instance, I’d be surprised if many productions use “Ivory,” since it’s so easily mistaken for white.
And yes, when you run out of colors, you cycle back through them, so “Second White,” “Second Blue,” etc.
January 15th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
John (August), thanks for answering such a technical question… I appreciate it. j
January 15th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
John – just out of interest – have you ever had to go right through the revision color chart? And if not, what’s the furthest you’ve gone?
January 15th, 2007 at 6:27 pm
To my recollection, I’ve never made it past Green. But on the first Charlie’s Angels, there were endless revisions, some of which I wasn’t a part of. So I suspect that was a Rainbow script.
Also, keep in mind that it’s kosher in some cases to issue a “New White” script. If the majority of pages are going to change, that’s often the best solution. In that case, only scene numbers remain, and page breaks can go back to normal.
January 16th, 2007 at 10:54 am
Thanks John!
I picked up “The Hollywood Standard” at The Writers Store last month, and you just answered every question I had about the book. I also like Trotter’s “The Screenwriters Bible,” but Chris Riley goes into more detail.
I am by no means an expert, but with both of these books on my desk I feel somewhat confident when I complete a spec and hand it off to someone. But I never know if I’ll offend some reader’s delicate sensibilities with a freaky time-shift in a montage with underwater music.
BTW, love the blog. I’ve been a subscriber to your feed for several months now. Keep the great advice coming!
January 16th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
I recommend Denny Martin Flynn’s book ‘How Not to Write a Screenplay: 101 Common Mistakes Most Screenwriters Make’. He actually illustrates mistakes, as well as the corrections. It’s all 100% correct info–really useful, practical stuff.
January 18th, 2007 at 5:15 am
Hey, Adam! I don’t want to put them in my script, unless of course they are essential for the story. I just want to know them as a form of trivia or sth.
March 3rd, 2007 at 2:07 am
Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge John! Your site is my default page. I start everyday with one of your articles. The wealth of information is very mind expanding in a space between the notes sort of way. Keep writing your awesome words!
September 2nd, 2007 at 5:42 am
I have approached too close to a neutron star. The gravitational force is too great and now my face is pressed against the magnificence that is your blog.
This is what I have been searching for now for years. A cool guy helping the huddled masses. I stayed up extremely late last night having discovered this site around 9pm, at 5 am I was still at it and had to force myself to close the laptop (actually, could hear the wife coming).
This morning (afternoon) I couldnt wait to get back to this site to explore, knowing I’d find little nuggets of wisdom and technical advise. I’ve found my speakeasy!
October 31st, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Don’t know if anyone’s still checking comments on this post, but when we want to see a “real sample script from the show [or film],” where are the best places to find them? I know there are several sites that sell produced screenplays but how do I know they’re not selling fanboy transcripts or retyped versions from the Warner Bros. Script Processing Department? Thanks for any pointers or links, anyone.
October 31st, 2007 at 2:18 pm
Got to say, “How to make a Good Script Great” by Linda Seger is the best book I’ve read on screenwriting. Doesn’t go into to formatting, but explains structure perfectly. If you don’t know the rules, you’re not breaking’em!
November 10th, 2007 at 6:22 am
I believe in using a very technichal screenplay, i.e. writing a shooting screenplay. This can be done even with Final Draft and getting around their default settings. You have to learn how to do it, but it’s amazingly simple.
Example:
1 EXT. ROAD – NIGHT – WITH MARK
as CAMERA FOLLOWS HIM THRU the pasture and so on…
December 1st, 2007 at 11:38 am
My experience is that there is no single official standard on script format. No single person or entity has the market on script format regardless of claims. Studios, networks, production companies, and execs don’t analyze and judge a script’s mechanical or technical format. Just be neat and consistent and focus on spelling and grammar. I’ve worked in entertainment for 14 years and execs and producers are more interested in the content of the script. It’s fine to use a format book to help you but use it as a guideline not a bible.