John August

Formatting

Various locations

Formatting, QandA

Can you tell me what is preferred/correct
for this situation? Mabel is moving through a house (and, if necessary,
outside):

INT. LIVING ROOM – DAY

Mabel searches for the cat.

INT. KITCHEN – DAY

Mabel searches for the cat.

EXT. STREET – DAY

Mabel searches for the cat.

Et cetera. Thanks very much.

–Arnold Sable

Yeah, that pretty much sucks, Arnold. Unless you are repeating the sentence
for some effect, perhaps showing how
intensely single-minded Mabel can be, almost anything else would be better.

The simplest choice would be to use a different scene heading that encompasses
all needed locations, such as:

INT. HOUSE – VARIOUS ROOMS – DAY

Or, if you do want to show each location, try varying your descriptions of
Mabel’s search so that they don’t repeat.

Finally, you could consider using a montage format:

MONTAGE as Mabel searches for the cat:

— She pulls open the dryer in the laundry room.

— Checks the kitchen cupboards.

— Searches under the porch with a flashlight.

— Pokes the broom under the sofa.

— Rechecks the kitchen cupboards again.

What format you choose really depends on the situation, and how much information
you need the reader to know.

Script formatting

Formatting, QandA

Could you please refer me to a website that gives detailed
information regarding the proper format that a film script is to be written
before being passed around.

–Pat Meehan

If you’re using either Final
Draft or Movie
Magic Screenwriter, you can rest assured that the standard formatting
these programs recommend is fine.

If you’re not using either of these, I suspect you’re consulting one of the
many screenwriting books out there, all of which will point you in the right
direction in terms of margins and spacing.

But the best advice I can give you is to do what I did: find a properly
formatted script and copy it exactly. Not only will looking at real scripts
show you how they’re formatted, but it will also give you a sense of how standardized
the format truly is, for
better or worse.

Script length

Formatting, QandA

Your advice of 110 to 120 pages for script length agrees with what others
say, but upon sampling a large number of films I find their lengths usually
fall between 85 and 115 minutes, including five minutes of credits. At a minute
per page, something doesn’t click. Do producers expect 15 extra pages because
they feel scripts usually have fat that needs trimming? Or perhaps producers
know that during script development, writers find it less distressing to eliminate
scenes and hope no one notices, rather than turn them into something far removed
from the original vision. Just a thought.

–Ryall

It’s true that a lot of movies clock in at 100 minutes or less, and that the
one-minute-per-page rule of thumb really depends on whose thumbs are doing
the measuring. Moviemaking is more art than science, so it never holds up to
much mathematical scrutiny. Whatever the reason for the discrepancy, I assure you
it doesn’t come from producers trying to spare writers’ feelings.

One variable that really effects running time is pacing. GO was about 102
minutes long. The script was 126 pages, and almost nothing was dropped. The
movie never dawdled, however, which is how it got the story told so quickly.

Even movies that end up at 85 minutes probably began as screenplays in the
110 to 120 page range. In the course of production, or post-production, scenes often get cut. Either they are never filmed, or they end up on the cutting
room floor, just waiting for the DVD version.

Since scenes are going to get cut, why not just start out with a shorter script?
It’s not a bad question. In television, where programs have to be delivered
to the network at a precise running time (at ABC, it is 42 minutes, 20 seconds
for a "one-hour" drama), it is obviously preferable to avoid shooting
scenes that couldn’t possibly fit into the allotted time.

In terms of features, however, anything shorter than 100 pages "feels" too
short. It’s literally just not enough pages in your hand. And if you go much
beyond 120 pages, people get nervous. Even if it’s great, it feels long.

Int. and Ext.

Formatting, QandA

I know this probably isn’t a big enough question, but I’m still curious and hoping for an answer. I’m not new to writing, but brand new to screenplays. I have no idea how to do notations. Like what INT. and EXT. mean and those sorts of things.

–Micah

INT. and EXT. stand for “interior” and “exterior.” Basically,
any time the scene takes place inside a building, you use INT.
the scene header. If you’re outside, you use EXT. In most cases,
it’s very clear cut which one you would use. You are:

INT. LIVING ROOM – DAY

INT. OVAL OFFICE – NIGHT

INT. BARBARELLA’S SPACE SHIP – DAY

EXT. SUPERMARKET PARKING LOT – DAY

EXT. CASTLE MOAT – DAY

EXT. VULCAN DESERT – DAY

Sometimes, a situation will arise where it’s not clear which one really makes more sense. For instance, you’re clearly

EXT. ROSE BOWL – DAY

but are you INT. or EXT. for the Superdome? Or what if a character is using a phone booth? In both cases, it’s your call. Just be consistent. And for scenes that take place in a moving car, I often note it as

INT./EXT. RONNA’S CAR – NIGHT [DRIVING]

to indicate that we’re both inside and outside of the car during the scene.

In addition to INT. and. EXT., you’ll occasionally see EST. used in a header. EST. stands for “establishing” as in “Okay, now we’re at the Grand Canyon.” Personally, I never use it. By definition, an establishing scene wouldn’t have any real action or dialogue, so I find it clearer just to use EXT. followed by a single word of action: Establishing.

EXT. WHITE HOUSE – DAY

Establishing.

INT. OVAL OFFICE – DAY

The Vice President ransacks the desk drawers, finally finding a pack of gum.