How do I format a screenplay?
- Courier or Courier Prime at 12 point is the industry standard, because one page equals roughly one minute.
- Scene headings are all caps: INT. or EXT., location, then DAY or NIGHT.
- Character names are centered and capitalized above dialogue.
- Feature scripts run 90 to 120 pages; hour-long TV drama pilots run 55 to 65.
- Formatting software handles the margins for you and readers expect it.
A screenplay uses Courier 12 point, one inch margins, and five elements: scene heading, action, character, dialogue, and parenthetical. Scene headings are INT. or EXT., location, DAY or NIGHT, in caps. One correctly formatted page equals about one minute of screen time, which is why the format is non-negotiable.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Screenplay formatting is not style, it is measurement. Readers, producers, and line producers use page count to estimate runtime and budget, so a script that fudges margins to fit 130 pages of story into 110 pages is immediately visible and immediately rejected. Correct formatting also signals you know the business.
Chapter ii·What to include
- Courier or Courier Prime, 12 point, never a proportional font.
- Scene headings in caps with INT. or EXT. and a time of day.
- Action in present tense, lean, only what the camera sees or the mic hears.
- Character names capitalized on first appearance in action.
- No camera directions unless you are the director.
- A title page with title, byline, and contact information only.
Chapter iii·Example
A writer submitted a 138-page feature in a compressed layout. The first reader's note was a page count, not a story note. Reformatted correctly, the same story ran 151 pages and needed a real cut, which is what the format had been telling her.
Chapter iv·Related questions
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