What is Fountain format?
- Fountain is an open, plain text markup syntax for screenplays.
- Scene headings, character names, and transitions are recognized by convention and capitalization.
- Files are readable in any text editor and version-controllable with git.
- Converters render Fountain into properly formatted PDF and Final Draft files.
- It is widely used by writers who prefer plain text tools over dedicated software.
Fountain is a plain text markup for screenplays: you write in any editor, using capitalization and simple conventions for scene headings, characters, and transitions, and a converter produces correctly formatted output. It keeps scripts readable, diffable, and free of proprietary file formats.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Screenwriting software locks scripts in formats that expire with the software. Fountain files are plain text, which means they open in thirty years, work with version control, and can be edited on any device. For writers who already work in plain text, it removes the need for a separate application entirely.
Chapter ii·What to include
- Scene headings starting with INT. or EXT., in caps.
- Character names in caps on their own line above dialogue.
- Parentheticals in parentheses beneath the character name.
- Transitions in caps ending with TO:, or forced with a greater-than sign.
- A converter chosen and tested before you need to deliver a PDF.
- Version control if you want a real history of drafts.
Chapter iii·Example
A writer kept a feature in Fountain under git and could show a producer exactly which scenes changed between the second and third drafts, a question no page-based format answers cleanly.
Chapter iv·Related questions
In WriteLoom
Everything this article talks about, in one project
WriteLoom keeps drafts versioned and diffable, so you can always see what changed between one revision and the next.
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