Fix This - 3.2.25
Sentences are the building blocks of scenes, and scenes are the building blocks of story. That's why it's important to make sure your formatting is correct and your writing is as strong as it can be. If the foundation is weak, the whole thing will crumble.
Take a look at the excerpt below. Can you spot the changes that need to be made?
Let’s start with the slugline. There are two things that need to be fixed here. First, it’s unnecessary to say “inside” in the scene heading. We already know from the slugline that this is an interior shot. The reader will understand we’re inside Maxine’s closet without the writer spelling it out explicitly in the scene heading.
The next mistake is the dash between the location and the time of day is missing. Whoops!
After making those corrections, the slugline should look like this…
Did you find the next mistake? It’s something we see beginning writers do a lot. They give a character a name, but then sometimes call the character by a nickname. Calling a character by two different names can confuse the reader. To avoid this problem, introduce the character using the name you want the character to go by and stick to that name through your entire script.
If you kept reading the excerpt and noticed that “screams” should be in all caps, you are correct! Sounds are always written in all caps. That includes sound effects (like a BIRDS CHIRPING and HORNS BLARING) and sounds the characters make.
Once you fix that, there’s another problem with capitalization in this excerpt. Do you know what it is?
In the last two lines of dialogue, Gaby and Maxine each have a word written in all caps. When dialogue is written in all caps, it means the character is yelling. Here, however, the writer didn’t intend for the girls to each yell a single word in the middle of the sentence. Instead, they mistakenly used all caps for emphasis. The correct format is to underline the words you want the actor to emphasize.
But before applying this convention to your own script, please note that when writers imagine the lines in their heads, it can be tempting to start underlining all over the place. Resist that urge! Use underlining sparingly. Too much becomes distracting to readers and can be frustrating for actors.
One more change to go!
When you read the last two lines of dialogue, we’re sure you noticed that the writer wants the characters to say their lines at the same time. The correct way to format this is with Dual Dialogue so that the lines are next to each other on the page.
If you’re using Final Draft, you write the dialogue as your normally would. Then, highlight the lines and click the Format dropdown menu in the toolbar at the top of your screen. Select Dual Dialogue. (You can also press Command + D on your keyboard.) Most other screenwriting programs let you format the dialogue in a similar way.
There you go! If you’ve caught mistakes in this excerpt, you’re capable of catching them in your own writing.
If you’ve never written a screenplay before and need more guidance on proper formatting, check out our free Screenwriting 101 video.
And when you’re ready to develop and write your script, sign up for Screenwriting Essentials. We’ll teach you everything you need to know about completing an excellent script draft.