Generally, text in a screenplay’s actions or stage directions will be in ALL CAPS when something deserves special attention. Some common all caps examples: The first time a character is introduced, his or her name should be in all caps. This is the one steadfast all caps rule. Visual or special effects will often be […]
What does POV mean?
POV stands for point of view, and is used to indicate that the audience is seeing something from a specific angle or through a particular character’s eyes. POV shots can also sometimes be indicated without using POV, as John August demonstrates in this example from johnaugust.com: Evan is three spoonfuls into his muesli when he […]
What is a slug?
A slug or slugline (or “slug line”) is an uppercase line of text with a blank line above and below it. While the term slugline can be used interchangeably with scene heading, it more often refers to an “intermediary slugline,” which is used to break up and re-focus a longer scene, or to point out […]
How do you format a montage in a screenplay?
There is no hard and fast rule for how to format montages in screenplays. As with all formatting, the goal is to express what’s happening on screen as clearly and simply as possible, without breaking up the flow of the screenplay or taking your reader out of the script. The following are a few montage […]
What is a protagonist?
In middle school English classes, we learn that “protagonist” is a fancy word for “main character” or “good guy.” In film terms, this isn’t always the case. The protagonist is the person who changes over the course of the story. Often, this is the main character. It is very common for this person to be […]
Can you reference specific, proper-noun products/songs/locations/etc. in your screenplay?
By all means, yes. Being specific often helps your scene feel more grounded, or funnier. But keep in mind there’s a difference between mentioning the name of a real thing, which is generally fair game — REGGIE That dude’s a top hat and monocle away from being the tycoon in Monopoly. — and the thing […]