An option is an agreement that gives someone (usually a producer or a studio) the exclusive rights to buy something for a set amount of time and a pre-determined price. Options are common in the film and television industry, because they allow producers to control the rights to a piece of material without spending the […]
Can you put directing notes in your screenplay?
If you are the director as well as the writer, certainly. If not, the answer is less straightforward. Directors can get annoyed with writers inserting too many directing notes in screenplays. Directing is their job, and those choices are theirs to make. Both in addition to and because of that, too many directing notes makes […]
What is an insert?
An insert is a shot — often a close-up — that focuses on a specific detail. If necessary, these shots can be written into a screenplay, but most inserts will be called for by the director. Often, insert shots are done by the 2nd unit, or are done in pickups to patch over a hole […]
How do you deal with a character who initially appears in the background of a scene, but who is named later?
If a character appears in a scene — in the background or otherwise — before he is introduced, it is important to make mention of it. If not, he could easily be left out of the scene when it is filmed. You also want to be sure your reader takes note of the character’s presence. […]
What is a beat?
The word “beat” has a few different specific uses in screenwriting. But in general, all forms are a type of single, small unit. In screenplays, a “beat” is the smallest unit of measurement. If a character sits down at a desk and picks up a pencil, that is two beats. A “beat sheet” is a […]
Why do some teleplays have stage direction in all caps and some not?
Multicamera sitcoms (think: anything with a laugh track, like Seinfeld) and single-camera shows (sitcoms with no laugh track, like Malcolm in the Middle, as well as dramas) have slightly different teleplay formats. Multicamera scripts have stage direction IN ALL CAPS, with double spaced dialogue. Single-camera scripts look more like film scripts. There are other subtle […]