In a [2011 blog post](http://johnaugust.com/2011/the-only-ache-should-be-in-your-soul), John August offers this advice: >1. __You need to check your setup.__ Feet on the floor, arms at a comfortable 90-or-so degrees. I strongly believe in arm rests, but different things work for different people. Your typing surface probably needs to be a lot lower than you think. My desk […]
What does it mean when a writer uses ALL CAPS?
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 […]
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](http://johnaugust.com/2008/handling-a-characters-pov-shot): 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 […]