Screenplay formatting is a very specific, peculiar thing, something that producers and below-the-line crew need to determine scheduling and location securing. These are not the province of the writer, but the formatting is, so it's good to know what the various elements are and how they work.
Check out the various elements below to see what they mean.
INT. ER - DAY
Nadia stanches a nasty arm wound as the ER DOCTOR works on another, worse one on the patient’s leg. Blood everywhere.
ER DOCTOR
How’s your suturing? Good as mine?
NADIA
Better.
ER DOCTOR
Care to make it interesting?
NADIA
Gambling’s a sin, Doctor.
ER DOCTOR
(awkward)
Sorry. That was out of line --
NADIA
Loser writes a recommendation letter for the winner. How’s that?
ER DOCTOR
I don’t need a recommendation.
Nadia grabs a handful of sutures and sterilized needles from the doctor’s tray, gets to work.
NADIA
Don’t worry, you’re not gonna win.
A slugline tells the reader where the scene takes place and whether it's a day or night scene. Sluglines serve as headings to mark the beginning of new scenes.
Stage directions are instructions describing what the actors must do in the scene. Note that the margins are wider for stage directions, setting them apart from the dialogue.
The character name delineates which character is speaking at the moment. Note that the margins are set almost to the center of the page so that the names will be easy to read.
Dialogue is the actual text the actors will say.
Parentheticals are instructions describing how the actor should deliver a line. They are generally frowned upon, so try to avoid as much as possible.
Breakdown
A slugline tells the reader where the scene takes place and whether it's a day or night scene. Sluglines serve as headings to mark the beginning of new scenes.
INT. ER - DAY
Stage directions are instructions describing what the actors must do in the scene. Note that the margins are wider for stage directions, setting them apart from the dialogue.
Nadia stanches a nasty arm wound as the ER DOCTOR works on another, worse one on the patient’s leg. Blood everywhere.
The character name delineates which character is speaking at the moment. Note that the margins are set almost to the center of the page so that the names will be easy to read.
ER DOCTOR
Dialogue is the actual text the actors will say.
How’s your suturing? Good as mine?
Parentheticals are instructions describing how the actor should deliver a line. They are generally frowned upon, so try to avoid as much as possible.
ER DOCTOR
(awkward)
creenwriting Fundamentals