If you're serious about being taken seriously then you (or more, I) need to format your writing like a pro. So whats the best link you have to show this?
I found http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/eng/howtoformatascreenplay which seems good to me but then I am an idiot. Anyone?
That's an American site by the looks. Have a look at the writersroom for English formats.
And Bill will be along shortly to talk to you about templates.
Quote: Marc P @ November 21 2008, 9:26 AM GMTThat's an American site by the looks. Have a look at the writersroom for English formats.
And Bill will be along shortly to talk to you about templates.
Cheers Marc.
Years ago when I was providing computer support for Alomo Ltd (the production company of Marks & Gran at that time) I created a template system for Microsoft Word. These teplates produced Sitcom Format and Film Format and a few others. I used to give away these templates free.
The advantage of a template system is that all the paragraph styles are pre-set to the formats needed by the relevant type of script and simple keystrokes set the appropriate style of each part of the script, viz, Slugline, Stage Directions, Name and dialog etc.
Years later a bloke called Matt Carless, who was associated with the BBC Writers Room, created a different template system called Scriptsmart. This was made available free on the BBC website. It produced various formats, which you can sse descriptions of at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scriptsmart/scriptsmart_formats.shtml
When it became necessary to upgrade my templates to suit the re-write of Microsoft Word for Word 97, 2002 and 2003, I used those descriptions by Matt Carless to produce the revised templates which are now called The Scriptwiters Toolkit. Regretably since I am self-supporting, not having a handy BBC job to live on, I have to make a small admin charge for the Toolkit. http://www.datahighways.net/dhl/toolkit.htm
In my opinion, my Toolkit is superior to the Scriptsmart system by Matt Carless, which ie still available free on the BBC website, but is not supported in any way as Matt has left that job at the BBC and may have left the BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scriptsmart/index.shtml
It is said that Scriptsmart works with MS Word on the Apple Mac, though I am not sure which versions & which operating systems. It does work on Windows XP with Word 97 through 2003, I do not know it it works satisfactorily with Word 2007.
My Toolkit does not work on an Apple Mac it works on MS Windows XP and Vista with MS Word 97, through Word 2003, but does not work fully (satisfactorily?) on Word 2007.
If I ever get around to upgrading the Toolkit yet again, I will probably re-write the programming to work with Open Office Writer instead of MS Word.
So does anything work with Word on a Mac? I ask because I use NeoOffice and am wondering whether to shell out for MS Office for Mac.
Also on BBC Writersroom, as I recall it gives advice on formatting radio sketches and TV sitcoms, but not TV sketches. Does anyone have a link to an example? I assume it is much the same as for a TV sitcom, but is the correct form for a sketch to have a separate title page in the same way as a sitcom?
I'm like Mystic Meg me.
Quote: Timbo @ November 21 2008, 7:12 PM GMTSo does anything work with Word on a Mac? I ask because I use NeoOffice and am wondering whether to shell out for MS Office for Mac.
Also on BBC Writersroom, as I recall it gives advice on formatting radio sketches and TV sitcoms, but not TV sketches. Does anyone have a link to an example? I assume it is much the same as for a TV sitcom, but is the correct form for a sketch to have a separate title page in the same way as a sitcom?
As mentioned elsewhere, in the UK, the Producers/Direcors/Script-Readers are not too fussy about the exact format of a submission script, as long as it looks approximately like a script,
So for sketches I guess you would be OK using a short version of
http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scriptsmart/bbctapedsitcom.pdf
or
http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scriptsmart/screenplaytv.pdf
Quote: billwill @ November 22 2008, 12:41 AM GMTAs mentioned elsewhere, in the UK, the Producers/Direcors/Script-Readers are not too fussy about the exact format of a submission script, as long as it looks approximately like a script,
So for sketches I guess you would be OK using a short version of http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scriptsmart/bbctapedsitcom.pdf
or http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scriptsmart/screenplaytv.pdf
Bill's right here - it really doesn't matter how your script's formatted as long as it's clearly-typed and easy to read etc. I used to be really anal with script submissions, ensuring they looked exactly like a finished shooting script, but then after a while I realised that nobody really cares about all that crap. They just want to know if you're funny or not. Even if you format your stuff perfectly to the house style, if it makes it to a shooting script it'll all be retyped by a secretary anyway, so why give yourself arseache?
Just follow a few simple rules and you'll be fine, eg:
Character names in CAPS.
Dialogue goes underneath Character names.
Double space your script.
Start a new scene on a new page.
And that's all you really need to do, unless I've forgotten something which is entirely possible given the amount of JD I've imbibed tonight.
Great responses, thanks very much all of you.
Quote: Lee Henman @ November 22 2008, 1:08 AM GMTBill's right here - it really doesn't matter how your script's formatted as long as it's clearly-typed and easy to read etc. I used to be really anal with script submissions, ensuring they looked exactly like a finished shooting script, but then after a while I realised that nobody really cares about all that crap. They just want to know if you're funny or not. Even if you format your stuff perfectly to the house style, if it makes it to a shooting script it'll all be retyped by a secretary anyway, so why give yourself arseache?
Just follow a few simple rules and you'll be fine, eg:
Character names in CAPS.
Dialogue goes underneath Character names.
Double space your script.
Start a new scene on a new page.
And that's all you really need to do, unless I've forgotten something which is entirely possible given the amount of JD I've imbibed tonight.
Have a bit of margin on the left hand side too.
Quote: Lee Henman @ November 22 2008, 1:08 AM GMTBill's right here - it really doesn't matter how your script's formatted as long as it's clearly-typed and easy to read etc. I used to be really anal with script submissions, ensuring they looked exactly like a finished shooting script, but then after a while I realised that nobody really cares about all that crap. They just want to know if you're funny or not. Even if you format your stuff perfectly to the house style, if it makes it to a shooting script it'll all be retyped by a secretary anyway, so why give yourself arseache?
Just follow a few simple rules and you'll be fine, eg:
Character names in CAPS.
Dialogue goes underneath Character names.
Double space your script.
Start a new scene on a new page.
And that's all you really need to do, unless I've forgotten something which is entirely possible given the amount of JD I've imbibed tonight.
Yeah, same. If it looks like a script and it's clear, then little difference won't matter.
No producer is ever going to look at a good script and chuck it out because you underlined something you shouldn't.
Quote: Lee Henman @ November 22 2008, 1:08 AM GMTStart a new scene on a new page.
I've only ever done that once, when a producer requested it, otherwise I don't bother and no one seems to mind.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ November 22 2008, 10:29 PM GMTI've only ever done that once, when a producer requested it, otherwise I don't bother and no one seems to mind.
Three-camera (studio) scripts generally start a new page for a new scene,
one-camera (Film) scripts generally do not start a new page they just put in two blank lines.