Screenplay formatting of Subject, Action and Angle
February 18, 2019 10:36 PM Subscribe
I have Syd Field's "Screenplay" book, the bible of screenplays, but the formatting section is a little unclear to me. My confusion is about how to introduce the subject and angle of a shot (or when to specify the angle) and when to capitalize the name or subject (although this is more obvious to me when I understand the first part)
In the "definitions" section, it appears that you introduce subject and action along with "ANGLE" or "ANGLE ON" or similar (ie "SERIES OF ANGLES" or "POV" etc) , and I assume that means in a new scene right under the interior/exterior/time specifics.
But in the script excerpt, I see just the subject (which can confusingly also be a person OR a place) listed on the left margin in all caps (under the interior/exterior/time in all caps of course). This is sometimes a person, name in all caps, even if they've been introduced before. Then the action is written below (double-spaced) separately. Like this:
RYAN
is buckled into the cockpit. Strut is in the towerboat, nearby.
For one thing, that sounds like two shots (Ryan and Strut) and the other is that my thinking was that you would say:
ANGLE ON Ryan buckled into the cockpit.
ANOTHER ANGLE ON Strut in the towerboat, nearby.
In the latter example, taken from info in the definition section, it says things like "ANGLE ON Bill walking down hall" all as one sentence on the same line, without the name capitalized (assuming he's already been introduced.)
I hope this makes sense; I don't want to/can't afford screenwriting software but the section on formatting is so short, and the example is very different than what the terms section says. Or maybe I'm just not understanding it at all.
I'm on my second re-formatting and I fill like I'm spending time undoing my wrong corrections and so on.
Also, the terms section also seems to contradict what I've heard about not telling the director what to do; it gives specific types of shots, ie "MEDIUM SHOT", "CLOSE SHOT" and it was my understanding that directors don't want to be told where to put the camera.
In the "definitions" section, it appears that you introduce subject and action along with "ANGLE" or "ANGLE ON" or similar (ie "SERIES OF ANGLES" or "POV" etc) , and I assume that means in a new scene right under the interior/exterior/time specifics.
But in the script excerpt, I see just the subject (which can confusingly also be a person OR a place) listed on the left margin in all caps (under the interior/exterior/time in all caps of course). This is sometimes a person, name in all caps, even if they've been introduced before. Then the action is written below (double-spaced) separately. Like this:
RYAN
is buckled into the cockpit. Strut is in the towerboat, nearby.
For one thing, that sounds like two shots (Ryan and Strut) and the other is that my thinking was that you would say:
ANGLE ON Ryan buckled into the cockpit.
ANOTHER ANGLE ON Strut in the towerboat, nearby.
In the latter example, taken from info in the definition section, it says things like "ANGLE ON Bill walking down hall" all as one sentence on the same line, without the name capitalized (assuming he's already been introduced.)
I hope this makes sense; I don't want to/can't afford screenwriting software but the section on formatting is so short, and the example is very different than what the terms section says. Or maybe I'm just not understanding it at all.
I'm on my second re-formatting and I fill like I'm spending time undoing my wrong corrections and so on.
Also, the terms section also seems to contradict what I've heard about not telling the director what to do; it gives specific types of shots, ie "MEDIUM SHOT", "CLOSE SHOT" and it was my understanding that directors don't want to be told where to put the camera.
That spacing in the first example seems really bizarre. Your corrected version is right although with action lines so short you don’t really need to split them into two different lines. With that being said, you don’t need to describe the camera in so much detail. You could just start the scene after the slug (or scene heading) with: Ryan is buckled into the cockpit.
Unless it’s really important from a story perspective to have the cut to Strut I wouldn’t recommend indicating it. You don’t want to overdirect in your writing, save it for when you really want it.
For example, I’d write it as:
Ryan is buckled into the cockpit. Strut is in the tower boat, nearby.
In scene direction you capitalize a character’s name only when they’re first introduced - no need to do it again.
You do capitalize ANGLE ON but you’d never use terms like medium shot or long shot. You might use CLOSE ON which you’d capitalize or DISSOLVE TO or CUT TO.
As far as any other capitalizing, it varies based on project or style. I work in animated TV and we’ll usually capitalize weird props or outfits. And sometimes we capitalize for emphasis like a good BOOM!
I honestly have no idea how you’re writing a script outside of a script program - that must be so tough so major props. Maybe look into if Celtx is still free - it gets the job done.
I’d also recommend just reading some scripts - you can find a bunch online. That will help give you a feel for how much directing is appropriate and will likely answer other questions that come up for you.
Best of luck!
posted by iguana in a leather jacket at 12:54 AM on February 19, 2019 [4 favorites]
Unless it’s really important from a story perspective to have the cut to Strut I wouldn’t recommend indicating it. You don’t want to overdirect in your writing, save it for when you really want it.
For example, I’d write it as:
Ryan is buckled into the cockpit. Strut is in the tower boat, nearby.
In scene direction you capitalize a character’s name only when they’re first introduced - no need to do it again.
You do capitalize ANGLE ON but you’d never use terms like medium shot or long shot. You might use CLOSE ON which you’d capitalize or DISSOLVE TO or CUT TO.
As far as any other capitalizing, it varies based on project or style. I work in animated TV and we’ll usually capitalize weird props or outfits. And sometimes we capitalize for emphasis like a good BOOM!
I honestly have no idea how you’re writing a script outside of a script program - that must be so tough so major props. Maybe look into if Celtx is still free - it gets the job done.
I’d also recommend just reading some scripts - you can find a bunch online. That will help give you a feel for how much directing is appropriate and will likely answer other questions that come up for you.
Best of luck!
posted by iguana in a leather jacket at 12:54 AM on February 19, 2019 [4 favorites]
FWIW, screenwriter Daniel Kunka posted a short thread about "directing the page" yesterday, which leans in favour of just writing what people see, and not describing the nature of every single shot. But doesn't imply that either are totally right or wrong.
posted by penguin pie at 3:44 AM on February 19, 2019
posted by penguin pie at 3:44 AM on February 19, 2019
Hi! I'm a sometimes screenwriter who has worked in television (in various capacities, not as a staffed writer) for more than a decade. I also have a side gig writing and producing digital video, which also uses screeplay format.
Your questions, answered:
how to introduce the subject and angle of a shot (or when to specify the angle)?
Never, or as rarely as you can possibly get away with. Certainly not if you are an amateur writing screenplays on spec (as in, for free) that you are hoping to use either to obtain representation or to possibly sell/find investors for/etc. This is sometimes part of the house style on a scripted TV show, and permissible if you are writing projects that you will direct yourself, but in general it's frowned upon enough that the answer is just a hard no. The director and cinematographer will decide the camera angles. You write the story, characters, and dialogue.
Illustration of this: in years of screenwriting adjacent types of writing, I have used specific angles one time, on a digital short I directed myself. In that situation, I wrote the script the week of the shoot and wanted it to double as both a script and half-assed shot list of sorts. I put the angles I wanted to use in the script in order to show the cinematographer and editor what I had in mind. This was a video where specific angles were absolutely necessary.
when to capitalize the name or subject?
Usually upon first appearance of the character, and in dialogue headings thereafter.
For example, imagine this is a screenplay:
INT. Office - Day
CHRISSY, a secretary, sits at a desk staring at her computer screen. JEN, her boss, enters.
JEN
Morning, Chris. How was your long weekend?
Jen opens a filing cabinet and begins leafing through the files as Chrissy continues to look at email.
CHRISSY
So restful. Did you do anything fun?
FADE OUT.
Did that make sense?
You should probably not have that first appearance all caps use of the characters' names be on their own line. That's weird. (I've seen it once or twice, used for effect, and I'd definitely consider it a screenwriting 201 or 301 thing to try, once you have the format down pat).
Getting screenwriting software will clarify all of this stuff immensely. I use Writer Duet, which is free and does pretty much everything the more expensive programs do. Screenwriting software also usually tends to include good samples of basic screenwriting 101 level formatting, in terms of things like when to capitalize character names and how to do a few things that might not be auto-programmed into the software.
I would not even bother writing anything in the world of a screenplay (or TV spec episode, web series, short comedy sketch etc) without screenwriting software. Nobody does that, and it's just... no. Like egregiously Not Done. I work in TV, most of my friends are also screenwriters on some level, and I do not know a single person who tries to soldier on in Microsoft Word. Also, if you do ever hope to have your work read in a professional capacity, even the tiniest error that makes it clear that you're not using screenwriting software is going to end any conversation you were hoping to initiate. Because at this point even the most amateurish dabblers all use a screenwriting software program to format their scripts.
posted by the milkman, the paper boy at 9:57 AM on February 19, 2019 [2 favorites]
Your questions, answered:
how to introduce the subject and angle of a shot (or when to specify the angle)?
Never, or as rarely as you can possibly get away with. Certainly not if you are an amateur writing screenplays on spec (as in, for free) that you are hoping to use either to obtain representation or to possibly sell/find investors for/etc. This is sometimes part of the house style on a scripted TV show, and permissible if you are writing projects that you will direct yourself, but in general it's frowned upon enough that the answer is just a hard no. The director and cinematographer will decide the camera angles. You write the story, characters, and dialogue.
Illustration of this: in years of screenwriting adjacent types of writing, I have used specific angles one time, on a digital short I directed myself. In that situation, I wrote the script the week of the shoot and wanted it to double as both a script and half-assed shot list of sorts. I put the angles I wanted to use in the script in order to show the cinematographer and editor what I had in mind. This was a video where specific angles were absolutely necessary.
when to capitalize the name or subject?
Usually upon first appearance of the character, and in dialogue headings thereafter.
For example, imagine this is a screenplay:
INT. Office - Day
CHRISSY, a secretary, sits at a desk staring at her computer screen. JEN, her boss, enters.
JEN
Morning, Chris. How was your long weekend?
Jen opens a filing cabinet and begins leafing through the files as Chrissy continues to look at email.
CHRISSY
So restful. Did you do anything fun?
FADE OUT.
Did that make sense?
You should probably not have that first appearance all caps use of the characters' names be on their own line. That's weird. (I've seen it once or twice, used for effect, and I'd definitely consider it a screenwriting 201 or 301 thing to try, once you have the format down pat).
Getting screenwriting software will clarify all of this stuff immensely. I use Writer Duet, which is free and does pretty much everything the more expensive programs do. Screenwriting software also usually tends to include good samples of basic screenwriting 101 level formatting, in terms of things like when to capitalize character names and how to do a few things that might not be auto-programmed into the software.
I would not even bother writing anything in the world of a screenplay (or TV spec episode, web series, short comedy sketch etc) without screenwriting software. Nobody does that, and it's just... no. Like egregiously Not Done. I work in TV, most of my friends are also screenwriters on some level, and I do not know a single person who tries to soldier on in Microsoft Word. Also, if you do ever hope to have your work read in a professional capacity, even the tiniest error that makes it clear that you're not using screenwriting software is going to end any conversation you were hoping to initiate. Because at this point even the most amateurish dabblers all use a screenwriting software program to format their scripts.
posted by the milkman, the paper boy at 9:57 AM on February 19, 2019 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks guys. I'm researching free software and/or waiting till after taxes to buy some. At least I can have an excuse for dragging my ass on this; I was completely deluded that it would be a lot easier on my own.
I hope the software will be able to help with the subject thing (Field insisted that you always identify the subject of the shot) and that's one area of formatting that I really am confused on (sorry if I'm repeating myself) The thing about caps for new characters and dialogue I know, that's basic, but the other thing is still confusing. I'll have to dredge up spec scripts; so far I've just found shooting scripts.
That spacing in the first example seems really bizarre.
The weird thing is that this is directly from Field's example; the second version is mine. Field's book was written in 1979; have things changed a lot? Is that where I'm going in the wrong direction? Have some conventions changed? Hopefully the software will help resolve the subject/action thing (but I'm skeptical)
Also nice to have professionals weigh in. Thanks again.
posted by GospelofWesleyWillis at 12:13 PM on February 20, 2019
I hope the software will be able to help with the subject thing (Field insisted that you always identify the subject of the shot) and that's one area of formatting that I really am confused on (sorry if I'm repeating myself) The thing about caps for new characters and dialogue I know, that's basic, but the other thing is still confusing. I'll have to dredge up spec scripts; so far I've just found shooting scripts.
That spacing in the first example seems really bizarre.
The weird thing is that this is directly from Field's example; the second version is mine. Field's book was written in 1979; have things changed a lot? Is that where I'm going in the wrong direction? Have some conventions changed? Hopefully the software will help resolve the subject/action thing (but I'm skeptical)
Also nice to have professionals weigh in. Thanks again.
posted by GospelofWesleyWillis at 12:13 PM on February 20, 2019
Like I said, I use Writer Duet, which is literally $0.00 free. It's also easy to use and can also be used cross-platform if you write in dribs and drabs throughout the day as opposed to on one dedicated computer. Also, you can export files in a variety of formats, so if later you end up splurging on Final Draft (which WD is a clone of, and one of the main reasons I recommend it to people since Final Draft is industry standard if you ever become a pro screenwriter), you can export your current projects as .fdx files and continue to work on them in your new software. You can do the same from Writer Duet to Celtx and some of the other free/cheap options as well.
Screenwriting norms have changed a lot since 1979. Both with the advent of ubiquitous specialized software and just changes in the industry. When most screenwriting was done for hire by the studios (as opposed to independent productions, the explosion of TV, and the arrival of scripted digital media), what a screenplay was and who was expected to write and read them was different. This can even be different in different situations, today, so that the way you might approach formatting in a spec screenplay you want to show to potential managers as a sample might look different from a video sketch you want to direct yourself with friends. While TV shows tend to have house styles and often will reference shots and cuts depending on the show and its relationship to the director(s).
At this point, aside from maybe some basic pointers, I wouldn't regard "Screenplay" as an up to date guide to writing a modern screenplay. Definitely not for formatting advice! For example I've written a lot of stuff and never specifically identified the "subject" of a shot, or even written by thinking of shots vs. scenes or acts, at all.
However, what you should do is always include a line or so of action at the top of each scene explaining who is in the scene and establishing anything else the reader needs to know. "Chrissy is reading her email. Jenny enters." would be the example of that. You don't need to write: "ANGLE ON Chrissy. ECU of Outlook open on her computer screen. DUTCH ANGLE as Jenny enters. OFF CHRISSY:" etc.
There's a bit of art to the slug line ("INT. Office - Day") and action lines, which changes over time and can be somewhat subjective. I'd definitely refer to newer guides for that sort of thing, because it can vary so much and there are so many potential dealbreakers vs. contrarian opinions vs. etc etc etc.
But as long as you're using entry-level slug lines (INT. Office - Day as opposed to EXT. Window Cleaner's Perch 500 Feet In The Air Outside Office Building - Twilight, or the like) and basic action descriptions ("Chrissy reads her email. Jenny enters." as opposed to "We see Chrissy: the kind of smoking hot blonde you only find on the most exclusive beaches in Malibu. We watch her fumbling with the mouse, ECU biting her lip as she reads another missive from that old so-and-so Steve in Accounting..." etc), you're probably fine. Just keep it simple.
posted by the milkman, the paper boy at 12:50 PM on February 20, 2019 [2 favorites]
Screenwriting norms have changed a lot since 1979. Both with the advent of ubiquitous specialized software and just changes in the industry. When most screenwriting was done for hire by the studios (as opposed to independent productions, the explosion of TV, and the arrival of scripted digital media), what a screenplay was and who was expected to write and read them was different. This can even be different in different situations, today, so that the way you might approach formatting in a spec screenplay you want to show to potential managers as a sample might look different from a video sketch you want to direct yourself with friends. While TV shows tend to have house styles and often will reference shots and cuts depending on the show and its relationship to the director(s).
At this point, aside from maybe some basic pointers, I wouldn't regard "Screenplay" as an up to date guide to writing a modern screenplay. Definitely not for formatting advice! For example I've written a lot of stuff and never specifically identified the "subject" of a shot, or even written by thinking of shots vs. scenes or acts, at all.
However, what you should do is always include a line or so of action at the top of each scene explaining who is in the scene and establishing anything else the reader needs to know. "Chrissy is reading her email. Jenny enters." would be the example of that. You don't need to write: "ANGLE ON Chrissy. ECU of Outlook open on her computer screen. DUTCH ANGLE as Jenny enters. OFF CHRISSY:" etc.
There's a bit of art to the slug line ("INT. Office - Day") and action lines, which changes over time and can be somewhat subjective. I'd definitely refer to newer guides for that sort of thing, because it can vary so much and there are so many potential dealbreakers vs. contrarian opinions vs. etc etc etc.
But as long as you're using entry-level slug lines (INT. Office - Day as opposed to EXT. Window Cleaner's Perch 500 Feet In The Air Outside Office Building - Twilight, or the like) and basic action descriptions ("Chrissy reads her email. Jenny enters." as opposed to "We see Chrissy: the kind of smoking hot blonde you only find on the most exclusive beaches in Malibu. We watch her fumbling with the mouse, ECU biting her lip as she reads another missive from that old so-and-so Steve in Accounting..." etc), you're probably fine. Just keep it simple.
posted by the milkman, the paper boy at 12:50 PM on February 20, 2019 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: missed that; I'll download Writer Duet. Very helpful, thanks!
posted by GospelofWesleyWillis at 12:53 PM on February 20, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by GospelofWesleyWillis at 12:53 PM on February 20, 2019 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: thanks for recommending Writer's Duet. A couple others were glitchy for me, but so far this is doing the trick.
posted by GospelofWesleyWillis at 12:29 PM on February 22, 2019
posted by GospelofWesleyWillis at 12:29 PM on February 22, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by GospelofWesleyWillis at 10:38 PM on February 18, 2019