How To Format A Word Doc Into Script Template

Studio executives won't read your screenplay if it's in the wrong format. Virtually writers spend hundreds of dollars on screenwriting software to ensure their screenplay is correctly formatted, but if y'all follow this guide yous can get the same results for free.

Past irresolute the font, line spacing, margins, and style rules, yous tin can create a perfectly formatted screenplay in Microsoft Discussion, Apple Pages, or Google Docs.

Here's how to format a screenplay...

Screenplay Formatting Guidelines

Avengers- Endgame screenplay template in Apple Pages

You're likely to notice small variations across different screenplays when it comes to the exact line spacing, indentation, and font styles. We based our guidelines on the screenplay format for Avengers: Endgame.

If you desire to use different settings, we advise you discover a screenplay from a company you want to piece of work with and copy the format you lot find there. We'll highlight the areas you're likely to change as we work through the format below.

Follow the steps below to create a screenplay format in three of the most popular writing apps: Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, and Google Docs.

Step 1. Create a New Certificate

Document Margins window in Microsoft Word

Create a new document in your word processor and utilize the settings below to modify the paper size to United states of america Alphabetic character with the following margins:

Top: i inch
Bottom: 1 inch
Left: 1.v inches
Right: 0.v inches

For A4 Newspaper, set the margins to:

Top: 1.35 inches
Bottom: 1.35 inches
Left: 1.5 inches
Correct: 0.iii inches

Microsoft Word: Detect these options past going to Layout > Size to choose the newspaper size. And then go to Margins > Custom Margins.

Apple tree Pages: Open the Document sidebar, then choose the paper size from the second dropdown card. Change the Document Margins beneath that.

Google Docs: Go to File > Page Setup and edit the Paper Size and Margins.

Step 2. Choose the Font

Font selection for screenplay in Google Docs

Before typing anything, ready the font to Courier at 12 signal size. You lot could likewise use variants of Courier, such as Courier New or Courier Prime number.

Then blazon these six words, each on its own line:

Slugline
Action
Character
Parenthetical
Dialog
Transition

Each word refers to a dissimilar font style inside a screenplay. You'll format each of them differently below, then save them to keyboard shortcuts for easy access.

For reference, here is what each style refers to:

Slugline: As well known as a scene header, details the fourth dimension and place of each scene.
Action: Describes the setting, characters, or actions in a scene.
Character: Appears before dialog lines to bear witness which character is talking.
Parenthetical: Appears in brackets before dialog, explaining how to evangelize that line.
Dialog: The words spoken past characters in your screenplay.
Transitions: Used to emphasize the change to a new scene, such as Cut To.

Bold and Underlined Sluglines

Sluglines, or scene headers, appear in a range of styles beyond different screenplays. You lot may see them bold, underlined, or just capitalized.

We made our slugline assuming, to match the Avengers: Endgame script. To do so, double-click the discussion "Slugline" and printing Ctrl + B (orCmd + B on a Mac).

You can cull a different style if yous wish. Merely whichever slugline style you lot cull, continue it consistent across every page of your screenplay.

Capitalization

Certain lines in a screenplay but e'er appear in all capital letters. Double-click to select the following lines, one at a time, then apply the settings below to brand them capitalized:

Slugline
Grapheme
Transition

Microsoft Give-and-take: Right-click the selected line and open the Font menu. Enable the box for All Caps.

Apple Pages: Open the Format sidebar, go to the Style tab, and open the Advanced Options carte du jour beneath the font size. Alter the Capitalization to All Caps.

Google Docs: Y'all can't create a capitalized style in Google Docs, and then you lot need to remember to capitalize these lines yourself equally you write.

Step iii. Adjust the White Infinite

The recognizable look of a screenplay by and large comes from its use of white infinite. This is determined past the line spacing, indentation, and alignment settings for each of the different font styles.

Line Spacing

The line spacing determines how much white space appears before or after a line. Printing Ctrl + A (or Cmd + A on a Mac) to select everything, then make the line spacing Exactly 12 points (or Exactly 1 in Google Docs).

Microsoft Give-and-take: Become to the Home tab and open the Line Spacing Options from the Line Spacing dropdown menu.

Apple Pages: Discover the Spacing section in the Manner tab of the Format sidebar. Use the dropdown menu to select Exactly.

Google Docs: Go to Format > Line spacing > Custom spacing.

Now double-click to select a single line and set these Earlier and Subsequently line spacings:

Style	Before (Pts)	After (Pts)
Slugline	24	12
Activity	12	12
Character	12	0
Parenthetical	0	0
Dialog	0	0
Transition	0	12

Indentation

The indentation determines the gap to the left or correct of each line in your screenplay. These settings are the virtually likely to vary from script to script, and so feel gratis to brand adjustments based on the format of your target screenplay.

Double-click to select a line, so fix these indentations with the settings below:

Style	Left (Inch)	Right (Inch)
Slugline	0	0
Action	0	0.31
Character	2.06	0.5
Parenthetical	1.41	ii.thirteen
Dialog	1.03	1.88
Transition	0	0.62

Microsoft Word: Open the Layout tab in the toolbar.

Apple Pages: Open the Format sidebar and go to the Layout tab. Set the First indent to the same equally the Left one.

Google Docs: Go to Format > Marshal and Indent > Indentation options.

Alignment

Almost all text in a screenplay is aligned to the left, which is the default for near word processors. The but exception to this is transition lines, which are aligned to the right.

Double-click to select the Transition line, then align it to the right.

Page Breaks

It's of import to proceed certain lines together in a screenplay, even if that means leaving white infinite at the lesser of a page. This mode, sluglines or character names e'er appear with the action or dialog lines that follow them.

Use the settings below to enable the Keep with adjacent option for:

Slugline
Character
Parenthetical

Then use the same settings to turn on Keep lines together (or Proceed lines on same folio in Google Docs) for:

Parenthetical
Dialog

Microsoft Give-and-take: Go to the Line and Page Breaks tab to choose your settings.

Apple Pages: Open the Format sidebar, and so go the More tab.

Google Docs: Become to Format > Line Spacing and select the relevant options at the bottom.

Step 4. Create the Styles

Screenplay format styles in Apple Pages sidebar

You need to save each line as a style in your word processor so you can automatically format text as you write your screenplay. Double-click to select a single line, then follow the steps below to plow it into a way.

Repeat these steps for each line.

Microsoft Give-and-take: Become to the Home tab and open up the Styles Pane. Click New Style and name it after the selected line.

Apple tree Pages: Open the styles dropdown carte du jour at the top of the Format sidebar. Click the Add (+) button where it says Paragraph Styles to create a new manner, and then proper name it after the selected line.

Google Docs: Yous can't create new styles in Google Docs. Instead, update the existing styles to lucifer unlike lines. To practise this, select a line and go to Format > Paragraph styles > [Heading ane–half dozen] > Update [Heading 1–vi] to match. Y'all need to match the Heading styles and so yous can utilize them with shortcuts.

Choose the Following Style

Sure styles are almost e'er grouped together in a screenplay, such as character and dialog. Use the settings below to make your discussion processor automatically select an appropriate style whenever you create a new line.

Choose these following styles for each line in your screenplay:

Slugline: Followed by Action
Action: Followed by Action (or Aforementioned)
Character: Followed by Dialog
Parenthetical: Followed by Dialog
Dialog: Followed by Character
Transition: Followed by Slugline

Microsoft Word: Open up the Styles Pane and hover over the first style, and then open the dropdown menu and select Modify Style. In the window that appears, cull an appropriate Style for following paragraph.

Apple Pages: Select the first line, open up the Format sidebar, and get to the More tab. Utilize the Post-obit Paragraph Style dropdown to cull the following style.

Google Docs: You tin can't choose a post-obit style in Google Docs.

Save Your Style to a Keyboard Shortcut

Keyboard shortcuts go far easier to select styles and format text equally you write your screenplay. However, the available shortcuts depend on your word processor.

Microsoft Discussion: Open the Styles Pane, hover over one of your new styles, open the dropdown menu, and cull to Alter Style. From the carte du jour in the lesser-left corner, select Shortcut Key, then press any keyboard shortcut yous want to use and click Assign.

Apple Pages: Open up the Format sidebar, and so click the arrow at the summit to reveal the styles dropdown carte. Hover over one of your new styles and click the Arrow that appears. Cull a Shortcut from the available options. You need to hold Fn to use the function keys every bit shortcuts on a Mac.

Google Docs: Shortcuts already be for the Heading styles. Concord Ctrl + Option(orCmd + Selectionon a Mac) with the numbers 1–6 to select Heading styles.

Step five. Finishing Touches

Screenplay Title Page format in Apple Pages

At this point, the trunk of your screenplay should be perfectly formatted. Spend some fourth dimension with these motivational and planning writing apps to become your head down and write your story.

Only before you send it out to anyone, you withal need to add a couple of finishing touches.

Add a Title Page

Showtime with a blank page and use the action style to create five blank lines. Now blazon your screenplay title in all capitals and arrive assuming.

Create another ii blank lines, type "Written by", and then blazon another blank line and type your proper name.

Select everything on the folio and align it to the heart.

It's also a skilful idea to add together some contact details to the bottom of this page for people to find you if they like the screenplay.

Add together Folio Numbers

Y'all demand page numbers in example someone prints your screenplay out to read it. Use the settings below to add them and make sure your page numbers appear in 12 indicate Courier.

Microsoft Word: Open the Insert tab and click the Page Number push. Change the Position to Meridian of page and turn off the Show number on first page option. Afterwards clicking OK, double-click your page number to change the font and size.

Apple Pages: Click in the acme-right corner of the folio to edit the header, then cull to Insert Page Number > i. Double-click your folio number to change the font and size. Then open the Document sidebar, go to the Section tab, and enable the Hide on beginning page of department option.

Google Docs: Become to Insert > Folio Numbers and choose the second option to show numbers in the top-right corner afterwards the first page.

Salvage Your Screenplay Format Template

At present that you've finished creating your costless screenplay format, you should save it equally a template in Microsoft Give-and-take or Apple tree Pages. To practise and so, go to File > Salve as Template.

Unfortunately, yous can't salve your own templates in Google Docs. Instead, create a copy of this document for each screenplay you want to commencement working.

Larn More About Filmmaking

When you're setting out to write a screenplay, you should aim to larn everything you can virtually filmmaking in full general. Fortunately, the net has endless free resources you can use to learn from.

Why not check out some movie analysis channels on YouTube for the best crash course in film studies. Then use the lessons you learn to improve your next screenplay.

x YouTube Channels to Analyze and Understand Film