Scene heading
INT. LANTERN ROOM - NIGHT tells us the scene is inside, gives its location and names the time of day. EXT. indicates an exterior.
A practical screenplay formatting guide
Give each line
a clear job.
A screenplay describes what an audience can see and hear. Here is a short Fountain example, followed by how its parts fit together.
A short screenplay example.
INT. LANTERN ROOM - NIGHT
Mara grips the hand crank. Beyond the glass, a boat slips toward the rocks.
MARA
Then we keep the light moving.
ELI
I'll turn it with you.
Together, they lift the beam across the water.This is the editable Fountain text. WriteShape turns its elements into formatted screenplay pages in the preview.
The main screenplay elements.
Action
Describe visible behavior and audible events in the present tense. “Mara grips the hand crank” gives the actor and reader something concrete.
Character & dialogue
A character cue such as MARA appears above the spoken words. In this Fountain example, a blank line separates it from the previous action.
Use formatting to make the scene readable.
Separate action paragraphs and dialogue blocks with blank lines in Fountain. Keep action focused on what happens in the scene. Use parentheticals sparingly when the delivery or addressee needs clarification.
Format is only part of the draft. Ask what each character wants, what changes during the scene and whether each exchange moves the story. For a sketch, make the premise and its rules clear enough for the audience to follow.
Always check the submission requirements of the particular class, competition or production receiving your script; they may ask for specific page or file settings.
See your text as script pages.
Open the WriteShape screenplay editor to write and inspect a formatted preview. If you already have a Fountain draft, follow the Fountain-to-PDF steps to make a reading copy.
Try the screenplay editorScreenplay format guide