Anatomy of a Screenplay — Movie Script Format Explained (And Why It Matters)

The Anatomy of a Screenplay — the ultimate guide to screenplay format, the elements of a film script, and why these things are so important in the filmmaking process.

What is a Screenplay? ►► https://bit.ly/wi-sp
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Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction to Screenplay Formatting
01:00 - History of the Screenplay
03:32 - Chapter 1: Screenplay Elements
11:31 - Chapter 2: Formatting
16:45 - Chapter 3: Creative Applications
21:24 - Takeaways

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THE ANATOMY OF A SCREENPLAY

The screenplay is a medium every knows but there is a lot more going on in this form than people realize. In this video, we’re going to look at the history of the screenplay, movie script format and why it’s important, and some creative exceptions that push the artform forward.

ELEMENTS OF A FILM SCRIPT

There are six basic elements in the anatomy of a film script and their format and function is 99% consistent from script to script. These include the scene heading, action/description, character, dialogue, parentheticals, and transitions. Scene headings denote the location and time of day a scene takes place, as well as whether it is an interior or exterior scene. The action/description provides all the non-dialogue storytelling — introducing characters, describing the action from beat to beat, etc. Character cues mark a specific character’s dialogue, which can be augmented with parentheticals for more direction on the delivery of the dialogue. And finally, transitions can be included to mark the definition switch between scenes, especially if that switch contains relevant storytelling material.

THE PURPOSE OF MOVIE SCRIPT FORMAT

The reason why movie script format is so uniform goes back to the days when making movies was more like a factory assembly line. This allows ADs and producers to accurately estimate critical information like budget and schedule. On average, each page of properly formatted script equals a minute of screentime. That page is then divided into 1/8ths to schedule each shooting day.

For beginning writers, it is important to follow these “rules” because the people who decide whether to buy and/or produce your script expect “professionalism” and something familiar they can recognize an assess. If you hand in a script that follows none of these rules, your chances of it being read passed page one are slim to none.

You might have the best idea for a script but unless you understand the anatomy of a screenplay and the in’s and out’s of movie script format, it might never see the light of day.


#FilmTheory #VideoEssay #Filmmaking

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“The Alien” by Ben Salisbury & Geoff Barrow
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“Main Title (Willy Wonka)” by Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley
“American Psycho” by John Cale
“Carson City” by Mark Mancini & Trevor Rabin
“The Secret of the Scrolls” by John Williams
“Training Montage” by Vince DiCola
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“Drive In” by Jon Brion
“Malcolm and Martin” by The Natural Spiritual Orchestra
“Lady Bird” by Jon Brion
“Halloween Theme” by John Carpenter
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