The Ideal Format of a Screenplay

You’re eager to begin working on your script but before you can start you need to know the ideal format of a screenplay and how to ensure that you make the best impression possible. Sean Platt talks to Tom Nunan about how to format your screenplay so that it looks professional and inviting to read.

Sean: What would you say are the key qualities of a good screenplay? And what would be the ideal format of a screenplay?

Tom: Oddly enough, the first thing most people do when they get a script is check the page count. So, on a practical basis, you want to make sure it’s not over 115 pages.

Ideally it should be 110 pages. People used to literally hold them in their hands and go, “Yeah that feels about the right weight.” And practically, what I’m looking for is a title that instantly tells me what the movie is.

If I’m not grabbed within the first five pages, I put the script down. So, there are a lot of other qualities that once I like a screenplay are what I’m looking for. There are things that I look for but only after I’m hooked.

But those are the first humps they have to get over. If you can’t get over them, the rest doesn’t matter because your screenplay has already been put aside.

Sean: So how quickly can you recognize a bad screenplay?

Tom: Within the first five pages. I’ll give any script five pages.

Sean: What are the more obvious signs that the screenplay is just going to be flat out awful?

Tom: When writers will describe action from the first page or so, when you see dense over-descriptions, making it difficult for a reader to wade through their comments and descriptions.

We just call that over-writing. Most producers and executives only read dialogue anyway. So when a script is over-written or over-directed by too much description, it’s an easy first sign of amateur.

Things to Remember About the Ideal Format of a Screenplay

The first thing that many producers and directors check is page count. Going over 115 pages is not advised. 110 pages is a good number to shoot for.

You need to provide the title at the very beginning in an easy to locate place so that the reader can instantly see what the movie is that they are reading.

If you want your screenplay to be read, you’ll have to get over the hurdles of making sure it’s a manageable length and clearly identifying it. Otherwise it may be quickly discarded and all of your other efforts will be for naught.

Many producers and directors will stop reading a screenplay after just a handful of pages. You have to grab them from the very beginning. A strong start is crucial in getting your script read from page one until the very end.

Starting your script by going into overly detailed descriptions of the scene and action makes it difficult for readers to read through the script.

Most producers and film executives will only read the dialogue in the script and ignore descriptions.

Including too much description and too many instructions for how the scene should be directed will mark your screenplay as an amateur effort. Readers may become quickly annoyed and set the script aside without making it to the end.