Script Format: Dialogue
Format:
Spelling and grammar. Use correct spelling and punctuation, but not necessarily proper grammar. No one is grammatically correct all of the time when they speak so your character shouldn’t speak that way.
Character Names. L. Margin – 4.1” in all caps. Always placed before a character’s dialogue. (V.O.) follows a character’s name if the dialogue is a voice over and (O.S.) indicates off-screen dialogue.
Parentheticals. L. Margin – 3.4” R. Margin – 3.1” all lowercase. Follows the character’s name. When indicating pauses, parenthetical are sometimes inserted in the middle of dialogue. Use these sparingly. They show attitude, verbal direction and (rarely) action direction. The direction is VERY short. (1-3 words)
Dialogue. L. Margin – 2.7” R. Margin – 2.4” Indicates what the character is speaking. If dialogue is separated onto two pages, the dialogue on the first page should end with (MORE) centered and the dialogue on the second page should begin with (CONT.) centered.
Content:
Make your character’s voices unique and consistent. Everyone speaks differently. If all the characters names were hidden, the audience should still be able to tell which character is speaking based on how the dialogue is written.
Avoid on-the-nose dialogue. No one says exactly what they are feeling and rarely are people completely truthful. Subtext is not only powerful, but it is so much more interesting.
Pauses emphasize reluctance, thinking, or speech patterns. Use sparingly. Many screenwriters avoid “…” to show a pause because it may come across as unprofessional, especially when used excessively. A parenthetical “(pause)” may be used instead, but must be put on a separate line than the dialogue. “…” can still be used and is often used at the end of dialogue to show a character trailing off.
Changing names. When a character is introduced with one name but is later addressed as another, the name above the dialogue may change. The change must be clearly identified, either in the action, or in the name itself.
For instance, if a clerk has dialogue but the audience does not know her name, she is referred to as “CLERK” above her dialogue. When approached, the main character notices the clerk has a name tag that reads “HALEY.” After this is stated in the action, “CLERK” changes to “HALEY” above her dialogue.
Lets say there is an unnamed boy, at a party who is talking with ERIC. The boy is referred to as GUY 1 until Eric asks for his name. When Guy 1 introduces himself as “DAVID” in his dialogue, the character name above it would read “GUY 1 (DAVID).” After this, GUY 1 is now called “DAVID” above the dialogue.
Phone calls. When you want both people to be heard on the phone, but only one is visible, use (O.S.) to show the dialogue of the unseen person. If only one person is heard, separate the dialogue with a (pause) parenthetical every time the hidden person is talking (even though you can’t hear it.)
**In addition to this post, script format (margins, etc.) can be found in the Drive under “Resources.”
