Free resource
The Ultimate Guide to Screenplay Formatting
How to format a movie script, a free TV show script template, and a live practice editor — everything a new writer needs, from the free software for writing books and movies at ApplecoreEnt.
Practice formatting a scene
No sign-up needed. Edit on the left, see a real script page on the right.
Press Enter for a new line (type is picked for you). Press Tab to cycle the line type.
INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY
Rain streaks the window. MAYA (20s) types furiously on a cracked laptop.
MAYA
(under her breath)
Just one more page.
CUT TO:
Page setup
12-point Courier, US Letter, 1.5" left margin, 1" right, top and bottom. One page ≈ one minute of screen time, so a feature runs 90–120 pages.
Scene headings (sluglines)
All caps: INT. or EXT., the location, a dash, then the time. Example: EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT. Start a new heading whenever the place or time changes.
Action lines
Present tense, short paragraphs (3–4 lines max). Only write what we can see or hear. Capitalize a character's name the first time they appear.
Character & dialogue
Character cue in caps about 3.7" from the page edge, dialogue in a narrower column beneath. Use (V.O.) for voice-over and (O.S.) for off-screen.
Parentheticals
Short direction in brackets under the character name — (whispering), (beat). Use sparingly; let actors act.
Transitions
Right-aligned in caps: CUT TO:, SMASH CUT TO:, FADE OUT. Modern scripts use them rarely.
TV script template
A TV pilot adds a teaser and act breaks (ACT ONE, ACT TWO…) centered and underlined. Half-hour comedies run 22–35 pages; one-hour dramas 50–65.
Books vs. scripts
Novels tell readers what characters think; scripts only show what the camera captures. On ApplecoreEnt you can write both — and turn a script into a chapter-by-chapter book in Film Studios.