Get to know the basic script elements and their purpose as well as related terms.
Act: A sequence of significant moments of change. Ideally culminating or leading to a major change in the storyline.
Announcer: An individual who reads the voiceover copy for the television spots. Also called an off-screen or off-camera announcer.
Beats: Action that marks a change in the behavior of the characters.
Action: Use this section to describe the characters and what’s happening in the scene. Always use the present tense, and the first time you introduce a character, display their name in uppercase letters.
Character cue: This is the character’s name, which you must write above their dialogue. Always put this in capital letters.
Commentator: An individual describing the proceedings of a live or recorded event. Typically they add planned or spontaneous comments.
Dialogue: The characters’ spoken words.
Fly page: Title page
Host: On screen individual who conducts the activities of a television, stage, or radio program.
Logline: A short description or teaser which tells the reader what the film is about
Narrator: An individual who provides an oral guide to the story or course of events. A narrator usually follows a planned script and does not offer spontaneous personal comments. A narrator may be visible to an audience or positioned off screen.
“On-the-nose” dialogue: Character dialogue that says something the other characters already know. It’s too obvious and it insults the audience. It is the opposite of subtext, which is what you want.
Parenthetical: Use these carefully—they are being used less frequently because actors don’t like them. This is a short descriptive line between the character cue and the dialogue that either calls for an emotion or a short action.
Pitch: A verbal description of a script or story idea.
Plot or Story: The master event.
Run Lines: To rehearse dialogue, something actors typically do before shooting a scene , so as to be well prepared.
Run-by: Shot in which a moving car (or other vehicle) travels past a stationary camera.
Running shot: Shot in which a moving camera keeps pace with a moving object or person. Related terms: tracking shot, dolly shot, traveling shot.
Running speed: Rate at which film runs through a camera or projector, or at which tape runs through a recorder or playback machine. The running speed for film is measured in frames per second; for tape, it is in inches per second. Related terms: fps, ips.
Running time: Length of time a movie, TV program, video, commercial or stage presentation runs, from start to finish. A theatrical film’s running time is clocked from the head frame to the last frame of the end credit sequence. Most feature films are between 85 and 120 minutes long, though in recent years running time has increased.
Run through: Complete rehearsal of actors without film running in the camera. Related term: walk-through.
Scene: Action that marks a significant change in the life situation of the characters.
Slugline: Also called scene heading, this is where you specify scene location. Identify whether the scene is indoors or outdoors, the exact location, and what time of day it is. Always put this in capital letters.
Transitions: These are short expressions, such as “DISSOLVE TO:” or “SMASH CUT TO:”, that indicate how you want the editor to begin or end the scene. Generally, these are added into a script that is being produced. So, in your case, just use “FADE IN:” at the beginning of your screenplay and “FADE OUT.” at the end.
OS = Off Screen
VO = Voice Over
POV = Point of View
SUPER = Superimposed over visuals on screen
EXT = Exterior Shot
INT = Interior Shot
BEAT= A very brief pause in dialogue
CLOSE = Close up camera shot
DISOLVE TO = One scene fades into the next
Treatment: A description of the story written in paragraph/prose form. Usually, very little dialogue is used.
Voice over: Dialogue or narration coming from off-screen, the source of which is not seen.
Wrylie: Similar to a parenthetical. When dialog is interrupted, (continuing) goes under it as a wrylie [parenthetical]…