Guide · 3 of 10
Writing the script
Plain text in, a formatted screenplay out.
You type plain text. Take One lays it out. Four things cover most of a script:
You type
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT A kettle screams. Mara does not turn. MARA (quietly) You are late. CUT TO:
You get
INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT
A kettle screams. Mara does not turn.
MARA
(quietly)
You are late.
CUT TO:
| To get | Type | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Scene heading | INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT | Starts with INT. or EXT. |
| Action | A kettle screams. | Any plain line. |
| Character cue | MARA | Capitals, blank line above, dialogue below. |
| Parenthetical | (quietly) | Right under the cue. |
| Transition | CUT TO: | Capitals, ending in TO: |
Typing helpers
- Tab on an empty line
- Starts a cue. Your cast is offered and what you type is capitalised.
- Tab under a speech
- Opens a (parenthetical). Enter steps past the bracket.
- @ and a name
- Mentions a character. A new name can be added to the cast on the spot.
- Scene headings, transitions
- Capitalise themselves as you type.
- Focus
- Hides everything but the script.
- Typewriter
- Keeps the line you are writing mid-screen.
- Preview
- Shows the page as it will print.
The editor saves on its own every half minute.
Every mark, for when you need it
| To get | Type | Note |
|---|---|---|
| A heading that is not INT. or EXT. | .BOOK OF THE DEAD | A leading full stop. |
| A numbered scene | INT. HALL - DAY #12# | The number prints in both margins. |
| A name with small letters | @McClane | Also the way to write cues in Hindi: @आशा |
| Voice-over, off screen | MARA (V.O.) | |
| Two people at once | DEV ^ | A caret after the second cue. |
| Any line as a transition | > FADE TO WHITE | |
| Capitals that stay action | !SILENCE. | |
| Centred text | > THE END < | |
| A song lyric | ~Row, row, row your boat | |
| Italic, bold, underline | *one* **two** _three_ | |
| A note to yourself | [[check the clock]] | Never prints. |
| Cut text you want to keep | /* old version */ | Never prints. |
| Outline lines | # Act two = what happens | Never print. They show in the Outline. |
| A page break | === |
Scripts with no capitals
You type
INT. HOSTEL ROOM - NIGHT @आशा कल का paper छोड़ देगी?
You get
INT. HOSTEL ROOM - NIGHT
आशा
कल का paper छोड़ देगी?
A cue that cannot be written in capitals is set in bold, and the lines get the taller spacing Devanagari needs. Script settings can bold every cue in any script.
Why a screenplay looks the way it does: The page.