Tutorials →Write → How to Format a Screenplay
For screenwriters, using dedicated scriptwriting software is the best way to make the process easier and give your work the professional look it deserves. In this screenwriting tutorial, we’re going to walk through the functions and features of StudioBinder’s screenwriting software. Screenwriting software is not complicated, but these best practices will help you understand it completely.
Lesson 1 — How to Introduce a Character in a Screenplay
In this first lesson, we will show you get started writing a new screenplay from scratch. If you have a script already started in another screenwriting app, we'll also show you how to import the file and continue writing in StudioBinder.
Lesson 2 — How to Intercut Scenes in a Script
In this lesson, we will review basic screenplay formatting.
- Scene Heading — A label for each scene that indicates whether a scene takes place indoors or outdoors, the specific location, and the time of day.
- Action / Description — Where the scene is described, characters are introduced, and actions take place.
- Character Cue— Used to designate a line of dialogue to a specific character.
- Extensions — Character cues might also be followed by a parenthetical to designate a voiceover or if the character is off-screen.
- Dialogue — Underneath the character cue (and extension), is the character's dialogue; whether spoken aloud or in voice-over.
- Scene Transition — Transitions are optional and can be added if integral for the reader.
Lesson 3 — Screenplay Flashbacks Explained
In this screenwriting tutorial, we’re going to walk through the functions and features of StudioBinder’s screenwriting software. This installment explains how to add or omit scenes from a locked screenplay.
When a screenplay is locked, the scene numbers don’t change whenever a scene is added. For example, if we add a new scene between Scene 5 and Scene 6, that new scene is labeled 5A. Likewise, if a scene is omitted, the scene number stays intact.
The consistency of scene numbers in a script is vital when departments must collaborate during the production process. Scene 5 should always remain Scene 5. If it’s necessary to reorder the scenes, this is also possible, but, as we’ve already mentioned, should be done rarely, if ever, to maintain consistency and, therefore, efficiency down the line.
Lesson 4 — When to Use Parentheticals in Screenplays
This lesson explains how to create new versions of a screenplay and how to manage those revisions. No script has ever been written in a single draft. Writing is re-writing, they say! This creates a problem for writers who want to keep all drafts of their script and organize them in a single location.
Another common situation is when you want to revert back to a previous version — all you have to do in StudioBinder is open the revision manager, find the archived version, and click “make current.” It’s as easy as that.
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