I'm trying to impress upon my friend who is also intending to break into entertainment the importance of proper document format, especially in screenwriting.
Does anyone have anecdotal experience in this topic? Possibly even a rejection that led you to pursue learning proper formatting?
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One thing I've consistently observed is that proper formatting creates a strong first impression. Before a reader can appreciate the story, the screenplay has to be easy to read and meet industry expectations.
While formatting alone won't make a script successful, poor formatting can become an unnecessary distraction and may prevent the story from receiving the attention it deserves. In my experience reviewing screenplays, I've seen writers make significant improvements to the overall reading experience simply by adopting standard screenplay formatting.
A compelling story and professional presentation go hand in hand. The formatting shouldn't draw attention to itself it should allow the story to do the talking.
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Do not worry. Your friend will learn, eventually. It is nice of you to try to make that an easy lesson, but if they want to learn the hard way, that works too
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I read scripts from successful movies. My "proper" formatting style evolved from that. It's a broad category that you can greatly fine tune, so I'd start at the website ScriptSlug with a script whose film you like.
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If the formatting is poor, it signals there is almost a racing certainty that the script has other fundamental flaws. Proper formatting helps the writer lay the story down ‘on paper’ and stops the reader getting lost and ‘tossing the script in the bin’. Bad formatting creates frustration, doubt and lack of interest. Bad formatting usually also means the script has lots of unnecessary words because the writer loses control.
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Honestly, my anecdotal experience would argue the contrary.
One of the few scripts I've ever had forwarded to me by a producer on the basis it was good was one that had images of a robot's HUD inserted into it. This was a very experienced producer too with a global box office #1 to their name.
My second screenplay was formatted fine but used a very odd prose similar to Tony Gilroy's in Bourne Identity. That ended up getting picked out and featured by Amazon Studios.
On the flip side, I recently terminated a users account on Script Revolution because all 670 (yes, 670) screenplays they'd uploaded were formatted completely wrong, and I mean completely wrong. Not even the correct typeface.
The basics need to be right, but there is wiggle room, and the more benefit of the doubt a writer has earned they more they'll get away with. Some people do take it too far as well; arguing about bold sluglines and such as if it's life or death.
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670? Obviously someone has never heard of "second draft" or "editing".
Seriously, Script Revolution has been around... I think 10 years? That's more than one script posted each week, assuming they started on day 1! Even if you're talking short films here... say three hours per "script"... that's over a year's full time work! Why spend so much time on something and never bother to learn how to do it right? Every time I get a consultant or editor "reaching out" I tell them "All my projects are at the "Brendan needs to learn how to do this himself" stage of development." Even put that in my bio. If I want to practice the craft I first need to learn the craft! That seems pretty basic.
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When I worked at the studios, all the scripts had solid formatting. Someone whom doesn't have solid formatting either didn't take the time to learn or is plain lazy. Nobody will waste their time with that. If you don't want to learn and master the craft, don't bother getting involved with writing.
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Brendan Kelly, it gets more insane than that. He only started uploading a year ago. Each script was probably only a few pages long.
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The script is more than a story, it’s also a practical working document that is intended for use by multiple departments when making your film. The reason for its formatting is to make it as user friendly as possible. Making them the same format means that early assessments on screentime, pacing etc can be made more easily. Not formatting a script properly makes it look less professional.
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Ewan Dunbar is so right! A script is not just a story. It informs not just the actors and the director and cinematographers, but also wardrobe, set design, special effects, stunts, props, location scouts, casting directors, etc. It needs to be a professional, working document that is delivered on time and in a professional format that people can use.
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One time I had an intern at one of the major agencies refuse to carry a script to an agent because there was missing punctuation in one sentence. Is anal-retentive hyphenated?
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Philip Sedgwick That sounds like A) someone who you may have inadvertently offended, or B) someone who has "5x" amount of things to do and "X" amount of time to get them done in. The intern probably gets asked to do that several hundred times a day, and most likely there is a rule against them doing that anyway. As you guessed, it wasn't about the punctuation.
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I want to echo Chris, Ewan, and Brendan 100%. Formatting is just as much for the reading exec as it is for the crew who will be using it in production.
As an experience screenplay and contest submission reviewer I can tell you most people are looking for a reason to say "no" to a project. If a producer or exec can't easily read your screenplay it will be tossed to the side very quickly. This isn't to say the person doesn't deeply care about their story or writing, I'm sure they do, but having clean, tight, finished work is the final step in ensuring that sentiment makes it across to the reader. Otherwise it risks coming off as lazy and inexperienced.
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Molly Wall I haven't personally experienced a rejection over formatting, but I've heard the same advice from many producers, script consultants, and readers: professional formatting isn't about following rules for the sake of it it's about making the script effortless to read. If a screenplay looks unprofessional from the first page, it can create doubt before the story even has a chance to speak for itself. For me, learning proper screenplay format is simply part of respecting the reader and presenting the work as professionally as possible.
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Proper formatting is definitely important. A great story can lose impact if the script isn't presented in a professional, industry-standard format. Good formatting makes the screenplay easier to read and allows the reader to focus on the story rather than the layout. It's one of those details that shows respect for the craft and for the people reading your work. Great topic, Molly!