Screenplay page format and elements of Screen play

Sample Screenplay PageThere is no hard and fast rule for how to format montages in screenplays. As with all formatting, the goal is to express what’s happening on screen as clearly and simply as possible, without breaking up the flow of the screenplay or taking your reader out of the script.

A screenplay is a 90-120 page document written in Courier 12 pt font on 8 1/2" x 11" bright white three-hole punched paper. 

Why Courier font is used? 

It's a timing issue. One formatted script page in Courier font equals roughly one minute of screen time. That's why the average page count of a screenplay should come in between 90 and 120 pages. Comedies tend to be on the shorter side (90 pages, or 1 ½ hours) while Dramas run longer (120 pages, or 2 hours).

A screenplay can be an original piece, or based on a true story or previously written piece, like a novel, stage play or newspaper article. A screenplay is a blueprint for the film. 

Professionals on the set including the producer, director, set designer and actors all translate the screenwriter's vision using their individual talents. Since the creation of a film is ultimately a collaborative art, the screenwriter must be aware of each person's role and as such, the script should reflect the writer's knowledge.

The very nature of screenwriting is based on how to show a story on a screen, and pivotal moments can be conveyed through something as simple as a look on an actor's face. .

While screenplay formatting software such as Final Draft, Movie Magic Screenwriter, Movie Outline and Montage frees you from having to learn the nitty-gritty of margins and indents, it's good to have a grasp of the general spacing standards.

The top, bottom and right margins of a screenplay are 1". The left margin is 1.5". The extra half-inch of white space to the left of a script page allows for binding with brads. 

The entire document should be single-spaced.

FADE IN

The very first item on the first page should be the words FADE IN:. Note: the first page is never numbered. Subsequent page numbers appear in the upper right hand corner, 0.5" from the top of the page, flush right to the margin.

Ex: 

.

Scene Heading

Indent: Left: 0.0" Right: 0.0" Width: 6.0"

A scene heading is a one-line description of the location and time of day of a scene.   You can add additional details to the scene heading using a hyphen or [brackets]  after the time of day to designate things like [TRAVELING] for a car scene or [FLASHBACK] to denote it as a flashback.

Slug line

Another way to indicate a FLASHBACK is to place it on it’s own slug line before the Scene Heading. This is useful if the Flashback covers several scenes. Make sure to add an END FLASHBACK when coming out of it.

Other forms of slug lines exist that go inside your master scene. These slug lines act as special indicators and are useful for inserting special shots or for drawing out an important visuals. This is an example of using slug lines to indicate a text message received on a phone using the slugline 
“ON SCREEN” – we use the “JOHN” to come out of this screen shot.

INT

Subheader

When a new scene heading is not necessary, but some distinction needs to be made in the action, you can use a subheader. You would use the term INTERCUT and the scene locations.

Action

The narrative description of the events of a scene, written in the present tense. Also less commonly known as direction, visual exposition, blackstuff, description or scene direction.

Character

Indent: Left: 2.0" Right: 0.0" Width: 4.0"

When a character is introduced, his name should be capitalized within the action.

A character's name is CAPPED and always listed above his lines of dialogue. Minor characters may be listed without names, for example "TAXI DRIVER" or "CUSTOMER."

Dialogue

Lines of speech for each character. Dialogue format is used anytime a character is heard speaking, even for off-screen and voice-overs.

Parenthetical

A parenthetical is direction for the character, that is either attitude or action-oriented.  A parenthetical is a screenwriting technique of writing information about what a character is feeling or doing. For example, if a character should be feeling depressed, the screenwriter would write in the parenthetical . Screenwriters should be as descriptive as possible, but the information needs to be brief.

Ex of Parenthetical

To view an example of a parenthetical, see below:

                                                JOSEY
                                (crying and sleepy)
                Is it really time to leave?

                                                MARIA
                                (closely hugging Josey)
                I'm sorry, honey, but it is.

Again, the information needs to be as short as possible and used only sparingly.

source

Extension

An abbreviated technical note placed after the character's name to indicate how the voice will be heard onscreen, for example, if the character is speaking as a voice-over, it would appear as ANTONY (V.O.).

Transition

Transitions are film editing instructions, and generally only appear in a shooting script.  As a spec script writer, you should avoid using a transition unless there is no other way to indicate a story element.

Shot

 Like a transition, there's rarely a time when a spec screenwriter should insert shot directions, that's the director's job. 

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Sequence

The screenplay is comprised of a series of elements that can be compared to a system, a number of individually related parts arranged to form a unity, or whole:  Like the solar system.  A screenplay is really a system of sorts, comprised of specific parts that are related and unified by action, character, and dramatic premise. 

The screenplay, as a system, is made up of specific elements:  end­ings, beginnings, scenes, Plot Points, shots, special effects, locations, music, and sequences.

The sequence is perhaps the most important element of the screenplay. 

A sequence:  A sequence is a series of scenes connected by one single idea with a definite beginning, middle, and end.

It is a unit, or block, of dramatic action unified by one single idea. It is the skeleton, or backbone, of your script and, like the nature of structure itself, holds everything together.  like a chase sequence, wedding sequence, party sequence, fight sequence, love sequence, storm sequence.

You begin writing your screenplay, you need to know four things:  the opening, the Plot Point at the end of Act I, the Plot Point at the end of Act II,    and the ending.
Sequences can be written any way you want; they are a creative, limitless ..context within which to paint your picture against the can­vas of action.  Writing an action sequence is a definite skill, and good action scripts are written with color, pacing, suspense, tension, and, in most cases, humor.

 source : Syd field Screen play -The foundations of screen writing

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Evolutionary Theories

“Evolution” was one of the most exciting ideas of the 19th century. The naturalist Charles Darwin. Darwin developed the concept of “Evolution” in his “Origin of Species – 1859.” Spencer, who is one of a  sociological giant of the 19th century, was captivated by the idea of evolution. He saw social evolution as “a set of stages through which all the societies moved from simple to the complex and from the homogenous to the heterogeneous.

Meaning of the Concept of “Evolution”:

The term “evolution” comes from the latin word “evolvere” which means “to develop” or to “unfold.” It closely corresponds to the Sanskrit word “Vikas”. It indicates changes from “within” and not from “without”-, it is sponta­neous, but not automatic. It implies continuous change that takes place especially in some structure.

Meaning of “Social Evolution”:

 “Social evolution” is used to explain the evolution of human society or  the evolution of man’s social relations. The theory of social evolution would explain the origin and development of man.

Many different theories were propounded to define and explain social change. Theories of nineteenth century may be divided into 

1. theories of social evolution (Saint-Simon, Comte, Spencer, Durkheim etc.) 
2. and theories of social revolution (Marx).

Evolutionary theories

Evolutionary theories are based on the assumption that societies gradually change from simple beginnings into even more complex forms. . According to them social change meant progress toward something better change as positive and beneficial. 

L.H Morgan believed that there were three basic stages in the process: savagery, barbarism and civilization.

 This evolutionary view of social change was highly influenced by Charles Darwin's theory of Organic Evolution. Herbert Spencer a British sociologist argued that society itself is an organism. He  applied Darwin's principle of the survival of the fittest to human societies. He said that society has been gradually progressing towards a better state. He argued that it has evolved from military society to the industrial society. He claimed that western races, classes or societies had survived and evolved because they were better adapted to face the conditions of life. This view known as social Darwinism got widespread popularity in the late 19th century. It survived even during the first phase of the 20th century. 

Karl Marx was one of the first social scientists to focus mainly on social class. His main focus on social class was that one's social class dictated one's social life.Basically, Marx meant that if one is in the upper class, life was one of leisure and abundance, while those in the lower class lived lives of hardship and poverty.

Marx wanted to better understand how so many people could be in poverty in a world where there was an abundance of wealth. His answer was simple: capitalism.

Capitalism is an economic system where the means of production is owned by private individuals. In this system, the economy and the use of resources are controlled by individual business owners and private companies. A capitalist system is also known as free market enterprise.The main focus of capitalism is profit - businesses exist to make money.  Essentially, the purpose of capitalism is the accumulation of as much wealth for the owners as possible.

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Key concepts in Development

Self Reliance 

Self Reliance can also be defined as the freedom and liberty that a person posses. Self reliance means to depend on  ourself  or trust on one's own capabilities, judgment, resources and independence,and strengths in all situations. .  Self reliance shows a high rate of independence in an individual.  It eliminates the need for external help in their functioning and in their general well being.

Culture Identity

 Culture refers to the customs, practices, languages, values  and  that define social groups  based on nationality, ethnicity, region or common interests. Cultural identity is the identity or feeling of belonging to a group. It is part of a person's self-conception and self-perception and is related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, locality or any kind of social group that has its own distinct culture.  Cultural identity is important for people’s sense of self and how they relate to others. 

Decentralisation

“Decentralisation refers to systematic effort to delegate authority to the lowest levels from at central points.” —Louis A. Allen.   However, strong cultural identity expressed in the wrong way can contribute to barriers between groups. Members of smaller cultural groups can feel excluded from society if others obstruct, or are intolerant of, their cultural practices. example in understanding of different religious group.Decentralisation can be viewed as an extension of delegation. Decentralisation is just opposite to centralization the degree of decentralisation is determined by Nature of the authority delegated, Under centralisation, authority is mostly concentrated at the top level management. 

Advantages / Importance of Decentralization:

Decentralisation helps to improve the quality of decisions-making at the top level management, Decentralisation facilitates diversification of activities, Decentralisation improves motivation Decentralisation makes decision-making quicker and better,  Decentralisation facilitates quick and result-oriented decisions by concerned persons. Decentralisation provides opportunity to learn by doing,, Decentralisation can be extremely beneficial.

Some disadvantages of decentralisation are: 1. Uniform policies not Followed,,2. Problem of Co-Ordination,  3. More Financial Burden,  4. Require Qualified Personnel, 5. Conflict:

Definition of 'Industrialization

Industrialization started in England with the industrial revolution in the 18th century. It spread first to parts of Europe, and to North America. In the 20th century industrialization spread to most other countries. In most areas of the world, countries have industrialised. Most have economies based around one or more key industries. The rates of industrializations throughout history have differed

Industrialization (or Industrialisation) is a process that happens in countries when they start to use machines to do work that was once done by people.  During the industrialisation of a country people leave farming work to take higher paid jobs in factories in towns.

Industrialization  becomes possible to produce more goods in a shorter amount of time.Characteristics of industrialization include the use of technological innovation to solve problems.Industrialization refers to creation of industries, expansion of industries and use of modern technique of production in industries

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How to set up a story?

There's a law in physics called Newton's Third Law of Motion, which states that "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.' Which means, basically, that everything is related. We exist in relationship to each other, we exist in relationship to the Earth, we exist in relationship to all living things, and we exist in relation­ship to the universe.

A screenplay is a whole, and exists in direct relationship to its parts. 

How to set up a story?

A screenplay is a story told with pictures, so it's important to set up your story visually. Setting up a story by explaining things through dialogue, slows down the action and prevent(impedes/hinders ) the story progression. . The reader must know who the main character is, what the dramatic premise is, what the story is about, and the dramatic situation—the circumstances surrounding the action.  These elements must be introduced within the first ten pages,

 The first ten pages set up the entire screenplay.Act I is a unit of dramatic action that is approximately twenty or thirty pages long; it begins at the beginning of the screenplay and goes to the Plot Point at the end of Act I. It is held together with the dramatic context known as the setup.

 This unit of dramatic action sets up a story; it sets up the situation and the relation­ships between the characters, and establishes the necessary information so the reader knows what's happening and the story can unfold clearly. The first ten pages of  screenplay, as mentioned, establish three specific things. The main character is introduced so we know who the story is about. 

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Define subject of a screen play.-Endings and Beginnings

The subject of a screenplay is defined as the action—what happens—and the character—whom it happens to. 

There are two kinds of action—

physical action : a car chase and emotional action; a crying.  

We can broke the concept of character  down into two components—interior and ex^­terior. 

Define of screenplay structure.

 The definition of screenplay structure is "a linear progression of related incidents, episodes, and events leading to a dramatic resolution. That means your story moves forward from beginning to end.  
We have got approximately ten pages (about ten minutes) to establish three things to your reader or audience: 
(1) who is your main char­acter? 
(2) what is the dramatic premise—that is, what's your story about? and 
(3) what is the dramatic situation—the circumstances surrounding our story?

What's the best way to open your screenplay? 

The first thing you have to know:  the resolution that is. the ending of our story?  
Resolution means solution; how is our story resolved? What is the solution? Does our character live or die? Get married or divorced? Win the race or not? The ending is the first thing we must know before we begin writing.  

Our story always moves forward—it follows a path, a direction, a line of progression from beginning to end. Direction is defined as a line of development, the path along which something lies.  

Resolution means "a solution or explanation'  When we are laying out our story line, building it, putting it together, scene by scene, act by act,  we must first determine the resolution. The resolution must be clear in our mind before we write one word on paper; it is context, it holds the ending in place. 
Our story is really a journey, the end its destination. It seems that one of the major difficulties screenwriters deal with is the problem of endings: how to end your screenplay so it work effectively, so it's satisfying and fulfilling, so it makes an emotional impact on the reader and audience, so it's not contrived or pre­dictable, so it's real, believable, not forced or fabricated; an ending that resolves all the main story points; an ending, in short, that works. The end of one thing is always the beginning of something else. 

In Kaka Muttai the kids got PIza how the piza seller solve the problem  . Like wise In IRUTHI SUTRU whether she got national award or not?whether the coach make her winner or looser 

The screenwriter's job is to keep the reader turning pages. The first ten pages of our screenplay are absolutely the most crucial. Within the first ten pages, a reader will know whether your story is working or not, whether it's been set up or not. 

An opening can be visually active and exciting, grabbing the au­dience immediately. Another kind of opening is expository, slower-paced in establishing character and situation: Our story determines the type of opening we choose. The opening of our screenplay has to be well thought out and visually designed to illustrate what our story is about. 

Before we write one shot, one word of dialogue on paper, we must know four things:  ending,  beginning, Plot Point I, and Plot Point II. In that order. these four elements, these four incidents, episodes, or events, are the cornerstones, the foundation, of our screenplay. 

The opening of our script will determine whether the reader continues reading our screenplay or not. The reader must know three things within these first few pages of the script:
 the character—who the story is about; 
the dramatic (or comedic) premise—what the story is about; and 
the situation—the circumstances surrounding the action. 
Within those first ten pages, the reader is going to make a decision about whether he/she likes or dislikes the material.

 what makes a good ending? 

First of all, by sat­isfying the story; audience want to feel full and satisfied.  The ending comes out of the beginning. Someone, or something, initiates an action, and how that action is resolved becomes the story line of the film. Endings and beginnings: two sides of the same coin.

 Source:Syd field Screen play -The foundations  of screen writing. page no 86-97

 

  

 

 

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SUMMARY OF SCREEN PLAY BY SYD FIELD

http://www.kimhartman.se/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Summary-of-screenplay-by-syd-field.pdf

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6. How do you build character?

Building character is part of the mystery and magic of the creative process. It is an ongoing, never-ending, con­tinuing practice. In order to really solve the problem of character, it's essential to go into your characters and build the foundations and fabric of their lives, then add ingredients that will heighten and expand the portrait of who they are.

four things, four essen­tial qualities that seemed to go into the making of good charac­ters:

Ø  (1), the characters have a strong and defined dramatic need;

Ø   (2), they have an individual point of view;

Ø  (3), they personify an attitude; and

Ø  (4), they go through some kind of change, or transfor^­mation.

The sucess of IRUTHI SUTTU's is characterization of each one the coach, Mathi,etc . The main character Mathi has a defined dramatic need in initial of movie that is earn money for her family then this need transform to a national achiever. Her character has a attitude and point of view about her surrounding,  

The big failure of the good movie THARAI THAPPATAI is the conflict confusing characterization.  

Those four elements, those four qualities, make up good char­acter.  Every main, or major, character has a strong dramatic need. Dramatic need is defined as what your main characters want to win, gain, get, or achieve during the course of your screenplay. The dramatic need is what drives your characters through the story line. It is their purpose, their mission, their motivation, driving them through the narrative action of the story line.

What is your main character's dramatic need? 

The dramatic need is the engine that powers the character through the story line. 

Point of view The second thing that makes good character is point of view. Point of view is defined as the way a person sees, or views, the world. Every person has an individual point of view. Point of view is a belief system, and as we know, what we believe to be true is true. that means that what's inside our head—our thoughts, feelings, emotions, memories—is reflected outside, in our everyday experience. It is our mind, how we see the world, that determines our experience. Point of view shades and colors the way we see the world. that a point of view is acquired through personal experience.  If your character is a parent, she/he could reflect a "parent's" point of view. Or he/she could be a student and view the world from a "student's" point of view. A housewife has a specific point of view. So does a criminal, terrorist, cop, doctor, lawyer, rich man, poor man—all present individual and unique points of view.  Point of view is an individual and independent belief system. Knowing your characters' points of view becomes a good way to generate conflict.

Attitude: The third thing that makes good character is attitude. Attitude is defined as a manner or opinion, and is a way of acting or feeling that reveals a person's personal opinion. An attitude, differentiated from a point of view, is an intellectual decision, so it can, and prob­ably will, be classified by a judgment: right or wrong, good or bad, positive or negative, angry or happy, cynical or naive, superior or inferior, liberal or conservative, optimistic or pessimistic.. Sometimes it's difficult to separate point of view from attitude. 

Transformation: The fourth element that makes up good character is change, or transformation  Transforma­tion, change, seems to be an essential aspect of our humanity, espe­cially at this time in our culture. Change, transformation, is a constant of life, and if you can impel some kind of emotional change within your character, it creates an arc of behavior and adds another dimension to who he/she is.

Character building: 

you're writing a screenplay, the main character must be active; she must cause things to happen, not let things happen to her. It's okay if she reacts to inci­dents or events some of the time, but if she is always reacting, she becomes passive, weak, and that's when the character seems to disappear off the page. like wise  Minor characters appear more interesting than the main character and seem to have more life and flamboyance(very confident in behaviour

A scene like that can illustrate a lot about your character.  Every action, every word of dialogue, every individual character trait expands our knowledge and comprehension of the character.your character occupies the center of a circle and all the other characters he interacts with surround him, then each time a character interacts with the main character, the other characters can reveal, or illuminate, different aspects of the main character. In the same way, different aspects of your main character can be illuminated by what other people say about him or her.

Dialogue

Dialogue is really a function of character. If you know your char­acter, your dialogue may very well flow easily with the unfolding of your story. Writing dialogue is a learning process, an act of coordi­nation..

Dialogue serves two main purposes: Either it moves the story forward, or it reveals information about the main character

Source : Syd field https://books.google.co.in/books?id=5GgXl7h5qvQC&dq=syd+field&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-kbeivbXJAhUBBI4KHa-kCuwQ6wEIHDAA 

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