Screenplays are traditionally written on 8.5 inch (21.5 cm) by 11 inch (27.9 cm) paper, with a monospace font (Courier mainly).
Screenplays can be broken down into seven core elements:
These abbreviations can be used throughout the script when necessary, but are mostly used in action and dialogue descriptions.
Scene headings are written in all caps, and are prefixed with either the abbreviation INT. (as in INTERIOR.) or EXT. (as in EXTERIOR.). The actual name of the location is placed afterwards. If subsequent actions take place in a small part of the main location (ex. kitchen in a house), a slash can be used to separate the main title of the location and the section's name. If it is necessary for context, the overall location of a scene (ex. city or nation) can be specified in parenthesis. Optionally, the time of day (either DAY or NIGHT) can be placed after the location name, separated by a hyphen.
Scene headings should be kept relatively brief, and should be aligned to the left of the page.
EXT. MAXETATSA PARK (XYTHIA) - NIGHT
If needed, a description of the current setting can be provided, but as a general rule of thumb it's preferred to keep these short. These should be aligned to the left like regular text.
Character cues are written in all caps, with 4.2 inch left margin, a 1.0 inch right margin, and a 3.3 inch width.
RAMONA
Parentheticals describe the emotional subtext of a line of dialogue or action. These have 3.6 inch left margins, 2.9 inch right margins, and a 2.0 inch width, and should also be kept short and used rarely. These can be used in the middle of dialogue, but the dialogue must continue afterwards on a new line.
(softly)
Dialogue is what characters say in a scene, and follows traditional grammatical and syntactical rules. Dialogue lines should have a 2.9 inch left margin, 2.3 inch right margin, and a 3.3 inch width.
If a character interrupts another, the dialogue must end with an em-dash, then continue with a new character cue and dialogue segment on a new line.
Hey...
(beat)
...you know I really care about you, right?
Actions are performed by characters in a scene, and are written as standard English.
Ramona looks at him, a rarely seen seriousness in her gaze.
Transitions should have a 6.0 inch left margin, a 1.0 inch right margin, and a 1.5 inch width. Transitions can be pretty much anything, but some examples include: