Coffee Time: Formatting Trends & Habits

[Kurai]

Yay, Coffee Time, my new exciting feature! Not really, but still... From time to time we actually put our heads together and have pretty interesting conversations in that old chat box of ours about our madness and methods when it comes to writing.

I've always been interested in your guys' approaches when it comes to screenwriting and film-making, so this is a place for me to broach interesting (I hope) topics of discussion. Some of us may have discussed these in the past, but the chat box has it's limits and I'd like to hear all sorts of opinions.

Writing has always been a hobby of mine, and I would write my own television shows without really knowing how to format a script. It's safe to say that when I joined this site and started reading the stuff here, it rubbed off on me and I learned the ropes. From slug lines to smash cuts, everything I know about screenwriting has pretty much come from reading the work here.

One thing that's apparent though is that there's no real rules set in stone when it comes to formatting. We all do things just that little bit differently, and I'm not just talking about our style of writing here, I'm referring to the actual format.

Some of use parentheses in conjunction with nearly all dialogue, whilst others prefer to use it sparingly. In our slug lines, some define times of day and specific locations, whilst others are consistently vague. I know Jester hates the use of exclamation points! I know Sam likes to underline for emphasis. Some of us embolden all occurrences of NAMES, whilst others only just it once. There's no right or wrong when it comes to this kind of stuff, it's all preference, and as long as the reader can make sense of it, it's all good.

My question is, what are some formatting conventions you use, but more importantly, why do you use them? Is it aesthetic? Does it help you, or do you feel it helps the reader? I'm just intrigued by this, and hopefully others can learn from it.

Also can you identify any bad habits you might have when it comes to formatting? I know I tend to use "--" or "..." a lot at the end of pretty much every sentence, but in my head it's justified. An ellipsis, when I use it, signifies a bit a pause or continuation, whereas a "--" is a more abrupt cut or maybe an interruption. I use them a lot, I know, and it's one of my formatting bad habits.

Perhaps you could suggest some "Do's and Don't's" for formatting?

As a side-note, I hate using (beat) it just feels so unnatural to me, telling the character that they have a pause in their dialogue. Surely that should just come across, or would ultimately just be played out how it's played out.

[Jester]

Yeah, I really do hate the dreaded "!". I really do. I like to write subtly to a point and I think to use "!" as a way to empathise a line takes so much away from it. I can't really explain it... I suppose it reminds me of a panto, or a child's TV show. Stupid exclamation mark.


I've noticed my style has changed with EVERY script. With The Long Coats Trilogy, due to the sheer size of the scripts I actually titled every scene (similar to a DVD title). Odd, I know. But like the chapters of a book I thought it'd help people who'd read the scripts in stages. Plus it helped me in editing so I knew where to jump to for a particular scene.

Also, ALL names were Caped in TLC. I didn't like that by the end though so now I only use Caps to introduce a character. I also use Caps to point out something I really don't want to be missed, like a particular action and or object of importance.

My worst habit right now is using "..." at the end of a block of Action. It's really annoying. I'm working on it.

In all honestly, I learned a lot from Sam's scripts. I found Goosebumps so easy to read, so I kinda mimicked some of Sam's formatting. I think the real difference lies in those who use shitty (but free Celtx) and Final Draft.

Also, I'm guilty of using parentheses all over the place. I always see every moment of my scripts, thus why my scripts feature heavy action paragraphs, but lines I can always hear being said in a certain way. So I need to capture that with a note of how it's delivered.

[Dean Winchester]

I like to use 'BEAT' because I think in certain situations it's definitely needed - perhaps some people go a bit overboard.

Not long ago, we had a member round these parts, can't for the life of me remember his name, but he existed. Wrote a script that literally read out as:

Beat.

Character says something

Beat.

Beat

Character (BEAT): blah blah

Moderation, my friend. That's the name of the game.








Also I write:

SMASH CUT TO BLACK
SUPER: LOST

--FOR EVERYTHING

[Jester]

Funny, it was actually LOST that made me understand the importance of BEAT. In fact, LOST taught me most of what I know.

[ChilledDC]

Most of what I've learnt has come from reading scripts of shows I just enjoy, and from the fact that I used to be head of the drama club and would write my school's plays (which sounds super nerdy, but it got me laid a few times so it all balances out in the end  )

Like Jester I'm not a big fan of the dreaded exclamation point, but I will use it for dialogue. It just seems more natural that adding 'shouting' or 'screaming' in parentheses. I use both underline and bolding for different parts. I underline important parts of the description, the bits that are particularly important and usually kind of subtle, while bolding is for emphasis in dialogue.

The only time I really use ellipses is if there's a bit of dialogue that is either going to continue (after description) or if another character is going to interrupt. Also, I find that beats are definitely necessary. It's a lot easier to recognize that pause than if it's not there.

I know that when I started my biggest problem was giving far too much description. I'd include stuff that the audience would never know unless it was said in dialogue. I think I've got the worst of that out now, but every so often it sneaks in to mess with me.

Also Jester, I can't really see a problem with using Celtx if people know what they're doing with it. Hell, I know some people who use microsoft word and have set up templates for it to look just the same when it comes to the end script.

[Sam Winchester]

I love using (beat) or Beat.

It gives a hesitant pause needed between a dialogue, an action or some subtle mix

[indy42 - THE FILMMAKER]

Sept 6, 2012 17:02:55 GMT -5 Sam Winchester said:

I love using (beat) or Beat.

It gives a hesitant pause needed between a dialogue, an action or some subtle mix

Me too, to the point where I have to delete Beats because I use them too much.

Beat.

Sometimes I have to switch it out and say the character pauses instead.

[Jester]

I used to write all my scripts on Word haha. Back when I was like 12 to 16. How odd...

[Sam Winchester]

Sept 6, 2012 8:58:53 GMT -5 Jester said:

In all honestly, I learned a lot from Sam's scripts. I found Goosebumps so easy to read, so I kinda mimicked some of Sam's formatting.

I'M TOUCHED

[Jester]

Sept 6, 2012 20:01:57 GMT -5 Sam Winchester said:

Sept 6, 2012 8:58:53 GMT -5 Jester said:

In all honestly, I learned a lot from Sam's scripts. I found Goosebumps so easy to read, so I kinda mimicked some of Sam's formatting.

I'M TOUCHED

Oh... You'll know when you've been TOUCHED by Jester.

[Dale]

The one thing I tend to do, and if you look at my stuff, you'll notice it ... I never put dialogue directly underneath the scene heading. I always have to have a line of action before it, even if its as arbitrary as "they're still doing exactly what they were doing before the scene cut away" or "character a continues..."

I can't abide the way it looks without the line of action. the same way i hate a scene going a line longer than a page. i've wasted too many hours trying to cut scenes down to a page or two, because i cannot stand it being "uneven".

[Jester]

Sept 7, 2012 16:28:54 GMT -5 Dale said:

The one thing I tend to do, and if you look at my stuff, you'll notice it ... I never put dialogue directly underneath the scene heading. I always have to have a line of action before it, even if its as arbitrary as "they're still doing exactly what they were doing before the scene cut away" or "character a continues..."

I am EXACTLY the same. I also have to end on a line of action too which usually means something ridiculous like, "Tom looks off into the horizon fearfully."

Ha.