Do I really have to use "correct format"?

DO I HAVE TO USE FORMATTING? 

QUESTION

Shouldn’t the script writer just write a good script and let the tech people figure out all that formatting stuff?  Does a screenwriter really need to know how to direct the camera?  My experience in writing plays is that the director ignores almost all the directions; I’m pretty sure the same applies to film scripts. In other words, the scriptwriter, like the playwright, supplies the words that people speak to each other, and it is left to other professionals to film it.

ANSWER

My friend, let’s take this one idea at a time.

Yes, the script writer should “write a good script,” and that “good script” by definition would include correct format. It’s not a script unless it’s written in script format.  Your premise almost sounds like this: “I’d like to write in Spanish without having to use the Spanish language.” Use the language of film.

You mention the “tech people.”  You are not writing for the tech people, the director, or the actors.  You are writing primarily for the reader (story analyst), who is almost always the first person to read a script and write a coverage for the producer or agent the script was intended for.  If the coverage is negative, the agent or producer is unlikely to read the script. Readers read quickly because they have so much to read, so they expect a script to meet some minimum requirements, such as appearance (that is, correct format).

Does a screenwriter really need to know how to direct the camera?  No.  A spec script (written on speculation that you will sell it later) should not contain camera directions, shot descriptions, editing directions, or other technical directions normally found in a shooting script. That should come as good news.  However, it helps to understand the visual aspects of film and write the script in such a way that you direct the camera without using camera directions.  For example:

A vulture circles high above the grassland until swooping down on a half-eaten gazelle. 

He picks at the gazelle’s eye. 

The first paragraph implies an aerial shot or crane shot with the camera descending down to the jungle floor. The second paragraph is a CLOSE UP.  A professional reader will get that.   

You mention the director. The director is the second creator of the film (with the editor being the third), and certainly the director will have his or her ideas as you correctly implied. However, your script should include enough detail that your vision is not only understood by the reader, but your story involves him or her emotionally so that your script eventually becomes a movie.  

Good luck with that prospect and keep writing!  And take $20 off a script evaluation by Yours Truly. Just email me for details at dave@keepwriting.com.

About Dave Trottier

As an award-winning teacher and in-demand script consultant, Dave loves working with writers.

He has helped hundreds of writers break into the writing biz, and has sold or optioned ten screenplays (three produced). He is also the author of eight books, including The Screenwriter’s Bible (now in its 7th edition).

Additionally, he writes a column as Dr. Format for Script Magazine and hosts the helpful web site keepwriting.com.