FORMATTING YOUR SPEC SCRIPT WHILE SOCIAL DISTANCING: A PRIMER - PART 9

Here’s our penultimate episode of this formatting blog series. Hopefully you know the drill by now: While fellowship season corresponds with quarantine season, we’re breaking down formatting of library scripts to help you get the info you need for writing your spec. If we haven’t covered the show you’re spec-ing, or if you have additional, more targeted questions, please send us an e-mail at library@wgfoundation.org. 

We can’t send you scripts in their entirety. We aren’t the copyright holders and we don’t have the right to distribute them beyond the physical library. We can, however, pore through the scripts and try to find you the information you need.

FAMILY GUY (FOX)

Average page count: 45

Average scene count: 35 or so

Broken into acts?  Yes, 3.

Other things to consider: 

• There’s no teaser or tag. Each script is broken into 3 acts — all roughly 13-15 pages. 

• Act breaks are formatted like ACT ONE centered, bolded and underlined, then when the act is over END OF ACT ONE also centered, bolded and underlined. When the third act is over, it's END OF SHOW. 

• The dialogue is double-spaced and the directions are single spaced.

• Generally, there’s lots of dialogue and lots of clean, white space on the page.

• Also note that scene headings are in bold and if you're going to include any camera directions like ANGLE ON or WIDEN TO INCLUDE or something like that -- those are always in bold and CAPITALIZED. If you're specifying any sound effects or noises a character makes, those are also in bold.

GLOW (Netflix)

Average page count: 24-37 (average about 30)

Average scene count: 23-33

Broken into acts?  No

Other things to consider:

• Scripts specify a main title, GLOW TITLE CARD, on the left side of the page in bold, usually occurring at the end of the first scene, a few pages in. 

• Episodes are not broken into acts, but the end of each script is denoted with “END OF EPISODE” centered and underlined. 

• The description is specific and purposeful and packed with wrestling jargon and choreography.

KILLING EVE (BBC)

Average page count: 55

Average scene count: 50

Broken into acts?  Yes, 5 plus a teaser

Other things to consider:

• The scripts are written with a "roughly" one page teaser and 5 acts, but keep in mind there are no page breaks between the acts. Instead, they simply insert the start of a new act between two scene headings

• The short teaser begins “PRE-TITLE” (underlined on the left-hand side) and concludes “TITLE: KILLING EVE” (not underlined), also on the left-hand side.

• The acts are also called “Parts” as in PART ONE, PART TWO, etc. instead of “ACT ONE” or “ACT TWO.”

• The show notes dialogue in different languages with a parenthetical. 

• Generally, the description is specific, detailed, funny — the more you can bring about these qualities in your spec, the better.

LAW & ORDER: SVU (NBC)

Average page count: 60

Average page count: 55

Broken into acts?  Yes, 4 plus a teaser

Other things to consider:

• The series has been around for years and years, however, if you're procedurally-minded, this is still a great spec to show off your procedural chops. 

• Each act averages around 12-15 pages. 

• Act breaks are formatted in the standard ACT TWO / END OF ACT TWO centered and underlined. At the end of the episode, it’s END OF EPISODE. Same goes for the teaser: TEASER / END OF TEASER.

• Act outs are big on Law & Order. Most of the time before the act ends, the writers have us looking at the reaction of one of the characters, e.g. - “Off Benson” or “Off Stabler” as they have a realization. Typically there’s also a “FADE OUT” on the right-hand side before the end of the act.

• The description is very efficient. Camera directions are CAPITALIZED. 

MADAM SECRETARY (CBS)

Average page count: 55-58

Average scene count: 23-49

Broken into acts: Yes, 4, plus a very long teaser

Other things to consider:

• Each script is broken into four acts, plus a very long teaser. The teaser is 12-15 pages on average. Act lengths vary. The later acts (acts 3 and 4) seem to be a bit shorter 5-7 pages where acts 1 and 2 are 8-11 pages. 

• Act breaks are formatted like "ACT ONE" centered and underlined at the top of a new page, then when the act is over it's "END OF ACT ONE" centered and underlined. ("TEASER" / "END OF TEASER") then when act four is over it's END OF EPISODE.

• Like most network shows, the writing is very straightforward. There's really not a lot of description on the page. There's a lot of clean white space -- mostly dialogue. 

STRANGER THINGS (Netflix)

Average page count: 53-61

Average scene count: 78-103 

Broken into acts? No

Other things to consider:

• All scene headings are in bold.

• MAIN TITLES appears in center, bold and all caps where appropriate. (This varies greatly by episode)

• When the script is over, END EPISODE appears in all caps, underlined and centered.

• Character descriptions are one or two sentences. Scene descriptions and action are mostly short sentences. Specific, visceral. We hear a lot of sounds like CRASH and BOOM and BANG and these appear in all caps to draw attention. 

• Occasionally action or dialogue is underlined for emphasis too. 

• Flashbacks or flash cuts to earlier episodes appear in italics.

Watch: Inside the Writers Zoom with Better Call Saul

On May 12, we heard from the writers room of AMC drama Better Call Saul, which just wrapped its fifth season. Find out how they’ve approached character development throughout the seasons and how they’ve deftly crafted the storylines that ultimately led to Saul Goodman’s role in Breaking Bad.

Panelists:

• Peter Gould - Co-creator, Showrunner

• Thomas Schnauz - Writer, Executive Producer

• Gordon Smith - Writer, Co-Executive Producer

• Alison Tatlock - Writer, Co-Executive Producer

• Ann Cherkis - Writer, Supervising Producer

Moderated by Patton Oswalt.

Watch above or listen to the audio-only version below!

FORMATTING YOUR SPEC SCRIPT WHILE SOCIAL DISTANCING: A PRIMER - PART 8

At this point, you know the drill. While fellowship season corresponds with quarantine season, we’re breaking down formatting of library scripts to help you get the info you need for writing your spec.

We’ve covered quite a few shows the past eight weeks. If you’re wondering whether or not we’ve covered the show you’re spec-ing, here is a rundown with links.

WEEK 1 - Big Mouth, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, The Crown, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Mindhunter, PEN15, Shrill, Succession, Will & Grace, You

WEEK 2 - Atlanta, Evil, The Good Doctor, Legacies, Superstore

WEEK 3 - Bob's Burgers, Dead to Me, Power, The Rookie, Russian Doll, Younger

WEEK 4 - Arrow, Better Things, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Homecoming, Insecure, Pose

WEEK 5 - Mom, Ramy, Riverdale, The Twilight Zone, Westworld

WEEK 6 - Barry, The Good Fight, One Day at a Time, Supergirl, This Is Us

WEEK 7 - The Boys, Good Girls, The Good Place, Manifest, The Morning Show

And below, WEEK 8 you’ll find All-American, Bojack Horseman, Dear White People, Grown-ish, Ozark, Vida

We’ll keep doing these posts through the end of the month. If you’re spec-ing a show we haven’t covered or have more targeted questions, please e-mail us at library@wgfoundation.org. The reason that we haven’t covered the show you’re spec-ing might be that we don’t have scripts for it. As always, if you’re curious about the scripts in the library’s collection, you can search our catalog here.

Remember: We can’t send you scripts in their entirety. We aren’t the copyright holders and we don’t have the right to distribute them beyond the physical library. We can, however, pore through the scripts and try to find you the information you need.

ALL-AMERICAN (The CW)

Average page count: 60

Average scene count: 35-50

Broken into acts? Yes, 6.

Other things to consider: 

• Acts are about 8-12 pages long. Act breaks are formatted in the standard ACT ONE / END OF ACT ONE centered and underlined way. At the end of the episode, it’s: END OF EPISODE.

• The first act usually contains a title card on around page 6 or 7.

• The show underlines significant action and visuals for emphasis. 

• The writers also play around with the speed of time, specifying that “TIME RAMPS UP:” or “TIME SLOWS:” in bold in the script. 

BOJACK HORSEMAN (Netflix)

Average page count: It’s a big range — 25 to 41

Average scene count: 48

Broken in acts? Yes, 3. Plus one cold open (2-4 pages)

Other things to consider: 

• Despite being created for Netflix, she show contains acts, which is more common to network animation. There are 3 acts to be precise. Act breaks follow the standard ACT ONE / END OF ACT ONE formatting and at the end of the episode: END OF ACT ONE.

• Act lengths vary pretty wildly across scripts, so the only requirement is that there’s three of them.

• Each script begins with 2-4 page cold open. These are formatted COLD OPEN / END OF COLD OPEN. 

• The writers don’t shy away from camera directions, transitions and bulky bits of description, even though the show is dialogue-driven. It’s also important to note that the description (like the show) is very down to earth — like they’re writing a single-cam sitcom, not necessarily a zany animated one.

• Also note the dialogue is single-spaced.

DEAR WHITE PEOPLE (Netflix)

**Note: we only have one script from this series in the library — episode “Chapter VIII”

Page count: 29

Scene count: 13

Broken into acts?  No

Other things to consider: 

• Scene headings are bolded.

• The script uses an episode title card centered and bolded.

• Generally speaking, the script is formatted in a very uncomplicated way with mostly dialogue and white space on the page. Paragraphs of description rarely spill over three lines.

• The script ends with “CUT TO CREDITS” on the right-hand side, then END OF SHOW, centered and underlined. 

GROWN-ISH (Freeform)

**Note: we only have scripts for the first two episodes of Grown-ish in the library. 

Average page count: 29-31

Average scene count: 30-35

Broken into acts? Yes, 3 (Plus one 2-page cold open and one 1-page tag)

Other things to consider:

• Both scripts contain a cold open. It’s 1-3 pages long and formatted COLD OPEN, centered and underlined, then CUT TO OPENING: on the right and END OF COLD OPEN centered and underlined. 

• Acts 1 and 2 are roughly 9-14 pages. The 3rd act (at least in these scripts) is much shorter — 4-6 pages. Format act breaks: ACT ONE centered and underlined, then END OF ACT ONE, centered and underlined.

• Scene headings and significant camera directions are in bold. 

• Scripts end with a TAG, (centered and underlined) then FADE TO GROWN-ISH on the right side, then END OF SHOW centered and underlined. 

OZARK (Netflix)

Average page count: 48-50

Average scene count: 43-67

Broken into acts? No

Other things to consider: 

• No special formatting. Scripts are written very much like feature screenplays.

• There are a lot of beats and pauses on otherwise, very clean, dialogue-heavy pages. 

• Some of the description is written almost in stanzas, which gives the scripts a very distinct rhythm and pace — like you can see new shots and cuts on each new line.

VIDA (Starz)

Average page count: 29

Average scene count: 30

Broken in acts?  No

• Scene headings are bolded.

• Descriptive paragraphs are rich and detailed, not sparse. This creates a really specific sense of atmosphere and everything we’re seeing on screen. 

• Spanish is written in Spanish. English is written in English. Mixing the two in dialogue is common. If you’re bilingual, spec-ing Vida would be a great opportunity to show that off. 

Watch: Inside the Writers Zoom with The Tonight Show

On May 7, we chatted with the writers of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to not only find out how they’re continuing to write and produce nightly shows while sheltering at home. Hear from head writer Rebecca Drysdale and writers/producers Gerard Bradford and Jeremy Bronson. Moderated by Marc Malkin from Variety.

Watch above or click below for the audio-only recording!

FORMATTING YOUR SPEC SCRIPT WHILE SOCIAL DISTANCING: A PRIMER PART 7

Here’s the deal: While fellowship season corresponds with quarantine season, we’re breaking down formatting of library scripts to help you get the info you need for writing your spec. If we haven’t covered the show you’re spec-ing, or if you have additional, more targeted questions, please send us an e-mail at library@wgfoundation.org. 

We can’t send you scripts in their entirety. We aren’t the copyright holders and we don’t have the right to distribute them beyond the physical library. We can, however, pore through the scripts and try to find you the information you need.

THE BOYS (AMAZON)

Average page count: 52

Average scene count: 53

Broken into acts? No

Other things to consider:

• Each script opens with a “FADE IN…”

• Scene headings are in bold.

• Action sequences feature lots of CAPITALIZATION for visual emphasis.

• Scripts typically end with a dramatic transition and “TO BE CONTINUED...” centered and underlined.

GOOD GIRLS (NBC)

Average page count: 50-55

Average scene count: 49-67

Broken into acts? Yes, 5

Other things to consider:

• No specific teaser, but they do specify a title card in each episode. Sometimes it's on the right side; sometimes it's centered... but it always occurs before the end of act one.

• The average act length is 8-11 pages. It seems like most of the time, the first act is a bit longer, clocking in at more like 15-16 pages.

• Act headings are centered and underlined — the standard ACT ONE / END OF ACT ONE. (END OF EPISODE at the end.)

• Significant action is underlined sometimes. Occasionally, significant visuals are CAPITALIZED.

• Good Girls is unafraid to have blockier paragraphs of description. Overall, though, there's a lot of white space in each script, which means lots of unremitting dialogue. 
  
  

THE GOOD PLACE (NBC)

Average page count: 29

Average scene count: 21-26

Broken into acts? Yes, 4. Scripts also include a 2-3 page cold open.

Other things to consider:

• All scene headings are underlined.

• Flashbacks are specified in the scene headings with FLASHBACK in bold.

• Cold opens and act breaks begin at the top of a new page. Act labels are centered, bolded, underlined and in all-caps. Each act ends with “END OF ACT ONE” etc. (also centered, bolded and underlined). When the show ends on the last page, it’s “END OF EPISODE.”

• The show features lots of things that require onscreen VFX: point counters, graphs, lots of cute stuff added in post. The script describes what the viewer is seeing but is not overly specific.

MANIFEST (NBC)

Average page count: 54

Average scene count: 50-55

Broken into acts? Yes, 5.

Other things to consider:

• The average act length is 9-12 pages. Act headings are centered and underlined — the standard ACT ONE / END OF ACT ONE. (END OF EPISODE at the end.)

• Scripts are written in a fairly standard, straightforward manner. However, the show uses flashbacks. Flashback sequences are italicized, plus they display how the show enters and exits flashback scenes. They also denote the year of the flashback in the scene heading.

• The show goes back and forth between act outs that include twists, and act outs that have more of an emotional purpose, so doing a good mix of these in your spec is probably a good idea that could help you capture the show’s feel and style.

THE MORNING SHOW (Apple TV+)

Average page count: 60

Average scene count: 38-67

Broken into acts? No

Other things to consider:

• They are not afraid to write a lot of description on this show. On the page, it often looks like a screenplay from the 1970s or 80s -- huge paragraphs of text. There are also a lot of big monologues.

• They'll also leave little "NOTES" in bold that clarify what's going on in the scene.

• While the scripts aren't broken into acts, all scripts end with "END OF EPISODE" centered, bolded and underlined.