John August

QandA

Script formatting

Formatting, QandA

Could you please refer me to a website that gives detailed information regarding the proper format that a film script is to be written before being passed around.

–Pat Meehan

If you’re using either Highland Pro or Final Draft, you can rest assured that the standard formatting
these programs recommend is fine.

If you’re not using either of these, I suspect you’re consulting one of the many screenwriting books out there, all of which will point you in the right direction in terms of margins and spacing.

But the best advice I can give you is to do what I did: find a properly formatted script and copy it exactly. Not only will looking at real scripts show you how they’re formatted, but it will also give you a sense of how standardized the format truly is, for better or worse.

Learn more about standard screenplay formatting here!

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Getting rights to a concept album

QandA, Rights and Copyright

I’ve
been writing a screenplay that is based on a certain concept album. I
was wondering where, how, and any other information that I would need
to obtain permission to adapt the work.

–Aaron

Standard
advice applies here: If you’re basing your work on someone else’s
work, then copyright probably applies, and you’ll need to get their permission
in writing at some point.

(I say copyright “probably” applies. If what you’re writing
is clearly a parody, you may be able to slip through. For example, if your
movie pokes fun at “We Are the World” celebrity sing-alongs,
you would likely be safely in parody territory. You’d also be a decade
or two too late, but so be it.)

The question of when you need to get permission is more difficult to
answer. If you’re just writing this for the hell of it, keep typing. Don’t
worry about getting anyone’s permission. But if you’re convinced
this will be your magnum opus, then it’s a good idea to start the
process of tracking down the copyright-holders. You’ll want to see if they’re
at all interested in working with you.

In the case of a concept album, copyright almost certainly rests with
the songwriters, so start there. Figure out who they are, then try to
find
contact information. Start with Google (since you’re already on-line),
searching for both the songwriter and the record label. If you don’t
have any luck, my next stop would be to call ASCAP and BMI in Los Angeles
(or Nashville, if it’s a country/western album), and try to find
agency or other contact information.

If you strike out here, your next best bet is the record label that released
the album. Ask for the legal department, and be as nice as humanly possible
while they try to direct you to the proper people. Your final option would
be to enlist the help of an experienced entertainment attorney, both to
track down the copyright holders and to help you draft any agreements you
need.

Flashbacks and dreams

Formatting, QandA

Should you make a special notation in scene headings that are flashbacks or
dream sequences? If so, how?

–Michael Krieger

If the flashback is a single scene, then [FLASHBACK] is generally added to
the end of the scene header, like this:

EXT. LOUVRE – DAY [FLASHBACK]

If you have multiple short scenes clumped together in a flashback sequence (for instance, the location is changing, but the time-frame is the same), then
you can use [FLASHBACK] for each of those scene headings, or maybe [FLASHBACK,
CONT’D].

When in doubt, just use common sense. If the flashback is really another sequence
in the movie, like the three chapters in GO, then don’t put anything in the
header.

The same logic applies for dream sequences, e.g. [DREAM SEQUENCE], with the
caveat that sometimes you don’t want the reader to know at the head of the
scene that it’s not real. So obviously, you wouldn’t put the tag there at all.

In general, try to read the script as if you didn’t write it, then see what’s
clearest.

Script, story, screenplay

QandA

questionmarkWhat is the difference between a script, story and screenplay? How “developed” (stage wise) are they in comparison to each other?

–Hemant

answer icon“Scripts” and “screenplays” are interchangeable when it comes to feature films, but television scripts are always called scripts. (Except when they’re called teleplays, which is only in certain on-screen credits.)

“Story” is more or less what it sounds like: the plot, the characters, the settings and tone. It differs from a script or screenplay only in that the dialog often isn’t written out, and the overall action may be somewhat compressed. A writer might be credited with the “story” for a movie, but not the “screenplay,” if he wrote a treatment but not the final script. Usually, if one writer handles both “story” and “screenplay,” he/she receives a more general “written by” credit.