Coe William K. The Screenwriting Bible

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The Screenwriting Bible™

Sir William K. Coe™

revealing scene or two for characters besides your hero. As with the

previous item on this list, such moments will add depth, texture, and

emotional involvement to your screenplay.

Such scenes can also help commercially, when it's time to cast the

movie.

About Formats

There is no such thing as THE correct format. That's why every book on

formatting has slightly different formatting rules.

BUT (a big but), there is proper format.

What does this mean? Simply, that there's not just one way to format

scripts, but a range of ways that are acceptable. Some books say that a

film script's left margin should be 1.5". Others say that it should be

1.7" Both of those are right. Nobody's going to look at your script,

pull out a ruler and scream, "One point six-four inches! You'll never

work in this town again!" But a 1" left margin... that's not right.

That's out of the acceptable range and could piss off a producer who

thinks you're trying to trick him into thinking your script is shorter

than it really is.

Why is there a range and not a single way? Who knows. Individual

preference, often. Changing tastes over time, usually. But sometimes

it's a more obnoxious reason. Some TV shows have a unique format just

so they can tell if a writer submitting to that show has done her

homework. If the writer's script is not in that unique format, the

producers can say to themselves, "Well, we're obviously not important

enough for the writer to have checked to see how WE do it! No thank

you." It's petty, but it's true. Don't worry, though, we'll tell you

how to avoid that situation.

Like most rules, the ones in here are meant to be used whenever

possible, but broken when necessary. None of this is etched in stone,

but you can't go wrong by following it religiously. If you have a

really good reason for doing it differently; if that rule-breaking

formatting choice tells your story better than anything we describe...

go for it. Just don't be cavalier and think that you're story is unique

and, therefore NEEDS unique formatting. Remember, the odds are that the

greatest scripts you can think of were written using these rules, not

some weird, random ones.

From the formatting and style standpoint, a script is nothing but a

collection of elements. From the element standpoint, the key to

successful formatting and powerful writing is knowing what the elements

are, how and when to use them and how they should look.

Presentation – Things to Do AFTER You’re Done

If a producer or such request a certain format, use it! Check with

screenplays written by the studio to write yours that way.

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The Screenwriting Bible™

Sir William K. Coe™

List of No-Nos:

• No fancy covers, artwork, illustrations, storyboards.

• Don’t number the scenes.

• No justified right margins.

• Don’t write CONTINUED at the top and bottom of each page.

• Don’t bold or italicize.

• Avoid camera and editing directions

• Don’t use a dot-matrix printer. Photocopies are okay.

• Don’t date your script.

• Don’t mention a draft.

• No suggested cast list or character bios unless requested.

• No list of characters or sets.

• Don’t include a synopsis unless requested.

• Don’t include a budget.

• No headers or footers except page numbers.

Font: Courier, 12 point, 10 characters per inch (horizontally).

Binding/Printing:

- 20 lb. 8 ½ by 11 in. 3-hole punched white paper

- Two sheets of card stock plain color, 110lbs 8 ½ by 11 in., front and

back of screenplay. Use only two brass brads – top and bottom. Leave

the middle hole empty.

Screenplay organized as such: front stock sheet, title page, script,

and back stock sheet, all 3-hole punched.

Length: 100-110 pages

Page Numbers: 1 in from right edge, ½ in from top, written as 15. (with

period). Not on first page.

The Title Page:

Center title, quotes are optional. Your address or phone number should

appear in lower left or right corner. If you want to include WGA

information, do so at the bottom, opposite your personal information.

“MY TITLE”

My Name

The First Page: Begin with FADE IN: (1.5 in from left). No page number.

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beginning chapters of this book. Includes third-party content not owned by Sir William K. Coe™.

The Screenwriting Bible™

Sir William K. Coe™

Credits: Against, but treat like scene headings. BEGIN CREDITS and END

CREDITS

Last Page: Triple-space. FADE OUT written before.

Margins and Spacing

The actual margin settings are

Margins:

Left: 1.5 in

Right: .5-1in (8 in from left, ragged not justified)

Top: 1 in

Bottom: 1 in

Make sure dialogue does not extend beyond 6.0 inches from left.

Element Left Margin

(from left edge)

Right Margin

(from right

edge)

Spacing

(before/within)

Action 1.5" 1" Double/Single

Scene Heading 1.5" 1" Double/Single

Character Name 3.5" 2" Double/

Parenthetical 3" 3.5" Single/Single

Dialogue 2.5" 3" Single/Single

Shot 1.5" 1" Double/Single

Transition 5.5" 1" Double/Double

Page Number ½ in from top 1” n/a

Dual-Column

Dialogue

Left Margin

(from left edge)

Right Margin

(from left edge)

Spacing

(before/within)

Character Name 1 2.75" 3.75" Double/

Parenthetical 1 2.25" 4.5" Single/Single

Dialogue 1 2" 4" Single/Single

Character Name 2 5.75" .75" Double/

Parenthetical 2 5.25" 1.25" Single/Single

Dialogue 2 5" 1" Single/Single

Page Breaks:

The first script line on every page should be 1" from the top of the

page. The Header, if any, is 1/2" from the top.

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The Screenwriting Bible™

Sir William K. Coe™

Never end a page with a Scene Heading... unless another Scene Heading

is the first thing at the top of the next page.

Never end a page with a Shot... unless another Shot is the first thing

at the top of the next page.

Never start a page with a Transition.

If you need to put a page break in the middle of some Action, you can

only break the page after at least 2 lines of Action, and only at the

end of a sentence. Some studios also insist that the Action at the top

of the next page have at least 2 lines as well. If you can't split the

Action to fit this rule, don't split it and move the entire Action onto

the next page (some people will argue that you don't need to split

Action -- just move it to the next page. Why would you do this when it

might unnecessarily add pages to your script?).

Never put a page break between a Scene Heading and a Cast List (in TV

and Sitcom scripts).

Never put a page break after a Cast List element.

Never put a page break before an END OF ACT or END OF SCENE indicator.

Never put a page break after a Character Name.

If you have a Parenthetical directly under a Character name, never put

a page break after that Parenthetical.

If you need a page break in the middle of Dialogue, you can only break

the page after at least 2 lines of Dialogue, and only at the end of the

sentence. If you have a Parenthetical in the middle of some Dialogue,

like this:

HILLARY

I really wanted to be President myself,

but I knew that there was no way...

(beat)

Unless... well, I couldn't do that, now

could I?

... you cannot put a page break after the Parenthetical, but you have

the option of putting one before it if you need to (in other words,

it's a valid place to put a page break, but it's your own stylistic

choice as to whether you do -- we do). Regardless, when you split

Dialogue with a page break, put the word "more" or "MORE" in

parenthesis on the line after the Dialogue in the same margins as the

Character Name. Then, at the top of the next page, repeat the Character

Name before the Dialogue and add the Extension (CONT'D) or (cont'd).

It's a personal preference for whether you use the uppercase or

lowercase "cont'd" and "more."

ASSIGNMENTS

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beginning chapters of this book. Includes third-party content not owned by Sir William K. Coe™.

The Screenwriting Bible™

Sir William K. Coe™

• This is it. You’ve made it to the final stages of screenwriting,

and it is time to write your first draft. Put everything in

proper order, which should already be done, and begin writing

out your screenplay, scene by scene in a screenwriting program

or word processing program. With a screenwriting program, you

don’t need to worry about formats because it does it for you!

• Apply all checklists from previous chapters and this chapter

against your screenplay to make sure it’s written correctly.

• Read your script and fill out the reader’s sheet given in this

chapter. Now give your script to someone to read with the

reader’s sheet and match it against yours. What’s different and

why?

• It is absolutely imperative that you do the following upon

completion of the first draft.

1. Take at least two weeks off from your script. Let it

ferment for a while. You will be much more objective for

the pre-revision analysis (Checkpoints 20-24). During this

time you may want to read a book, go to a seminar, see

movies of the same genre, or read scripts, or turn your

attention to other things.

2. Reward yourself in some way that makes you feel good

about being the next great screenwriter.

Before writing the second draft, consider letting your hot property

cool off. Sit on it a couple of weeks, then craft your second draft

from your head. Here, you become a script surgeon. Whittle down the

dialogue; remove unnecessary narration, flashbacks, dream sequences,

and so on. You become an analyst in every way you can define that word.

Once this work is completed, polish your script until you are ready to

present your wonder to Hollywood. The following checkpoints will help

you evaluate your revisions.

Apply this checklist to the script was the first draft is completed:

• Is your script too technical, too complex, or too difficult to

understand?

• Will your script require a huge budget with unshootable scenes,

such as herds of camels crossing the San Diego Freeway? Other

possible big budget problems: special effects, period settings,

exotic locations, too many arenas or locations, large cast,

water, and animals.

• Is your script's budget about right for its market?

• Have you followed the rules of formatting and presentation?

• Have you written thoughts, feelings, memories, or anything else

that cannot appear on the screen?

Dialogue

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The Screenwriting Bible™

Sir William K. Coe™

• Is the dialogue "too on the nose"?

• Do your characters say exactly what they feel?

• Does each character speak with his/her own voice, vocabulary,

slang, rhythm, and style?

• Is the dialogue crisp, original, clever, compelling, and lean?

• Are individual speeches too long or encumbered with more than one

thought?

• Does the story rely too heavily on dialogue?

• Are your dialogue scenes too long?

• Are there too many scenes with talking heads?

• Are you telling when you could be showing?

• Is the comedy trying to be funny, or is it naturally funny?

Exposition

• Are you boring your audience by telling too much too soon?

• Are you confusing your audience with too little information?

• Are you giving your audience just enough exposition to keep them

on the edge of their seats?

• Is your exposition revealed through conflict or through static

dialogue?

• Have you used flashbacks as a crutch or as a means to move the

story forward?

Character and story

• Will the reader root for your hero?

• Will the reader have an emotional identification with the hero?

• Are your characters believable? Are they humans with dimension?

• Do your characters come across as retreads whom we've seen before?

• Do any of your characters grow or change throughout the story?

• Is there a moment at the end when this growth will be recognized

by the reader?

• When will the reader cry?

• Is the story too gimmicky, relying too heavily on nudity,

violence, shock, or special effects?

• Will the first 5-10 pages capture the reader's interest?

• Do the first 20-30 pages set up the central conflict?

• Does the middle build in intensity toward the Showdown at the end?

• Is the story, plot, or ending too predictable?

• Are all the loose ends tied up in the denouement (the resolution

after the Showdown)?

have read and abide to the license, warnings, and additional documents listed within the

beginning chapters of this book. Includes third-party content not owned by Sir William K. Coe™.

The Screenwriting Bible™

Sir William K. Coe™

Sometimes it just doesn't work. You have story problems, character

problems, and you're not quite sure how to solve them. When you are

blocked or you sense some- thing is wrong, what can you do?

1. Don't panic. We all go through this. Realize that you have the

ability to solve your problems.

2. Take two weeks off. Don't worry about it. You may get inspiration

during this period because you will be more relaxed.

3. Read a book; go to a seminar; flick out. Many of my "breakthroughs"

have come on the plane while reading a book about writing.

4. Often you actually know where the trouble is. You have a gnawing

feeling inside about something in your story, or perhaps a sense that

"something" is wrong, but you ignore it because you don't want to do a

major rewrite. In my script-analysis work, I don't know how many times

a writer has told me the following: "I kinda knew w\1at was wrong, but

I guess I needed you to confirm it." The point is this: You have an

inner sense that you must learn to trust, even when it makes the

writing process un- comfortable and the rewriting painful. When you

read your script through, if you naturally stop reading at some point,

that often signals a problem.

s. Get feedback from other writers or consider using a

script consultant.

6. Study mythology (Christopher Vogler's Writer's Journey) and

understand your genre.

7. Revise your four-page treatment. Sometimes this helps you focus and

get back on track.

8. Ask stupid questions. Don't be afraid to challenge your own ideas.

Ask "What if?" Nothing is sacred. Anything goes. Maybe your hero should

be the villain.

9. When revising, if solving one problem also solves another problem,

you're on the right track.

10. Create a Character/Action Grid. Essentially, this is a mini step-

outline, constructed on a few sheets of paper. Use it to identify each

character's purpose and actions in the story. Most writers use it for

their five to seven main characters. I recommend use of the Grid after

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The Screenwriting Bible™

Sir William K. Coe™

the first draft or when you are stuck. But you are the captain of your

ship. Use it when you wish or not at all.

have read and abide to the license, warnings, and additional documents listed within the

beginning chapters of this book. Includes third-party content not owned by Sir William K. Coe™.

The Screenwriting Bible™

Sir William K. Coe™

CHARACTER ACTION GRID - Character and Story

Title, genre, concept

Theme or message

NAME OF CHARACTER:

Role, purpose in story

Occupation

Conscious goal

Personal motivation

Inner need

Flaw blocking need

Backstory

Dominant, core trait

Other good & bad

traits

Imperfections, quirks

Skills, knowledge, props

Point of view, attitudes

Dialogue style

Physiology

Psychology, Sociology

Relationship w/others

Catalyst

Big Event

Crisis

Showdown

Realization

Denouement

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beginning chapters of this book. Includes third-party content not owned by Sir William K. Coe™.

The Screenwriting Bible™

Sir William K. Coe™

CHARACTER! ACTION GRID - Actions

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