Scripts

A script is a pre-production document for any media product that contains moving images or dialogue. It is the written plan that performers and crew follow, so everyone knows what is said, what happens and how it should be captured.

What a script records

The main content is the dialogue: the exact words a performer will say. Around it, the script names the characters in each scene, so casting and actor availability can be planned, and the locations, so the production manager can book each place in advance and everyone knows where to turn up on the day.

Directions, also called stage directions, tell actors and crew what to do: where to move, how to react, which actions to perform and how a line should be delivered. The script also supplies production information: which shots to frame, how the camera should move, and which sound effects to cue. In a short animation about a lost dog, for example, the script might call for a close up on its collar and a sound effect of passing traffic, telling the animator and sound designer exactly what to build.

Where a script is used

Before production, a script can form part of a pitch, helping to persuade decision-makers to fund the product. Actors may also read a draft aloud in a table read to test timing, tone and whether the dialogue works before anything is filmed or recorded.

When a script suits a product

Scripts are appropriate for film, television, animation, and computer games that use video sequences, storytelling or character interaction. They also suit radio broadcasts, jingles, podcasts, audio documentaries, and video or radio advertisements, because each one depends on spoken words.

A script is not needed where there are no moving images or dialogue, such as a static print poster or non-narrative interface screens. There is nothing for a performer to say and no action to direct.

Products with no pictures need words and sounds but no camera information:

A script is a working document for the whole production team, not only the people who speak. Most production staff use it at some point, including actors, narrators, the director, camera operators, audio technicians, sound and video editors, producers and continuity staff who check that details such as costume or props stay consistent between takes. Each user reads the same pages for a different reason.

The script also identifies props. If a scene describes someone unfolding a paper map by lantern light, the props team knows to source both before the shoot day.

One scene can serve several users at once. A school corridor scene set at night tells the actors the mood is tense and wary, tells the lighting crew to rig flickering strip lights as working lights in shot, and warns the director that the shoot must be scheduled after the building closes to students. Because every department works from one document, a clear script keeps the production joined up.

Advertising and radio

In advertising, the script is shared with the client and reviewed against the brief before production begins. Changing a line at this stage is cheap and quick; changing it after filming is expensive. A client who asked for a friendly 30-second advert can spot that the tone has drifted before production costs build up.

A radio advertisement script is used mainly by voice actors, who need the words, pauses and tone, and by sound editors, who plan music and effects. No camera or lighting information is needed because nothing is seen.

A script uses standard layout conventions so everyone can find information quickly: performers can locate their parts, while the production crew can check the details they need for each scene. Following the same pattern every time makes a script easier to read and reduces confusion during production.

The cover page

The cover page sits at the front and identifies the script. It includes the title, the scriptwriter or author, the date and a draft number. The draft number matters because scripts change; it shows which version someone is holding. A cover page may also include contact information, such as an email address, so questions can be sent to the right person.

Scene headings

A script is divided into scenes. Each scene begins with a heading written on the left in capital letters. The heading starts with INT for an interior location, meaning inside, or EXT for an exterior location, meaning outside, followed by the location.

A scene heading, also called a slugline, shows where and when the scene takes place. It often gives the INT or EXT label, the location and the time of day, all in capital letters. For example:

EXT. SKATE PARK - EVENING

This tells the reader the scene is outside, at a skate park, in the evening. The time of day is included because a scene can happen in the morning, afternoon or night, so the heading records when it happens without the reader searching the rest of the script. Writing the heading in capitals and aligning it to the left makes each new scene stand out, so a particular scene can be found quickly.

Inside each scene, a scene description explains what the place looks like and what is happening. Write it in the present tense and keep it concise and visual, including only what can be seen or heard. 'A metal watering can lies on its side, water spreading across the floor' helps the crew picture the shot; 'Mara remembers last summer' does not, because it cannot be filmed.

Put character names in capitals above their dialogue, and keep names and dialogue aligned consistently — for example, every name starts at the same indent with its lines underneath. Dialogue is written in normal sentence case, not capitals, so it is easier to read aloud. Below the character name, add a parenthetical or action note when you need to say how a line is delivered, such as (under their breath) or (voice rising).

Directions describe action and interaction — who moves, who turns to face whom, what someone picks up. They can also show delivery through facial expression, emotion, intonation and volume. A direction might read Ruby steps between Mara and the door, or a parenthetical might read (angry, almost shouting). Directions are not spoken aloud.

V.O. after a name marks a voice-over: the character is heard but not in shot, and the line may be recorded separately. O.S. after a name marks off-screen speech: someone in the scene speaks from outside the frame, such as from the next room.

For example:

A metal watering can lies on its side, water spreading across the floor.

MARA
(cold, quiet)
Who left the tap running?

RUBY (O.S.)
Not me. I've been in the shed.

NARRATOR (V.O.)
By morning, the greenhouse was full of steam.

A script also carries technical information for the production crew, alongside the dialogue and directions. This includes sounds, shot types, camera movements and transitions, so each team knows what to prepare and capture.

Sounds

Sound notes tell the sound team what to prepare. Background music might be written as MUSIC: upbeat guitar, and sound effects as SFX: skateboard wheels on concrete. These notes appear next to the action they belong to, so sound can be matched to picture.

Shots and camera movements

Shot types are often abbreviated and written in capital letters, including LS (long shot), MS (mid shot), CU (close up), ECU (extreme close up) and ELS (extreme long shot). A long shot is often used as an establishing shot because it shows the whole setting before the action begins. Camera movements are also described: track and dolly (moving with the subject), pan (turning left or right), tilt (pointing up or down), push in (moving closer) and pull back (moving away). Shots and movements are aligned to the left so the crew can scan down the page and find each technical instruction quickly.

Transitions and layout

Transitions such as CUT TO, DISSOLVE TO and FADE TO BLACK are written in capital letters and aligned to the left. This keeps them separate from the dialogue and makes scene changes easy to spot. For example, a skate park advert script might list these technical directions, aligned left:

• ELS of skate park at sunrise
• TRACK AND DOLLY following a skater
• CU of wheels hitting a ramp
• CUT TO
• MS of skater smiling

The camera operator and editor can follow this list without reading the dialogue.

An effective script is one a whole production team could pick up and work from without asking questions. It follows the same layout conventions all the way through, and every scene contains everything that scene needs: its characters, dialogue, locations, directions, camera shots, camera movements and sounds. Nothing is left for anyone to guess.

Every part has a user

A well-written script splits its content into three kinds of information - directions, speech and technical notes - so each reader can go straight to the part that belongs to their job.

Improving a script

To improve a script, first name what it already does well, then find a gap and suggest the change that fills it - and always say which user the change helps. Take a scene set in a school corridor where the line is clear, but the scene gives the crew little to work with: JAMAL: We should go back. Adding a direction such as (nervously, eyes wide) gives the actor the emotion, intonation and facial expression to perform. Adding - LATE AFTERNOON to the setting tells the lighting crew to plan for fading, low light. Adding the sound of a door slamming somewhere behind them tells the sound editor exactly what to record. Each change is tiny, but each one stops a crew member having to invent an answer.

Improvements should make the script work better as a document, not add extra plot or new characters - a longer story is not the same as a clearer script.

Why conventions matter

Using the same conventions consistently reduces confusion: because directions, speech and technical notes each sit in a predictable place, parts are quick to find, changes of setting stand out as someone scans down the page, and the director can give clearer guidance to the team.