Screenwriting Terms


Screenwriting Terms


A Collection of Screenwriting Terms and Their Meanings

A/B Story
“A” story is the main story/theme while “B” story refers to the background story.
Act
One of three sections that make up a unit of drama (scene, sequence, episode). Acts in features describe structure, not used in the script. Used in sitcoms.
Action
The scene description, character movement, and sounds written in present tense.
Action Block (Description)
A paragraph of descriptive script text. Action paragraphs describe the setting, physical actions, characters, or other important information. Be as Spartan as possible with action text.
Adaptation
Rewriting of fact or fiction for film, usually in the form of a screenplay, or a proposal treatment.
Ad lib
Instructs actors to improvise dialogue or even action bits in spontaneous reaction to the given situation of a scene.
Aftermath Scene
A moment of calm during which the characters are able to digest a scene of intense conflict.
All-in
A scene that includes all or most of the main components of drama.
Allusion
Used to add greater depth to particular events and situations in the film. References are made to external phenomena such as persons, places, things, and occurrences. Indirect references are also used through screen images or scenes even to another film. Associations are meant to indicate contrast, emotions and ironic twists.
Ambiguity
A lack of clarity or an apparent contradiction in a story-line. This is done intentionally in some films or unintentionally due to poor writing. Character development is occasionally but purposefully hindered by the use of ambiguity. Ambiguity is an artistic ploy to capture the imagination, perhaps through confusion, of the audience.
Angle
Directs the camera to a particular person or object. The character’s name itself could be written as a heading in CAPS and serve the same purpose.
Annotation
Comment specifying the source of each script element that is not wholly fictional, including all characters, events, settings, and segments of dialogue.
Antagonist
Character with a single objective in conflict with the Protagonist. Not necessarily a villain.
Anticlimax
When the audience is expecting a peak in the action and it doesn’t occur. It is often used to convey the ordinary events in the life of a character and can also effectively be used to distract the audience from the actual climax. Also, anything that happens in the final few moments of a film that dulls down the story crescendo and leaves the audience feeling let down and unsatisfied.
Antihero
Protagonist who has pronounced personality or character defects or eccentricities which are not usually associated with the hero archetype.
Aristotelian Structure
The modern, ‘energetic’ method of organizing a plot, such that the story generates increasing dramatic tension as it develops, culminating in a potent climax which relieves the tension.
Atmosphere
Tone or dimension added to the action by concrete or nebulous qualities or elements such as rain, wind, heat, cold, danger, spookiness, tranquillity.
Author’s Intrusion
A statement in descriptive that takes the reader out of the story in order to clarify or help tell the story.
Backstory
Experiences of a main character which contribute to character motivations and reactions, that either occurred in the past, or are separate from the main plot.
Back To Scene
Secondary heading that indicates a return to a scene after a Montage or Series of Shots.
Beat
Interrupts dialogue to tell an actor where to pause in speech. Avoid. Beats are often interchangeable with ellipses (…).
Beat Sheet
An abbreviated description of the main events in a screenplay or story.
b.g. (background)
Describes anything occuring in a rear plane of action (as opposed to the main action). Not recommended.
Bookends
Structural technique in which a script begins and ends with a “bookend” scene that encloses the whole. Frowned upon by Readers as an overused storytelling gimmick.use this term in lower case initials or written in full. Not recommended.
Brads
The brass pins used to bind a standard three-hole-punched screenplay. Any other method of binding is verboten.
Buildup
Action increases, the pace and intensity of the film increases, the music crescendos, and culminates with a major scene.
Bump
A troublesome element in a script that negatively deflects the reader’s attention away from the story.
Button
A TV writing term referring to a witty line that “tops off” a scene.
Character
Any person or entity appearing in a film. A bona-fide character has a speaking role, or performs an action that drives the plot.
Character Arc
Formulaic inferred curved line which traces the emotional progress (development, growth, and transformation) of a character during the story.
Character Development
The process of creating characters in fiction. One of the major elements of screenwriting. Readers look for characters who are diverse (ie, they don’t all look, sound, or act alike), interesting, sympathetic, and who seem to have a life independent from the main plot of the screenplay.
Character Name
When any character speaks, his or her name appears on the line preceding the dialogue.
Cheat a script
Fudging the margins and spacing of a screenplay on a page (usually with a software program) in an attempt to fool the reader into thinking the script is shorter than it really is.
Cliffhanger
Moment of high drama, frequently used at the end of serials. An unresolved plot point that comes at the end of an act or story. A form of foreshadowing.
Climax
Derived from the Greek “klimax” meaning ladder. The plot point that resolves the second act, resolves the issues raised by the action and provides the dramatic answer. The most intense plot point. Usually occurs at the end of the work, but resolution and high drama do not always occur simultaneously.
Commentary
A V.O. objective opinion or description of characters or events either occurring in the film or to fill in information without wasting a great deal of film time.
Complication
The second act of a three-act dramatic structure, in which “the plot thickens,” peaking at its end.
Concept (Premise)
Central idea around which a screenplay is built.
Conflict
The force which opposes a character and prevents them from achieving their goal.
Continued
Indicates continuing speech when interrupted by descriptive, no longer used.
Continuing Dialogue
Dialogue spoken by the same character that continues uninterrupted onto the next page.
Continuous
Used instead of DAY or NIGHT as third element in a slugline to indicate the action moves from one location to another without any interruptions in time. Optional, can be dropped altogether.
Courier 12
The main font in use in the U.S. by both publishers and the Hollywood film industry.
Coverage
The notes prepared by script readers at a literary agency, film production company, or script competition.
Crescendo
Obstacles and degrees of conflict encountered by the protagonist grow increasingly intense.
Crosscut (Intercut)
Interweaving pieces of two or more scenes, usually in order to show simultaneous actions or illuminate themes, as with telephone conversations. Can be written with standard scene breaks. It’s more to prepare the reader for the upcoming slug line bonanza.
Dash
Indicates a sudden break or for emphasis ( — ).
Denoument
Concluding scenes where the story elements are finished and the characters’ status after the climax is shown.
Deus ex machina
An external solution to a problem that arrives without preparation to make things easier for the protagonist. An easy solution.
Diabolus ex machina
Arbitrary, unjustifified obstacle for the protagonist.
Dialogue
Speech between characters in a film.
Dramatic Answer
To the question posed in a drama, can be positive or negative, rarely unresolved.
Dramatic Irony
Gives the audience information at least one character is unaware of. The audience knows that the character may not be acting in the character’s own best interest when taking a particular position because of the information disclosed to the viewer.
Dramatic Need
Unresolved issue facing the protagonist.
Dramatic Structure
Three characteristics needed for a drama, according to Aristotle, are a beginning, middle and end. These elements include an exposition, or revelation to the audience of what will be going on, a development, in which the plot unfolds, a climax, where all events come to a peak, and the denouement, when everything in the plot is unraveled and resolved. Most story-lines follow this format.
Dramatic Question
Will the protagonist achieve his objective?
Dual (Simultaneous) Dialogue
When two characters speak simultaneously. Their dialogue is placed side by side on the page.
Ellipsis
Used when dialogue trails off, and when it continues again. (…)
Energetic
From Aristotelian theory. An Energetic protagonist actively influences or “drives” the plot forward, creating their own destiny, as it were.
Execution
The manner (and effectiveness) with which a story’s elements are assembled by the writer.
Exposition
Most often the beginning of a dramatic structure, in which the main conflict and characters are revealed. Also, the details of the plot. Good scripts are said to ‘show, rather than tell’ their stories.
EXT. (Exterior)
Slugline indicating an outdoor scene.
Extension
Placed in parentheses () to the right of the Character name. Denotes how the character’s voice is heard – e.g. (O.S.).
Fade In
Transitional shot, and the first words typed in a script.
Fade Out
Image fades to black. Last words in a script.
f.g. (foreground)
Describes anything occurring in front of the main action. Not recommended.
Filtered
Once used to indicate dialogue on a radio, TV, etc. Passe.
First Act
Everything that happens before the protagonist’s objective is clear.
Flashback
In a linear screenplay, a scene or sequence which jumps back in time (or one that occurs earlier than the main storyline) that interrupts the action to explain motivation or reaction of a character to the immediate scene (exposition). Use with caution.
Flashforward
Similar to a flashback, except the scene jumps ahead in time.
Font
The look of the printed text on the page. For screenplays, Courier(New) 12 is the standard.
Foreshadowing
Preparation that hints at developments to come.
Formula
Usually refers to a “sure-fire” method of structuring a script (i.e. it must include certain elements and arrive at a certain ending).
The Fourth Wall
Said to be breached any time the author introduces himself into the script, or makes any reference to the fact that a script is fiction. Not recommended.
FX or SPFX
Special effects – a term not needed in a spec script.
Genre
The category assigned to screenplay to describe it – such as: thriller, romantic comedy, action, courtroom drama.
Header
An element of a Production Script occupying the same line as the page number, which is on the right and .5
from the top. Printed on every script page, header information includes the date of a revision and the color of the page.
Headings
Master headings begin each scene with camera location (INT. or EXT.) scene location and time of day. Secondary headings are shots within a scene.
Hero
Used interchangeably with Protagonist.
High Concept
A basic movie idea felt to have tremendous potential appeal.
Hook
The thing that catches the public’s attention and keeps them interested in the flow of a story.
Impressionistic
Eschews traditional screenwriting convention, seeking instead to weave seemingly disparate moments into a unified, effective whole.
Inciting Incident
A plot point in the first act which disturbs the life of the protagonist and sets them in pursuit of an objective.
INT. (Interior)
Used in a slug line, indicates that the scene occurs indoors.
Interrupt
When one character cuts off another character’s dialogue, sometimes marked with an ellipsis (…) but better marked with an em dash (–).
Intertitle
Title card appearing intercut with a scene.
Leftover
Element used in an earlier draft that’s no longer useful.
Logline
The story in one active sentence, focusing on the concept, main character and main conflict. Ideally in 25 words or less.
Macguffin (Weenie)
Term used by Alfred Hitchcock to refer to an item, event, or piece of knowledge that the characters in a film consider extremely important, but which the audience either doesn’t know of or doesn’t care about. May be a stolen map or secret papers.
Master Scene Script
A script formatted without scene numbering (the usual format for a spec screenplay).
Midpoint (Main Marker)
Major plot point in the second act which usually begins or ends a sequence.
Monologue
Lengthy dialogue blocks in which a character speaks without interruption for more than three lines. To be avoided in spec screenplays.
Montage
Sequence of brief shots expressing the same or similar theme, a contradiction, or the passage of time, all related and building to some conclusion.
More
Indicates when a character’s dialogue doesn’t end at the bottom of the page. To be avoided.
MOS
Without sound. Originated with German director Eric von Stroheim. Rarely used.
Non-Linear
A screenplay or story in which events are ordered contrary to their natural sequence in time.
Obligatory Scene
Expected by the audience relative to the genre. Love scenes in romances, shoot-outs in Westerns, the unraveling of a mystery in a detective film, and the rescue of a protagonist in an adventure film are all examples.
Obstacle
(External) Not related to the character. (Internal) Part of the character’s nature.
O.C. (Off Camera)
Same as O.S., now used only in TV. Character speaking is in the scene, but not on camera.
O.S. (Off Screen)
Placed beside a Character Name to indicate that the character speaking is in the scene, but not on camera. Dialogue or sounds heard while the camera is on another subject.
The Opening Ten
The first ten pages of a script. Typically, if a script has not made a favorable impression by this point, it will soon be consigned to the Round File.
Out of Character
The description of a character who does or says something that is not consistent with the established pattern of behavior.
Overlapping Dialogue
Characters have simultaneous dialogue.
Parentheticals (Wrylies)
Actor’s instructions. A mark of amateur screenwriters. Should be used only in cases where a line of dialogue should be read in some way contrary to logic. Use sparingly.
Passive
Negative. Passive Characters are said to be moved by the plot, rather than actively driving (affecting) the story. A Passive Protagonist is always reacting to events rather than causing them.
Payoff
The moment when something that was set up earlier becomes meaningful.
Plot
Not quite synonymous with Story. Plot, according to Aristotle, is the arrangement of a story’s events such that one follows logically from the other.
Plot Point
Theoretical entity devised by writer Syd Field. Event or information that turns the protagonist in a new direction and moves the action forward. Found at the boundaries between acts or sections.
Point Of No Return
Moment, usually in the first half of script, when the protagonist will never be the same, or can’t turn back.
Premise
The basic idea for a story often taking the form of a question or a problem. The story’s starting point, including major traits of main characters and the inciting incident.
Preparation
Setup so that what comes later will make sense.
Protagonist
Character who has the most conflict. Serves as the focus of the plot, driving the story forward with their intentions and actions.
Red Herring
Preparation or subplot intended to mislead the audience.
Redundancies
Unneeded, repetitious words or phrases in a screenplay.
Resolution
The third act of a dramatic structure, in which the conflict comes to some kind of conclusion: the protagonist either wins or doesn’t.
Reversal
A place in the plot where a character achieves the opposite of his aim, resulting in a change from good fortune to bad fortune.
Rising Action
Events in a story build upon one another with increasing momentum.
Same
Slugline heading for time of day, indicates scene takes place at same time or directly after previous scene.
Scene
An event that takes place entirely in one location or time, or following a particular character. If it moves outside from inside, it’s a new scene. If it cuts to five minutes later, it’s a new scene. If both, it’s a new scene. Scenes can range from one shot to infinity and are distinguished by slug lines.
Scene Cards
Method used by some writers to outline their script by describing each scene on an index card, then arranging and rearranging them to work out the story structure.
Scene Heading (Slugline)
The text in all CAPS at the beginning of a scene that briefly describes the location and time of day.
Scrimmage
A scene with all the characters together, trying to work out their individual problems.
Second Act
Everything that takes place as the protagonist tries to achieve his objective.
Sequence
Group of scenes that follow one objective. For example, a car chase sequence.
Series Of Shots
Quick shots that tell a story.
Setting (Locale)
The time and place in which the story takes place.
Set Up
The function of the first act in posing of the problem which the story will try to resolve. In a more general way, the process of laying the groundwork for a dramatic or comic situation which will later be complicated, and then resolved or paid off.
Shot
One image from a single point of view. If there’s a cut, you’ve changed shots.
SFX (Sound Effects)
Indicates sound effects, no longer used.
Split Screen
A screen with different scenes taking place in two or more sections; the scenes are usually interactive, as in the depiction of two sides of a phone conversation.
Step Outline
Story outline of the major scenes, each described in a few lines.
Story Beats
The main points of twists and turns in the story. A film may have a dozen beats or more.
Structure
One of screenwriting’s key elements. The way in which events are organized in time. Screenplays are extremely brief, and require careful organization of events and ideas in order to coherently tell an energetic story.
Subplot
Also called the “B Story” weaving in and out of the main action. Story within the main story, usually not with the main character, with its own objective.
Subtitles
Words superimposed on the screen which mirror the dialogue (usually in another language) heard at the time.
Super (Superimpose)
The laying of one image over another, usually words over a filmed scene, in the same shot.
Synopsis
1-3 page summary of a screenplay told in present tense.
Tag
Epilogue, brief ending of a TV show that ties up loose ends. A short scene at the end of a movie that usually provides some upbeat addition to the climax.
Teaser
Brief initial act that establishes a TV show episode.
Telegraph
Set up something clumsily, so it’s obvious to the audience.
Theme
The overriding idea behind a story. More complex than a simple moral argument, Theme is an expression of Truth.
Third Act
Everything that happens after the protagonist has achieved or abandoned his objective.
Three-Act Structure
The classical form of storytelling in film. Based on Aristotle’s three act dramatic structure which includes: the set-up, the complication, and the resolution.
Ticking Clock
A dramatic device in which some event looming in the near future requires that the conflict reach a speedy resolution.
Time
A page equals one minute of screen time.
Transition
Shot designed to move a script from one scene to another.
Treatment
A scene by scene description of a screenplay, told in present tense and generally with no dialogue. Anywhere from 15-60 pages, typically from 20-30 pages.
Twist
A plot point that’s a major surprise to the audience.
Unity
Refers to a script’s cohesiveness. In a Unified script, all the elements work subtly together toward a cumulative effect.
V.O. (Voice Over)
Used to the right of the character’s name before dialogue. Dialogue by a character not in the scene, or not seen speaking the dialogue. Used to indicate a character is speaking via telephone, or for narration.
Western (Storytelling)
Uses Aristotelian structure, which posits a lone, Energetic hero, the Protagonist, facing a single, overriding Conflict, embodied by the Antagonist, leading toward a dramatic resolution.
White Space
How “white” a page appears. Pages which have an inordinate amount of text on them (especially long, uninterrupted action blocks) are tedious to read.

A Page
A revised page that extends beyond the original page, going onto a second page. (i.e. Page 1, 1A, 2, 3, 3A)
Abbreviations
shortcuts used in scripts such V.O., O.C.
Above-the-line
In film, those costs that occur before filming, this includes salaries of the talend and creative team (director, producer, screenwriter), plus any rights required for adapted scripts. Sometimes, above-the-line can also refer to the people included in the above-the-line payment category.
Act
A large division of a full-length play, separated from the other act or acts by an intermission.
Act/Scene Heading
Centered, all CAPS heading at the start of an act or scene. Act numbers are written in Roman numerals, scene numbers in ordinals.
Acting Edition
A published play script, typically for use in productions in the amateur market or as reading copies. Often has a list of prop list or set design sketches.
Action
The moving pictures we see on screen. Also, the direction given by a director indicating that filming begins.
ad lib
Dialogue in which the characters or actors make up what they say in real time on the movie set or on stage. From the Latin ad libitum, “in accordance with desire.”
Against
A term describing the ultimate potential payday for a writer in a film deal. $400,000 against $800,000 means that the writer is paid $400,000 when the script is finished (through rewrite and polish); when and if the movie goes into production, the writer gets an additional $400,000.
Agent Submission
A method of play submission, in which a theater requires that a script be submitted by a recognized literary agent.
Alan Smithee
A fictional name taken by a writer or director who doesn’t want their real name credited on a film.
Angle
A particular camera placement.
Approved writer
A writer whom a television network trusts to deliver a good script once hired.
Arbitration
Binding adjudication by members of a Writers Guild of America committee regarding proper onscreen writer credit of a movie; arbitration is available only to WGA members or potential WGA members.
Artistic Director
A theater company’s chief artistic officer and usually the last stop before a play is selected for production.
Associate Artistic Director
An artistic officer of a theater company, frequently a director and often second to the Artistic Director, integrally involved with its artistic decisions.
At Rise Description
A stage direction at the beginning of an act or a scene that describes what is on stage literally “at rise” of the curtain, or more commonly in contemporary theater, as the lights come up.
Attached
Agreement by name actors and/or a director to be a part of the making of a movie.
Audio/Visual Script
A dual column screenplay with video description on the left and audio and dialogue on the right, used in advertising, corporate videos, documentaries and training films.
b.g.
Abbreviation for “background” (i.e. In the b.g., kids are fighting).
Back Door Pilot
A two-hour TV movie that is a setup for a TV series if ratings warrant further production.
Back End
Payment on a movie project when profits are realized.
Back Story
Experiences of a main character taking place prior to the main action, which contribute to character motivations and reactions.
Bankable
A person who can get a project financed solely by having their name is attached.
Beat
A parenthetically noted pause interrupting dialogue, denoted by (beat), for the purpose of indicating a significant shift in the direction of a scene, much in the way that a hinge connects a series of doors.
Beat Sheet
An abbreviated description of the main events in a screenplay or story.
Bill
The play or plays that together constitute what the audience is seeing at any one sitting. Short for “playbill.”
Binding
What literally holds the script together. As a writer submitting your manuscript, you might use either brads with cardstock covers or one of a number of other pre-made folders (all available from The Writers Store).
Black Box
A flexible theater space named for its appearance.
Blackout
A common stage direction at the end of a scene or an act.
Book
The story and the non-musical portion (dialogue, stage directions) of a theatrical musical.
Brads
Brass fasteners used to bind a screenplay printed on three-hole paper, with Acco #5 solid brass brads generally accepted as having the highest quality.
Bump
A troublesome element in a script that negatively deflects the reader’s attention away from the story.
Button
A TV writing term referring to a witty line that “tops off” a scene.
Cable
A cable television network such as HBO, or cable television in general.
Cast
The characters who are physically present in the play or film. These are the roles for which actors will be needed. When we talk about a role in a stageplay as being double-cast with another, it means that the same actor is expected to play both roles. This happens in film as well (e.g. Eddie Murphy), but only rarely.
Cast Page
A page that typically follows the Title Page of a play, listing the characters, with very brief descriptions of each.
Center (Stage)
The center of the performance space, used for placement of the actors and the set.
CGI
Computer Generated Image; a term denoting that computers will be used to generate the full imagery.
Character
Any personified entity appearing in a film or a play.
Character arc
The emotional progress of the characters during the story.
Character name
When any character speaks, his or her name appears on the line preceding the dialogue. In screenplays, the name is tabbed to a location that is roughly in the center of the line. In playwriting, typically the name is centered, but with the advent of screenwriting software that automatically positions the character name correctly, it has become acceptable to use a similar format for character names in stageplays.
Cheat a script
Fudging the margins and spacing of a screenplay on a page (usually with a software program) in an attempt to fool the reader into thinking the script is shorter than it really is.
Close Up
A very close camera angle on a character or object.
Commission
A play for which a theater company gives a playwright money to write, typically with the understanding that the theater will have the right of first refusal to premiere it.
Complication
The second act of a three-act dramatic structure, in which “the plot thickens,” peaking at its end.
Conflict
The heart of drama; someone wants something and people and things keep getting in the way of them achieving the goal. At times, the obstacles can be common to both the hero and villain, and the ultimate goal a laudable one for both parties.
Continuing Dialogue
Dialogue spoken by the same character that continues uninterrupted onto the next page, marked with a (cont’d) in a stage play.
Continuous Action
Included in the scene heading when moving from one scene to the next, as the action continues.
Copyright
Proof of ownership of an artistic property that comes with registering your script through the United States Register of Copyrights.
Copyright Notice
Placing © Your Name on the Title Page of a script.
Courier 12 pitch
The main font in use in the U.S. by both publishers and the Hollywood film industry.
Coverage
The notes prepared by script readers at literary agency, film production company, theater company or script competition. Coverage is typically divided into three sections: plot synopsis, evaluation / discussion of the quality of the writing, and a recommendation that either passes on the script or kicks it on to the next level. Typically, coverage is for internal use and almost never shared with the writer.
Designer
Theater professional whose job it is to envision any of the following elements in a play: costumes, sets, lights, sound or properties.
Development
The process of preparing a script for production.
Development Hell
The dreaded creative death malaise that occurs when the development process lasts too long.
Dialogue
The speeches between characters in a film or a play.
Direct Solicitation
When a theater contacts a playwright or his agent about submitting a script. Theaters that use this method typically do not want the playwright to initiate the contact.
Direction, Stage Direction
(See Stage Directions in Revised above.)
Director
In a stageplay, the individual responsible for staging (i.e. placing in the space or “blocking”) the actors, sculpting and coordinating their performances, and making sure they fit with the design elements into a coherent vision of the play. In a musical, there will typically be a separate musical director responsible for the musical elements of the show. In a Dramatists Guild contract, the playwright has approval over the choice of director (and the cast and designers). In film, the director carries out the duties of a stage director and then some (e.g. choosing the shot list), with considerably more say-so over the final product.
Downstage
The part of the stage closest to the audience, so named because when stages were raked (slanted), an actor walking toward the audience was literally walking down. Called “Down” for short.
Draft
A version of a play. Each draft of rewrites/revisions should be numbered differently.
Dramatists Guild of America
The professional organization of playwrights, composers and lyricists, based in New York.
Dual Dialog
When two characters speak simultaneously
Emphasized Dialogue
Dialogue that the playwright wants stressed, usually identified with italics.
Establishing Shot
A cinematic shot that establishes a certain location or area.
Evening-Length Play
A play that constitutes a full evening of theater on its own (a.k.a. Full-Length Play).
Event
What precipitates a play. For example, Big Daddy’s birthday is the event in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Exposition
The first act of a dramatic structure, in which the main conflict and characters are “exposed” or revealed. Also, any information about the characters, conflict or world of the play.
EXT.
Outdoors.
Extension
A technical note placed directly to the right of the Character name that denotes HOW the character’s voice is heard. For example, O.S. is an extension that stands for Off-Screen.
f.g.
Abbreviation for “foreground” (i.e. In the f.g., kids are fighting).
Feature Film
A movie made primarily for distribution in theaters.
Film Festival
A festival of short and/or feature-length films shown over the course of between a few days to a few weeks. Festivals are places for films and filmmakers – particularly in the case of independent films – to gain exposure and critical buzz and, in many cases, distribution. Perhaps the two best-known festivals in the world are Sundance and Cannes.
FLASHBACK
A scene from the past that interrupts the action to explain motivation or reaction of a character to the immediate scene.
Font
The look of the printed text on the page. For screenplays, Courier 12 point is the standard (a fixed font which in practical terms means that an l or an m, although the m being wider, occupy the same width of space). For stageplays, while Courier 12 point is often used, Times Roman and other proportional spaced, clearly readable fonts are also acceptable. (Proportional spaced fonts make adjustments for skinnier letters; text usually takes less space.) – this has been edited.
Formula
More commonly used in the world of film than for describing the stage, it usually refers to a “sure-fire” method of structuring a script (i.e. it must include certain elements and arrive at a certain ending). For example, there have been a slew of movies where a group of misfits are thrown together and ultimately become the David that slays Goliath on the athletic field (e.g. The Bad News Bears).
FREEZE FRAME
The image on the screen stops, freezes and becomes a still shot.
Full-Length Play
Also known as an Evening Length Play, a play that constitutes a full evening of theater.
Genre
The category a story or script falls into – such as: thriller, romantic comedy, action, screwball comedy
Green Light
A project OKed for production.
Header
An element of a Production Script occupying the same line as the page number, which is on the right and .5 from the top. Printed on every script page, header information includes the date of a revision and the color of the page.
Heat
Positive gossip about a project on the Hollywood grapevine.
High concept
A brief statement of a movie’s basic idea that is felt to have tremendous public appeal.
Hip pocket
A casual relationship with an established agent in lieu of a signed, formal agreement of representation.
Hook
A term borrowed from songwriting that describes that thing that catches the public’s attention and keeps them interested in the flow of a story.
In the Round
A type of theater space in which the audience is, usually in a circular configuration, on all sides of the playing area.
Indie
A production company independent of major film studio financing.
INT.
Indoors.
Intercut
A script instruction denoting that the action moves back and forth between two or more scenes.
Intermission
A break between acts or scenes of the play to allow for set changes, and for the audience to go to the bathroom, stretch and buy concessions.
Interrupt
When one character cuts off another character’s dialogue, sometimes marked with an … but better marked with an em dash (–).
Left
On stage, the actors’ left, assuming they are facing the audience. Short for Stage Left.
Lights Fade
A common stage direction to end a scene or an act.
Line Reading
When a director or playwright gives an actor a specific way to perform a line of dialogue.
Literary Manager
The artistic officer of a theater in charge of at least the first stages of reviewing scripts for possible production. She may have dramaturg responsibilities as well.
Literary Office
Usually headed by the literary manager and often staffed with interns and in-house or freelance readers. Typically the place to direct script submissions and inquiries.
Locked Pages
A software term for finalized screenplay pages that are handed out to the department heads and talent in preparation for production.
Logline
A “25 words or less” description of a screenplay.
Lyrics
The words that are sung by characters in a musical.
M.O.S.
Without sound, so described because a German-born director wanting a scene with no sound told the crew to shoot “mit out sound.”
Manuscript
A script before it has been published.
Manuscript Format
The ideal submission format in the United States and in a number of other countries, with character names centered and CAPS before their dialogue, and indented stage directions.
Master Scene Script
A script formatted without scene numbering (the usual format for a spec screenplay).
Match Cut
A transition in which something in the scene that follows in some way directly matches a character or object in the previous scene.
Miniseries
A long-form movie of three hours or more shown on successive nights or weeks on U.S. television networks.
Montage
A cinematic device used to show a series of scenes, all related and building to some conclusion.
Movie of the Week
Also known as an “MOW,” a movie made primarily for broadcast on a television or cable network.
Multimedia
Writing and filmmaking encompassing more than one medium at a time which, script-wise, usually refers to CD-ROM games or Internet-based programming.
Multiple Casting
When an actor plays more than one character.
Musical
A play in which songs and music are an integral part of the dramatic structure.
Musical Numbers Page
A page in a musical script, usually following the Cast Page, that lists the musical numbers, divided by act, and the characters that sing in them.
Notes
Ideas about a screenplay shared with a screenwriter by someone responsible for moving the script forward into production, which the screenwriter is generally expected to use to revise the screenplay. A similar paradigm exists on stage, with notes coming most often from the dramaturg or director. A key difference between stage and film is that the playwright still owns his script and has final say on revisions. Writer can hire consultants to receive feedback (notes) to help improve the script, prior to submitting it to an agency, production company or theater.
Numbered Scenes
Numbers that appear to the right and left of the scene heading to aid the Assistant Director in breaking down the scenes for scheduling and production.
O.C.
Abbreviation for Off Camera, denoting that the speaker is resident within the scene but not seen by the camera.
O.S.
Abbreviation for Off Screen, denoting that the speaker is not resident within the scene.
Off
Short for offstage. Typically written as (off) next to a character name when a character speaking dialogue is offstage while she speaks.
One-Act Play
Technically, a play that has only one act, but in more common usage, a play that is not an evening unto itself but instead usually runs no more than an hour. A common arrangement is to produce three half-hour long one-acts on the same bill.
One-hour Episodic
A screenplay for a television show whose episodes fill a one-hour time slot, week to week.
Opening Credits
Onscreen text describing the most important people involved in the making of a movie.
Option
The securing of the rights to a screenplay for a given length of time.
Package
The assembly of the basic elements necessary to secure financing for a film.
PAN
A camera direction indicating a stationary camera that pivots back and forth or up and down.
Parenthetical
Also known as a “wryly” because of the propensity of amateur screenwriters to try to accent a character’s speech — as in BOB (wryly) — an inflection to a speech noted by a writer. Of course, in stageplays, all stage directions (at least in Manuscript Format) are in parentheses, but “directing off the page,” as it’s often called, is equally frowned upon.
Pass
A rejection of a property by a potential producer or an agent.
Pitch
To verbally describe a property to a potential buyer in the hope it will be bought.
Play
Sometimes known as a stageplay, it’s a production which is meant to be performed on stage in front of a live audience.
Playwright
A person who writes stage plays.
Playwriting
The craft or act of writing scripts for the stage (i.e. the live theater).
Points
Percentage participation in the profits of a film.
Polish
In theory, to rewrite a few scenes in a script to improve them. In practice, a screenwriter is often expected to do a complete rewrite of a script for the price of a polish.
POV
Point of View; a camera angle placed so as to seem the camera is the eyes of a character.
Producer
The person or entity financially responsible for a stage or film production.
Production Script
A script in which no more major changes or rewrites is anticipated to occur, which is used day by day for filming on a movie set.
Professional Recommendation
A method of submission in which a writer may submit a full script if it’s accompanied by a theater professional (typically a literary manager or artistic director, though sometimes a director is acceptable as well).
Property
Any intellectual property in any form (including a play or screenplay) that might form the basis of a movie. In theater, usually called a “prop,” an item (e.g. a gun, spoon, hairbrush, etc.) that can held by one of the characters.
Proscenium
A type of stage in which the actors play opposite the audience, from which they are separated. Most high school auditoriums are prosceniums.
Published Play Format
The format typically found in an Acting Edition, meant to save space, in which the character names are on the left and stage directions occur on the same lines as dialogue.
Query
A method of submission in which a writer approaches a theater with a brief letter, accompanied by a synopsis and sample pages.
Rake
A stage that is slanted so that as an actor moves away from the audience, he gets higher. Few contemporary theaters have raked stages. It’s more likely that the house (i.e. where the audience sits) will be raked.
Reader (aka Script Reader)
A person who reads screenplays for a production company or stageplays for a theater company and writes a report about them, often being paid per report.
Reading
A “performance” of a play in which the actors are script-in-hand. It could either take place around a table (called a “table reading”) or with some blocking or staging (a “staged reading”).
Register of Copyrights
The US government office that registers intellectual property (e.g. scripts), necessary prior to filing a claim for copyright infringement in court.
Release
A legal document given to unrepresented writers for signing by agents, producers or production companies, absolving said entities of legal liability.
Resolution
The third act of a dramatic structure, in which the conflict comes to some kind of conclusion: the protagonist either gets it or doesn’t.
Reversal
A place in the plot where a character achieves the opposite of his aim, resulting in a change from good fortune to bad fortune.
Revised Pages
Changes are made to the script after the initial circulation of the Production Script, which are different in color and incorporated into the script without displacing or rearranging the original, unrevised pages.
Right
On stage, the actors’ right, assuming they are facing the audience. Short for Stage Right.
Romantic comedy
Also known as a “romcom,” a comedic movie in which the main story resolves around a romance.
Scene
Action taking place in one location and in a distinct time that (hopefully) moves the story to the next element of the story.
Scene Heading
A short description of the location and time of day of a scene, also known as a “slugline.” For example: EXT. MOUNTAIN CABIN – DAY would denote that the action takes place outside a mountain cabin during daylight hours.
Screening
The showing of a film for test audiences and/or people involved in the making of the movie.
Screenplay Contest
A submission opportunity for screenwriters in which a group of readers (judges) select one or more winners from the entered scripts. Typically, contests require entry fees that may be as high as $40-$50, but can often result in prizes as high as $20,000 or more for the winner(s), as well as important exposure to agents and production companies. Some “fellowship” opportunities effectively function as contests (e.g. Nicholl), choosing a handful of fellows (i.e. winners) from the pool of entrants.
Screenwriter
The most important and most abused person in Hollywood. The screenwriter writes the script that provides the foundation for the film, though it may go through any number of changes, both in the rewriting process before production, during production, and in the editing process afterward. While in the world of theater, there is usually only one playwright on any given play (or one collaborative team), in film there may be many screenwriters throughout the life of a project.
Screenwriting
The art of writing scripts for a visual medium.
Script
The blueprint or roadmap that outlines a movie story through visual descriptions, actions of characters and their dialogue. The term “script” also applies to stageplays as well.
Script cover
What protects the script on its travels between the writer and its many potential readers. The Writers Store carries a number of acceptable covers.
Script reader
(See above as Reader.)
Script Writing Software
Computer software designed specifically to format and aid in the writing of screenplays and teleplays.
Securely Bound Script
Typically, a stageplay contest’s request that a script be more firmly bound than brads will do. Either it is literally bound, or it is securely held in a folder.
Set
The physical elements that are constructed or arranged to create a sense of place.
Setting
The time and place of a play or screenplay.
SFX
Abbreviation for Sound Effects.
Shooting Script
A script that has been prepared to be put into production.
Shot
What the camera sees. For example, TRACKING SHOT would mean that the camera is following a character or character as he walks in a scene. WIDE SHOT would mean that we see every character that appears in the scene, all at once.
Showrunner
A writer/producer ultimately responsible for the production of a TV series, week to week.
Simultaneous Dialogue
When two characters speak at the same time, written in two columns side by side.
Situation comedy
Also known as a “sitcom,” a normally 30-minute (in the United States) comedic television show revolving around funny situations the main characters repeatedly fall into.
Slugline
Another name for the SCENE HEADING
SMASH CUT
A quick or sudden cut from one scene to another.
Soap Opera
Daytime dramas so named because they were originally sponsored by the makers of laundry detergent in the early days of television.
Spec Script
A script written without being commissioned on the speculative hope that it will be sold.
SPFX
Abbreviation for Special Effects.
Split Screen
A screen with different scenes taking place in two or more sections; the scenes are usually interactive, as in the depiction of two sides of a phone conversation.
Stage center
More commonly known as Center Stage, it is the center of the performance space, used for placement of the actors and the set.
Stage Directions
In a stageplay, the instructions in the text for the actors (e.g. entrances, exit, significant actions or business) and stage crew (e.g. lights fade). Also, in a musical, the person who directed the non-musical elements of the show may be credited with “Stage Direction” to distinguish him from the Music Director, who will be credited with “Music Direction.”
Stage Left
On stage, the actors’ left, assuming they are facing the audience. “Left” for short.
Stage Right
On stage, the actors’ right, assuming they are facing the audience. “Right” for short.
Stock Shot
A sequence of film previously shot and available for purchase and use from a film library.
Submission
Name for a script once it is submitted to producers or agents.
Suggested Setting
A setting on stage in which a few set pieces or lighting or other technical elements take the place of elaborate set construction.
SUPER
Abbreviation for “superimpose” meaning the laying one image on top of another, usually words over a filmed scene (i.e. Berlin, 1945).
Synopsis
A two to three page, double-spaced description of a screenplay.
Tag
A short scene at the end of a movie that usually provides some upbeat addition to the climax.
Technical Demands
The extent to which a play requires specific lighting, sound, sets, etc. Plays with minimal technical demands are easier and less expensive to produce.
Ten-Minute Play
A complete play, with a beginning, middle and end, designed to play in ten minutes.
The Business
Show business in general; more specifically, Hollywood moviemaking and television business.
Thriller
A fast-paced, high stakes crime story in which the protagonist is generally in danger at every turn, with the most danger coming in the final confrontation with the antagonist.
Thrust
A stage configuration in which the playing area protrudes into the audience; the actors have audience on three sides of them.
Ticking Clock
A dramatic device in which some event looming in the near future requires that the conflict reach a speedy resolution (hence, the ticking clock).
TITLE
Text that appears onscreen denoting a key element of the movie, a change of location or date, or person involved in the making of the movie.
Title Page
A page of the script that contains the title and the author’s contact information.
Touring Play
A play with minimal technical demands that is meant to be easily packed up and moved from one performance space to another.
Transition
A script notation denoting an editing transition within the telling of a story. For example, DISSOLVE TO: means the action seems to blur and refocus into another scene, and is generally used to denote a passage of time.
Treatment
A scene by scene description of a screenplay, minus all or most of the dialogue.
Tweak
A minor change made in a scene or portion of a screenplay or a stageplay.
Unsolicited Script
A method of script submission in which the writer sends the script, without prior contact, to the theater or production company. Some theaters allow this, most don’t-and very few film production companies, for liability reasons, can read unsolicited materials.
Upstage
The part of the stage farthest from the audience, so named because when stages were raked (slanted), an actor walking away from the audience was literally walking up. Called “Up” for short.
V.O.
Abbreviation for Voice Over, denoting that the speaker is narrating the action onscreen.
WGA Signatory
An agent, producer or production company that has signed an agreement to abide by established agreements with the Writers Guild of America.
Workshop
A developmental “production” of a play, with a significant amount of rehearsal, but with less fully realized production values (e.g. set) than a full production.
Writers Guild of America
Also known as “the WGA.” The main union for screenwriters in the United States, with chapters in Los Angeles (WGAw) and New York (WGAe).



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