What is the script format standard to the United States motion picture industry?
While there is no precise format common to all scripts written by professional screenwriters working within the U.S. motion picture industry, there are certainly general standards. A script written by one professional writer will visually resemble that written by another professional writer. Producers, agents, development executives and readers recognize scripts written by professional writers as falling within an acceptable range of formatting conventions, despite slight variations in detail. If you follow the format described in any number of screenwriting guides and textbooks, you should be in good shape. You may also find our screenplay format guide helpful. In any event, scripts submitted to the Nicholl competition should be written in master scenes without shot designations. The scripts should not include scene numbers, which are typically found on shooting scripts.
