The following excerpt uses conventional feature film formatting. You'll often find variations that constitute stylistic choices, but things like margins should not vary from the standard. Format that deviates too far from the norm will only distract a seasoned script reader from the all-important content and identify you as an amateur before the reader gets a chance to get through the first few pages. Lest you think your creativity is being stifled by not being able to utilize formatting as an expressive tool, remember that the script is solely a written representation of a visual medium--an audience will not see your scene description of a drugged character in offset, multicolored text.
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[top margin-- approx. 1.0"]
INT. RESTAURANT. NIGHT. [slug line--ALL CAPS]
[Single space break] [Intro new character--ALL CAPS]
Nick is seated at a table across from STACEY MACADAMS (32), a
professional type wearing a polyester-blend suit, tortoise
shell glasses and hair worn up. They examine menus.
[break longer passages into shorter paragraphs]
STACEY
...So he gets us into the room after
[single space dialogue]we put the last issue to bed and
proceeds to tell us we're changing
focus.
NICK
I thought the article on unmeltable
ice cream was interesting.
STACEY
[dialogue margins He called it "pandering to the
approx. 3.0"-6.2"]masses". We're focusing on
primary research from now on.
[Single space break]
NICK
You mean research that has no
practical purpose?
STACEY
Yet. Today's useless information
becomes tomorrow's killer
application. You took some boring
old motion sensor and voice-recog
technology and gave it life as
the award winning "Marline
Automated House Manager"...
(proudly)
...and we are going to be the
premiere source of today's boring
and useless information...
[parenthetical margins approx. 3.7"-5.5"](reading the menu)
...Oh God! They've added a
children's menu. There goes
another perfectly good restaurant.
NICK
(lightly)
Yep. Before you know it, it's
plastic utensils with dull edges and
that butt repellent vinyl upholstery.
[scene descriptions lower case, single space]
Stacey gives him a humorless glare. The WAITER approaches them
apprehensively.
[bottom margin-- between 1.5" & 0.5" depending on break in text]
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