THE COMICS HOW TO... 11: THE SCRIPT FORMAT

To me, the technical side of screenplay writing is just as important as the story itself. You’re building the road map to the finished project and that road map needs to be well crafted, specific, and easy to follow. I also believe that a properly formatted screenplay shows a high level of discipline and professionalism. When you hand a technically proficient screenplay to professionals within the visual medium, you want to show them that the blueprint is ready for production. The people you’re working with will gain confidence in you when they see a well-formatted screenplay.

I use a basic Microsoft Word Screenplay Template, downloaded from the Internet for free. It’s very simple and it fits industry standards with very little modification. I’ve been using this template for several years and professionals in the film industry have never questioned the format of my screenplays. There are many different types of screenplay writing programs on the market and many of them can do the job. It’s all about preference and cost. Use what you can afford and what you are most comfortable with.

Transitioning from writing feature film screenplays to comic book scripts was very easy. In fact, I prefer writing comic books scripts because you can really get specific with the descriptive action within a panel. The modifications I made from the film screenplay format to the comic book script format were minimal and continues to evolve technically. Like any process, when you do it once, you figure out what works and what doesn’t work, and you can make it more efficient at each execution.

Here“s an example of how I modified the screenplay template that I use to date:

I start with the page number and how many panels will be on the page. I like to make page and panel numbers a bigger case and in bold. It“s easier to find specific pages when you have to scroll though the document.

Next, I specify the page number and the panel number (01.01., 01.02., etc.) in the panel heading. I like to have the panel heading in bold and underlined. Once again, it’s easier to locate the panel headings when scrolling through the document.

I stick with the standard action format in the body of the panel description. I like to CAPITALIZE THE CHARACTER NAMES when they are introduced and I capitalize anything POIGNANT in the action. Any special notes for the illustrator or the letterer are placed in the action as well.

Character names and dialog are centered. Any words within the dialog that need to be stressed or intensified are bolded. Special lettering directions are placed in parenthesis next to the character name (JAGGED, BOLD, etc.). Parenthetical direction is placed under the character’s name in parenthesis (whisper, off-panel, etc.).

Sound effects (SFX) are centered as well. ALL SOUND EFFECTS ARE CAPITALIZED. The font I prefer is Courier New, pitch 11.

When it comes to the layout of the characters in the panel, I try to work from panel left to panel right. Usually the dialogue of the characters will dictate the order of the characters in the layout, but I try to always keep it in mind to prevent re-drawing art while in production.

Here“s how one of my typical script pages looks:

That’s pretty much it. I find this format works very well. It’s very specific and organized. If there’s a problem, suggestion, or an edit, it’s easy for a co-writer, editor, illustrator, or letterer to find. You can easily say, “Hey, what’s the deal with 05.01?” “The dialogue seems a little weak.” “Can we come up with something different?” Without any delay, you can scroll to that part of the script and examine the contents and edit.

Everything is in order now. All of the story elements and the technical format of the script are ready. Let’s write this story!

Of course, my script format is not the only format. Here’s a link to other examples of comic book scripts from other professionals in the industry: COMICS EXPERIENCE

For more information about the BOB: NON-UNION PSYCHIC world, visit the Warehouse 9 Productions site HERE