Screenwriting Guides
Practical, no-nonsense guides to writing screenplays the way the industry expects. Every guide comes with real examples you can copy.
Screenplay Format Checker
Paste your script and see its format errors, from scene headings to character names, with the correct version.
Read the guide → Free toolScreenplay Runtime Calculator
How long will your film run? Enter your page count or paste your screenplay to get runtime, scene count and your most talkative characters.
Read the guide → Free toolScreenplay Title Page Maker
Fill in your title, credit and contact details and download a correctly formatted screenplay title page as a free PDF.
Read the guide → Free toolFree Screenplay Reader
Open a Final Draft (.fdx) or Fountain file and read it as a script, with a scene list, a character list and print or PDF. Nothing is uploaded.
Read the guide → 9 min readHow to Format a Screenplay
Standard screenplay format, element by element: page layout, scene headings, action, characters, dialogue, parentheticals, V.O. and O.S., transitions. With a real example page.
Read the guide → 7 min readHow to Write a Scene Heading
INT. and EXT., locations, DAY and NIGHT, CONTINUOUS, flashbacks, montages and intercuts, with correct examples and common mistakes.
Read the guide → 6 min readHow Long Is a Screenplay?
Page counts for feature films, TV dramas, sitcoms and short films, the one-page-one-minute rule, and how to cut a script that runs long.
Read the guide → 8 min readHow to Write a Screenplay
Every stage in order: idea and logline, structure, characters, outline, first draft in proper format, rewriting and feedback.
Read the guide → 8 min readHow to Write a Logline
Protagonist, goal, obstacle, stakes and hook: how to sum up your screenplay in one sentence, with a step-by-step method and original examples.
Read the guide → 8 min readThree-Act Structure
Setup, confrontation and resolution, the key turning points and where they tend to fall, with a complete worked example.
Read the guide → 7 min readScreenplay Title Page Format
What goes on a screenplay title page, where each element sits, and what to leave off a spec script, with a complete example.
Read the guide → 7 min readHow to Write a Montage
Montage vs. series of shots, the standard formats with dashes or letters, dialogue and music inside a montage, and when not to use one.
Read the guide → 8 min readPhone Calls and Text Messages
Three ways to write a phone call, plus text messages, emails, video calls and on-screen titles, each with a ready-to-copy example.
Read the guide → 7 min readHow to Write a Flashback
When a flashback earns its place, the standard formats from heading labels to flash cuts, how to return to the present, and common mistakes.
Read the guide → 8 min readV.O. vs. O.S.
When a voice is voice-over and when it's off-screen, how to format narration and inner thoughts, and the mistakes readers spot.
Read the guide → 7 min readHow to Introduce a Character
The first-appearance format rule, what a good introduction says, minor and unnamed characters, and consistent naming, with good and bad examples.
Read the guide → 8 min readHow to Write Action Lines
Write scene description that reads fast: present tense, only what can be seen and heard, short paragraphs, strong verbs and smart pacing.
Read the guide → 7 min readScreenplay Transitions
CUT TO, DISSOLVE TO, SMASH CUT, MATCH CUT and the fades: where they sit on the page, what they mean, and why modern scripts use so few.
Read the guide → 8 min readHow to Write On-Screen Text
SUPER, title cards and chyrons, time and place cards, signs and letters with INSERT, and how to format subtitled foreign-language dialogue.
Read the guide → 7 min readFinal Draft Alternatives
An honest comparison of WriterDuet, Fade In, Celtx and Kashna Script: price, devices, co-writing and .fdx files.
Read the guide → 6 min readWriterDuet vs Final Draft
Two different ideas of screenwriting software, compared on price, co-writing, devices and files.
Read the guide → 5 min readCeltx Alternatives
When Celtx is more than you need: the alternatives for co-writers, one-time buyers and fast solo writers.
Read the guide → 6 min readFree Screenwriting Software
Free plans, trials and demos: what each popular program really gives you, and the limits to check before you start.
Read the guide →Kashna Script formats your screenplay while you write: scene headings, characters, dialogue, transitions, all in industry format. No menus. Every tool one key away.
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