The Complete Guide to Standard Script Formats, Part 1

The first time I looked at a screenplay script format, I thought I'd never be able to understand what went where and why. After a few days with "The Complete Guide to Standard Script Formats," I felt like an expert. It should be understood that this book is an excellent resource for understanding the format component of writing a screenplay. It does not address the art writing or the literary aspects of how to construct a story suitable for making into a film. If you've already got the story down and learning the proper format for your first screenplay is your task at hand, this is the book for you.

This is the most valuable book anyone interested in writing a screenplay can own. It covers the history and reason behind the screenplay format better than any other book I've read on the subject. Although the format outline is primarily typewriter based, and the word processor settings actually differ slightly from the typewriter settings, anyone who really knows how to use their word processor will be able to create a template based on the format settings outlined in this book. There are even templates already available for download from the internet which have been designed based on the outline provided in this book, including one which I created. This book details virtually everything you'll ever need to know about writing either a reading or production script in the proper format, however, since this book is designed to teach script format, and not how to write, you'll have to look elsewhere for information on how to craft a good story. If you're serious about writing a screenplay in the accepted Hollywood format, then I highly recommend that you buy this book.

I run an annual screenplay competiton and read 100+ scripts a year - I recommend this book to ALL my writers. My copy is dog-eared, highlighted, and post-it flagged. THERE IS NO BETTER BOOK YOU CAN BUY!

I have a lot of books on scriptwriting. This one by far is the best reference book I've found. Before you can sell your script, you need an agent; before you can get an agent, you need a script written in the proper format (I can't emphasize this enough!); and this book tells you everything you need to create an industry-standard script. This book is a "MUST" for anyone writing or thinking about writing a script!

This title seems to pop up in screenplay formatting circles more and more these days. Written by two folks who have been running their own script typing service for years, it's an exhaustive overview of how (and why) screenplays are formatted. I found it to be fascinating reading, but then, I was designing a script formatting program at the time... They receive credits in a lot of software, and they got another one in mine [Screenwright(R) - http://www.apc.net/ia/scr.htm]