Any prospective screenwriter knows thatthere is a format to follow if you want to be taken seriously, orconsidered at all. Over the years I’ve tried various different packages and what-not to format my screenplays. Generally, I’vebeen too tight to spend hundreds of pounds on a dedicated package for writing and formatting my scripts, but don’t despair, there are plenty of free options out there. Rather than keep it all to myself, I thought I’d share what I found/find useful.
Personally, I’m trying to avoid the overpriced MS products (and reduce my dependency on them), so how about grabbing a copy of OpenOffice.org, a completely free office package from Sun (note, the is a paid version, called Star Office, which works with the following too).
Next, head on over to ooomacros.org and grab a copy of their screenplay formatter (also available on Geocities). I’ve been using this for some time and while it requires a little more effort than a professional package, it’s pretty damn good. Thisis what I’ve been using to produce my screenplays of late.
The BBC do a free add-on for MS Word called Script Smart, it comes in a few versions and does more than just screenplays, but it’s very good.
There is also the problem of fonts, you see, Courier New (as shipped with Windows) is considered too light. Instead, things like Courier10BT and Dark Courier are recommended.
For formatting help, the BBC has a pdf example screenplay which is very useful for getting an idea of how to layout your script. The AMPAS also has some downloadable screenplay formatting examples. The UK Film Council also posts an example on their site, but it’s hardly comprehensive.
Between them, they should allow you to get an idea of how to format your screenplays and some tools to write them with.
No comments yet.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
