Understanding Who You Are Talking To The very first thing you want to consider, when writing your screenplay, is paper. Doesn't that sound odd! You would think anybody would know you're going to write a script on copy paper. Believe it or not, I sometimes get screenplays written on the weirdest things.
Use standard weight paper.
The standard font is courier or courier new, 12-point, though 11 is acceptable. No more, no less.
Make certain you have a one inch, to a one-and-a-half inch, margin at the top of your page, and to the left. The right margin will vary in places (do not justify the right margin), and the bottom of the page will cheat a bit here and there. The top and the left side never vary.
Keep in mind that a screenplay is only a set of notes to a production crew. Once filming begins, a script page is divided into eighths. When a day's shooting is over, it will be reported that the director got 10 and 4/8 pages completed, or 3 and 7/8 pages, or some combination that includes eighths. It's insider lingo. I call it Crew Speak. There's no way they could refer to a script page in a way that everyone in the business can comprehend without there being a "standard script page". That is accomplished by using a standard font and standard margins.
"But wait," you're probably saying. "I'm not writing a shooting script! I'm writing a submission script!
Why do I have to know about eighths?"
The answer is that even when a script is under consideration for purchase, those making the decision will be concerned about length. They'll be thinking about how long it will run onscreen (1 page equals roughly one-and-a-half screen minutes). They make their educated guess based on the length of your script, and that's determined by the font you've chosen and the margins you've set. Wrong font, wrong paper, inaccurate margins, shout one word to those you need to reach: Amateur!
How often have I heard the comment, "I just don't have the time or inclination to teach a novice. If they want our money, they'd better know what they're doing and have something to offer."
Ah, but you do have something to offer, you lament. You have a story! A wonderful, never-before-told-story! I don't want to be bothered with fonts and margins," you protest. "I have a dynamite script!"
I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. Without professional correctness, all you have is a dynamite secret. The chances of it getting read are so remote I don't even want you to invest in the postage it would take to mail it.
Once a story's written, the tricky part begins.
Let's say you're found six people in a position to buy your work, and they're willing to read it. Five of them open the script, see that it's improperly presented and close it immediately. That leaves only one person to plow through it, and he's looking for sci-fi. You wrote a horror story. Maybe one of the five who closed the script was in the market for a horror tale. You just cut off your chances of getting a yes by simply not taking the time to learn your craft before submitting the screenplay. Because "they" perceive you to be an amateur, that door is closed to you in the future. All because you tried to operate before becoming a surgeon.
FIRST THINGS FIRST:
Use the correct paperSelect the correct font and print sizeSet your margins correctlyThe Format, The Language, The Profession
Shoot for the stars! Go for the moon!
Esther Luttrell's Tools of the ScreenWriting Trade
