Intended to be kept at a screenwriter’s fingertips, The Hollywood Standard provides what even the best script software can’t: clear, concise instructions and hundreds of examples to take the guesswork out of a multitude of formatting questions that perplex even seasoned screenwriters.
Contents include:
• When a new scene heading is appropriate and when it isn’t
• How to format shot headings, dialogue, direction and transitions
• How to control pace with formatting
• How to make a script page visually inviting to the reader
• What to capitalize and why
• How to get into and out of a POV shot
• How to handle text messages and Zoom meetings
• How Hollywood’s most innovative screenwriters are pushing the boundaries of format
• How format for animation differs from live action formats
Simply put, Riley knows more about script format than anyone in Hollywood and shares it all in this indispensable guide.
Foreword by Antwone Fisher
Introduction
Chapter 1: Quick Start Guide
Chapter 2: Avoiding a Dozen Deadly Formatting Mistakes
Chapter 3: Spec Scripts vs. Production Drafts
Chapter 4: Single-Camera Film Format
Chapter 5: Improvisations by the Masters
Chapter 6: Shot Headings
Chapter 7: Direction
Chapter 8: Dialogue
Chapter 9: Transitions
Chapter 10: Punctuation
Chapter 11: The Evolution of a Script from First Draft to Production Draft
Chapter 12: Special Pages
Chapter 13: Animation Formats
Chapter 14: Multi-Camera Film Format
Chapter 15: Unleashing the Power of Final Draft
Chapter 16: Search and Destroy: The Power of Proofreading
Appendices A, B and C
Index