Brainstorm the general direction of your script. Fiction and non-fiction alike have an introduction, climax and conclusion. Write these out as a guideline before you commence writing.
Plan your plot lines and develop your characters before you sit down to write a script. A good fictional story begins with exposition, where you introduce the characters and setting. Then the action in the story rises until it reaches a climax, where it then falls and the story comes to a conclusion.
If you are writing a non-fictional work, such as a commercial or documentary, consider the message that needs to come across. Consider what information is required and how that information will be presented.
Begin a scene by writing a scene heading, also known as the slugline. A new scene begins when there is a shift in time or location.
Write all three parts of a slugline. Decide whether the scene takes place indoors or outdoors and indicate this with the abbreviations INT. or EXT. Then write the exact location of the scene in question. Decide whether the scene takes place during the day or at night and indicate as such. The entire slugline should be capitalized and not indented in any way. It should look something like this:
INT. THE BLUE MONKEY CAFE - DAY
EXT. THE FOOTBALL FIELD - NIGHT
If consecutive scenes take place in the same location, but at different times, it is acceptable to write "LATER" instead of DAY or NIGHT.
Describe the action that takes place. This always happens immediately after the slugline, even if the description is brief. This text is not entirely capitalized. It can describe the actions of a character or an event that occurs on screen. An example:
Matt, age 26, enters the cafe and looks around desperately. He is searching for someone. Obviously disappointed, he sits down at an empty table and pulls out his laptop.
Avoid describing camera angles and movements unless they are absolutely vital to the story. Those decisions are up to the director of the video production, not the writer. Also, avoid extensive descriptions of the characters, unless vital to the plot, as the casting decisions are also up to the director.
To insert dialog into the script, first state the character's name, entirely in capital letters. This text should be centered on the page, rather than left-aligned. The character's dialog is then typed underneath the name. This text is also centered on the page but is not capitalized. The dialog should also not extend to the other side of the page, but should remain approximately two inches away from both the left and right margins. It should look like this:
WAITRESS
Can I take your order sir?
MATT
I'll just have water, thanks.
Simultaneous actions that occur with dialog can be indicated with parentheses. For instance:
MATT
(Pulls out a cell phone from his bag.)
Wait! Maybe I'll have a soda instead.
Any dialog in the script that is a voiceover is indicated by the initials V.O. next to the character's name.
Repeat steps one through three until you have completed your script.
Every script has a cover page. On the very center of the page, include the title of the project and the name of the author, entirely in capitals. At the bottom right of the page, include his contact information, which includes name, address, telephone number and email address.