Understand the basic characteristics of a script. Page margins should be set at 1.5 inches on the left and 1 inch everywhere else. The wider margin on the left allows you room to bind your script. The font is 12 point Courier or Courier New. A script formatted this way can be acted in about a minute of screen time per page.
Write only what you can see and hear on a movie screen. The main elements of a script are action and dialogue. Format all action elements to the same margins as the page in sentence case. Action paragraphs have no indents and are indicated with a blank line between them.
Use character headings to indicate who is speaking. Format character headings 4 inches on the left margin and 7.8 inches on the right margin, written in all capitals. Write the character's dialogue in sentence case beneath the character heading, with the left margin set at 2.8 inches and the right margin set at 6.1 inches.
Format each scene with a scene heading. The scene heading tells whether the scene is inside or outside, indicted by INT. or EXT., where the scene takes place, and if it's day or night. Format scene headings to the page margins, and write them in all capitals. This is an example of a scene heading: INT. NIGHTCLUB---NIGHT.
Use transitions to indicate scene changes. You can avoid scene transitions for the most part, unless you want to move from one scene to another in a specific way and feel you should indicate it. Scene transitions are typically FADE TO, FADE IN, CUT TO, DISSOLVE TO, or FADE TO BLACK. Write scene transitions flush with the right margin in all capitals, followed by a colon.
Take advantage of dedicated screenwriting software to format your scripts as you write. Final Draft and Movie Magic Screenwriter are industry-standard screenwriting programs for screenwriters. Celtx is quickly becoming popular and it's free (see Resources). You can also write your scripts with free screenwriting software online (see Resources). No matter how you do it, writing your story in script format is one of the keys to successfully presenting your movie idea to the film industry. Using scriptwriting software ensures your script is formatted properly, while you focus on writing the story.