View Full Version : How to format script for onscreen text?


Tailean Saylor
March 11th, 2009, 05:26 PM
I write a lot of scripts and I am familiar with the format in which to write them. However I don't know how to format it when i want onscreen text. Could anyone give me a sample on how to write it on a script?

Chris Hurd
March 12th, 2009, 08:23 AM
Thread title changed from "I have another question!" to "How to format script for onscreen text?"

Please avoid ambiguous thread titles on this site. Thanks in advance,

Brian Drysdale
March 12th, 2009, 10:30 AM
Any time I've seen on screen text in a script it's in the "Action" rather than the "Dialogue" with a description such as SUBTITLE: followed by the text.

Jack Walker
March 14th, 2009, 09:02 PM
As an "action" paragraph under the Scene Heading, here's one way:

SUPER: THE PENTAGON

or

However you use ANGLE ON, you can use SUPER or SUPERIMPOSE or TITLE OVER or some such thing to setup the subtitle text.

I've seen the text in all caps as above. I've also seen it in quotes, I believe.

If the subtitle is part of the format of the show, the text is sometimes put in the Scene Heading (in parentheses) and everyone understands that it will be a subtitle.

If it is clear what you are doing, and it's done consistently, I don't think it matters how it's done.