Format Issue

[MikeBarcode]

I'm not sure of the proper way to write out the way I want things. I want someone to do something as they speak. So, when dealing with specific stage direction in a screenplay do you lay it out as such:

Rosalyn crosses to the bed and speaks.

ROSALYN
Well?

OR THIS?

ROSALYN
(Crossing to the bed)
Well?


Or something else entirely?

 

[Unknown Screenwriter]

Neither...

I'm not sure of the proper way to write out the way I want things. I want someone to do something as they speak. So, when dealing with specific stage direction in a screenplay do you lay it out as such:

Rosalyn crosses to the bed and speaks.

ROSALYN
Well?

OR THIS?

ROSALYN
(Crossing to the bed)
Well?


Or something else entirely?

Like this...

Rosalyn crosses to the bed...

ROSALYN
Well?

In other words, don't ever tell us that a character IS GOING to speak... Just have them speak.

A reader can tell that your character is crossing the room as she speaks if you write it as outlined above. *NOTE: the elipsis at the end of the action sentence tells us that there is more to the action.

You could use it in a parenthetical but then you can be accused of directing the action... My advice is to only use a parenthetical for things like:

1) When a character speaks in a different language.
2) When a conversation between more than 2 characters is taking place and you want one of your characters to speak to a SPECIFIC character only.

If you keep your parentheticals down to just these 2, nobody will ever accuse you of directing the action.

filmy

 

[clive]

Filmy has of course got it nailed, but I would suggest that you join the group of us who are reading a new screenplay every two weeks as a way of educating ourselves in the way that other industry professionals do it. You'll find that if you get into the habit of reading other people's screenplays you'll not run into these kinds of problems, because you'll see how they handled it.

 

[MikeBarcode]

Thanks guys, mucho appreciated.