The Guide to Standard Spec Formats

[VPTurner]

Does one exist? My Complete Guide to Standard Script Formats book is pretty old now, but interestingly enough I saw one still sitting new and for sale on the shelf at Barnes & Noble the other day. How much of that information is still viable? I used it when manually setting up a word processor a long time ago, but now Final Draft does that for me automatically.

Which of these apply (or not) to spec format today?

1) Capitalize character names the first time they appear in the script
2) Do not number scenes
3) Do not use parenthetical direction (see example below)
4) Do not use references to camera and camera angles
5) Do not use "we see" and "we hear"
6) Do not capitalize sound effects or sound references
7) Do not use "MORE" and "CONTINUED" for scenes that break from one page to the next
8) Do not use "MORE" and "CONT'D" for dialogue broken by action
9) Do not use scene transitions like "Cut to:" or "Dissolve to:"

What am I missing? What is not accurate? What will a reader expect to see from an experienced, working writer?

Thanks!

 

[WideShot]

Great thread but something being left out of it:

Covers!

DON'T SCREW IT UP

Make it the right color, two brads, NO VISIBLE WGA #, NO ARTWORK. Anything else?

 

[clive]

I started off writing for the stage and also for radio. When I came to film I arrogantly assumed my wall full of awards meant I wouldn't need any help writing for film... how wrong I was! LOL

Even from that starting point of a thirteen year writing career in radio, I still think it's taken me at least ten years and about a dozen feature length screenplays to get to a point where I'm competent as a writer.

Admittedly, I could have got here a lot faster if I'd had a bit more humility... but on the other hand it's often our arrogance that gets us through the early years. I think most film makers wouldn't survive the first ten years of indie film making if they didn't have egos the size of Texas.

 

[barnaclelapse]

Yeah, you definitely need a touch of arrogance.

I think there's a line between having enough to get you through, and having so much you can't see where you're going wrong/where you need to improve, but I think it's a pretty essential quality to have nonetheless.