What screenplay format does this use?

Courier 12 pt at six lines to the inch. On US Letter the text starts 1 inch from the top and 1.5 inches from the left, and a page holds 54 lines; A4 keeps the same indents and holds 58. Scene headings and action start 1.5 inches from the left edge, dialogue 2.5, parentheticals 3.1 and character cues 3.7, and transitions end at the right margin. Scene headings, cues and transitions print in capitals, except a letter Courier has no capital for, such as the German sharp s, which stays as typed. Page numbers start on the second script page, top right.

What happens when dialogue runs past the end of a page?

It breaks after the last sentence that fits, with (MORE) under it and the character's name with (CONT'D) at the top of the next page, and every word appears once. If no sentence ends in the room left, the whole speech moves to the next page with its cue, unless the page holds only its scene heading; then, and for a sentence longer than a whole page, it breaks between words.

Why does the PDF stop on some characters?

The PDF uses the standard Courier font every PDF reader has built in, which covers the Windows-1252 set: English letters, most Western European accented letters, and punctuation such as curly quotes and dashes. Anything else, such as an emoji, a Cyrillic letter or a tab, is listed with its block and character position, and its Show button selects it in the block. Nothing is swapped for a look-alike: change the character and the PDF is made. The project file keeps every character exactly as typed.

Can I import a script I already have?

Paste it, or open a .txt or .fountain file of up to 1 MiB, and it opens as a new script. Blank lines separate blocks, and Fountain's rules suggest each type: a line starting INT, EXT, EST or I/E is a scene heading, a line in capitals with text straight under it is a character followed by dialogue, a line in brackets under a character is a parenthetical, and a line in capitals ending in TO: is a transition. Each block shows its suggestion and the reason until you keep it or choose another type. Final Draft files are not read, and advanced Fountain syntax such as dual dialogue, notes and emphasis is not interpreted.

Does one page equal one minute of screen time?

This page makes no such claim. It counts pages exactly as its PDF lays them out; how long a page runs on screen depends on what happens in it.

Where are my scripts saved?

In this browser's storage, up to 20 scripts, when the browser allows it; nothing is uploaded. The project .json file records every block's type and text, the title page and the paper, and Open project reads it back as a new script, so save one to keep a copy anywhere else. Start over above the tool forgets the scripts kept in this browser.

How long a script can it format?

The PDF takes up to 100 pages and 1 MiB of text, and one script holds up to 6,000 blocks. Past 100 pages the PDF stops with a message saying so, and the whole script still saves as Fountain text.

Screenplay Formatter

Write a script as typed blocks (scene heading, action, character, parenthetical, dialogue and transition) and the preview page is the PDF itself, drawn by a PDF reader from the file you will save rather than a web page styled to look like one. The layout is Courier 12 pt with a 1.5 inch left margin and a 1 inch top margin, 54 lines to a US Letter page and 58 to A4. A character cue stays with its parenthetical and dialogue, a scene heading is never left as a page's last line, and a speech that runs past the page end breaks after a sentence where one fits, with (MORE) at the foot and the name with (CONT'D) at the top of the next page. Paste plain text or Fountain and every block arrives with a suggested type and the reason for it, for you to keep or change. Scripts stay in this browser and save as a PDF, Fountain text or a versioned project file.

blocksTHE LAST FERRY, First draft, 8 blocks

An example script written for this page. Edit it, or start your own.

INT. FERRY TERMINAL - NIGHT
Rain streaks the windows of an empty hall.
MAYA (30s), soaked, runs to the ticket desk.
MAYA
out of breath
One ticket to the island. Please tell me it has not left yet.
EXT. DOCK - CONTINUOUS
The ferry's lights shrink into the dark.

page 1 of 1PDF, Courier 12 pt, US Letter

Drawing the page from the PDF itself...

INT. FERRY TERMINAL - NIGHT

Rain streaks the windows of an empty hall.

MAYA (30s), soaked, runs to the ticket desk.

                      MAYA
                (out of breath)
          One ticket to the island. Please
          tell me it has not left yet.

EXT. DOCK - CONTINUOUS

The ferry's lights shrink into the dark.

14 of 54 lines; text starts 72 pt from the top, 108 pt from the left edge

Page: 612 x 792 pt

Margins: 72 pt = 1 in, left 108 pt

Lines used: 14 of 54

Scenes: 2 on page 1

Script

Paper

Title page

Open project

Enter starts the next block and Shift+Enter breaks a line inside one. In an empty block, Tab changes its type; press Esc first to leave the block with Tab instead. Alt+Up and Alt+Down move a block, and Ctrl+Z or Cmd+Z undoes block edits; the title page, paper and script list are not part of undo. Up to 20 scripts are kept in this browser's storage when it allows; a project file keeps a copy anywhere else.

Title page

Printed as the first page of the PDF when any field is filled in: title, credit, author and source centred, contact at the foot on the left, draft on the right. Script pages are numbered from the second.

TitleCreditAuthorSourceDraftContact

Scene outline

Import plain text or Fountain

Paste a script or open a .txt or .fountain file, up to 1 MiB. Each block gets a suggested type with its reason, following Fountain's rules: INT or EXT starts a scene heading, a line in capitals with text under it is a character, and so on. Keep each suggestion or change it in the blocks list. The import opens as a new script, so the one you are editing is untouched.

Open a .txt or .fountain file

Try an example

Short scripts written for this page and marked as examples. Each opens as a new script, laid out by the same code as yours.

Character cue MAYA falls on the last line of a pageher parenthetical and dialogue would start the next page
MAYA moves to the top of page 2 with her parenthetical and dialogue; a scene heading on a last line moves down the same way
A speech that runs past the page endone dialogue block from MAYA
split after a question mark with (MORE) at the foot of page 1 and MAYA (CONT'D) at the top of page 2; 111 of 111 words appear, each exactly once
"Bon voyage ⛴" in a dialogue blockU+26F4, not in standard Courier's encoding
PDF export stops and lists U+26F4 at character 12 of block 3; the text stays as typed and editable

Accuracy. Lays out the script you write in Courier 12 pt on US Letter or A4 with one set of widely used margins and indents, and the preview is the PDF you export. It writes no story text and makes no claim that a studio or contest will accept the format or that a page runs a minute on screen. A character outside standard Courier's encoding, such as an emoji, is listed with its position and stops the PDF instead of being swapped; advanced Fountain syntax, Final Draft files and shared cloud editing are not supported.

Common questions

What screenplay format does this use?: Courier 12 pt at six lines to the inch. On US Letter the text starts 1 inch from the top and 1.5 inches from the left, and a page holds 54 lines; A4 keeps the same indents and holds 58. Scene headings and action start 1.5 inches from the left edge, dialogue 2.5, parentheticals 3.1 and character cues 3.7, and transitions end at the right margin. Scene headings, cues and transitions print in capitals, except a letter Courier has no capital for, such as the German sharp s, which stays as typed. Page numbers start on the second script page, top right.
What happens when dialogue runs past the end of a page?: It breaks after the last sentence that fits, with (MORE) under it and the character's name with (CONT'D) at the top of the next page, and every word appears once. If no sentence ends in the room left, the whole speech moves to the next page with its cue, unless the page holds only its scene heading; then, and for a sentence longer than a whole page, it breaks between words.
Why does the PDF stop on some characters?: The PDF uses the standard Courier font every PDF reader has built in, which covers the Windows-1252 set: English letters, most Western European accented letters, and punctuation such as curly quotes and dashes. Anything else, such as an emoji, a Cyrillic letter or a tab, is listed with its block and character position, and its Show button selects it in the block. Nothing is swapped for a look-alike: change the character and the PDF is made. The project file keeps every character exactly as typed.
Can I import a script I already have?: Paste it, or open a .txt or .fountain file of up to 1 MiB, and it opens as a new script. Blank lines separate blocks, and Fountain's rules suggest each type: a line starting INT, EXT, EST or I/E is a scene heading, a line in capitals with text straight under it is a character followed by dialogue, a line in brackets under a character is a parenthetical, and a line in capitals ending in TO: is a transition. Each block shows its suggestion and the reason until you keep it or choose another type. Final Draft files are not read, and advanced Fountain syntax such as dual dialogue, notes and emphasis is not interpreted.
Does one page equal one minute of screen time?: This page makes no such claim. It counts pages exactly as its PDF lays them out; how long a page runs on screen depends on what happens in it.
Where are my scripts saved?: In this browser's storage, up to 20 scripts, when the browser allows it; nothing is uploaded. The project .json file records every block's type and text, the title page and the paper, and Open project reads it back as a new script, so save one to keep a copy anywhere else. Start over above the tool forgets the scripts kept in this browser.
How long a script can it format?: The PDF takes up to 100 pages and 1 MiB of text, and one script holds up to 6,000 blocks. Past 100 pages the PDF stops with a message saying so, and the whole script still saves as Fountain text.

Lays out the script you write in Courier 12 pt on US Letter or A4 with one set of widely used margins and indents, and the preview is the PDF you export. It writes no story text and makes no claim that a studio or contest will accept the format or that a page runs a minute on screen. A character outside standard Courier's encoding, such as an emoji, is listed with its position and stops the PDF instead of being swapped; advanced Fountain syntax, Final Draft files and shared cloud editing are not supported.