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Aspiring screenwriters dream of seeing their signed television scripts brought to life on the big screen. But before that can happen, they must master formatting their TV scripts correctly. Proper formatting makes the script easier to read and understand and helps convey the writer’s vision to the production team.
In this article, we’ll explore some examples of how to format a TV script. Although mastering TV scripts can take a long time, we will discuss examples from successful shows to help you understand how formatting works across three types of TV scripts.
How to Format Movie and Television Scripts
There are three types of TV scripts, and these include:
- 30-minute
- 60-minutes
- Pilots and Specials
Let’s look at these with examples to understand how formatting TV scripts take place.
How to Format TV Script: 30-minute TV Script
If you’re a fan of TV shows, then you would know that the 30-minute structure is one of the most popular and dates back to shows like I Love Lucy and All in the Family.
Let’s take the example of “The Chinese Restaurant,” an episode from the world-famous comedy show Seinfeld.
Pay close attention to the margins, actions, and sluglines. You’ll notice that the script outlines the Acts, something you’ll see more of in stage plays.
Most 30-minute TV show scrips have five Acts, but “The Chinese Restaurant” episode has only 2. After quickly going through the script, you’ll pick up on a few things, including the underlined sluglines, all-caps actions, and page numbers in the top right-hand corner.
The format of scripts is different in shows on streaming services. Scripts for TV shows on HBO, for example, adopt a screenplay format different from the traditional network TV script format.
How to Format TV Script: 60-minute TV Script
Unlike the 30-minute TV script, the 60-minute script has room for flexibility. Let’s look at a procedural script from one of the episodes of CSI.
Just like a cold open in The Big Bang Theory, the CSI episode opens with a teaser similar to all the other 60-minute TV show scripts. The main aim of a teaser is to get in on the action before the opening credits start.
Now let’s compare the CSI episode script with a TV series from premium cable, an episode of Deadwood, Season One, Episode Five. You’ll notice that the two have a similar structure but a much different dialogue.
How to Format TV Script: Pilots and Specials
Most TV scriptwriters started their careers by writing pilots, as every story must have a beginning. Another thing to note is that most TV shows open with a pilot episode, which serves as a proof of concept to the network.
If the network gives the producers the green light after the pilot, it means the pilot was a success, and the network has opened its arms for an entire season.
Let’s break down the pilot episode of one of the most hit TV shows, “Breaking Bad.” Many believe that the fantastic storyline is the success behind Breaking Bad, but they don’t know that a good story will only go so far without proper execution.
When you look at the TV script for Breaking Bad, written by writer Vince Gilligan, you’ll notice a difference in how shots are written in the script. This is typically considered a taboo in scriptwriting, but writer Vince Gilligan probably received the green light.
What Is the Price of a Signed TV Script?
Autographed movie scripts and signed TV scripts hold significant value for movie and TV show buffs. For collectors, autographed scripts, a signed title page, or memorabilia signed by actors and actresses are highly sought after and sell upwards of thousands of dollars. A sign from the most famous actor in the country could be priceless!
Signed Scripts Can Be a Perfect Addition to Your Collection!
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