Workflow guide
Screenplay format: sluglines and the elements of the page
American screenplay format is a timing tool (Courier 12, fixed margins, ~1 page ≈ 1 minute). The Italian two-column layout is largely retired on features and still cited in Italian TV.
Page elements (and Fountain)
The American page is a grid, not a polite font. Scene heading (slugline), action, character, dialogue, parenthetical, V.O. and O.S. sit in different indents so a professional reader can count time with their eye. Syd Field, in Screenplay, treats the page as a rhythm unit: about a minute a page is a reading convention, not a metronome.
Fountain describes the same elements in text: uppercase headings, action as paragraphs, character before speech, parentheticals in parentheses. That is not a product called «Fountain format»: it is markup. The details live at fountain.io.
| Element | What it does on the page | Fountain equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Scene heading / slugline | Where and when: INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT | Uppercase line starting with INT. or EXT./EST. |
| Action | What is seen and heard, in present tense | Normal paragraph under the heading |
| Character | Who speaks, centered above the line | Uppercase line before dialogue |
| Dialogue | The spoken words | Text under the character cue |
| Parenthetical | How it is said, sparingly | (in parentheses, between cue and speech) |
| V.O. / O.S. | Voice over / off screen: the voice is not on camera, or not in frame | MARIA (V.O.) or MARIA (O.S.) on the character line |
What a slugline is: INT., EXT., EST.
Slugline is the professional name for the scene heading: interior or exterior, place, time. `INT. CUCINA - NOTTE` is a slugline. So is `EST. PORTO - ALBA`: in Italian drafts EST. means exterior, alongside English EXT.
Without a slugline the script cannot be broken down: you do not know where you are, whether it is day, or whether the scene already exists. It is not decoration. It is not a chapter title.
Italian, American and French layouts
The Italian Wikipedia entry on Sceneggiatura (https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sceneggiatura) distinguishes American one-column format from the Italian two-column layout (action left, dialogue right) and also notes the French tradition. On Italian features the two-column page is largely retired: delivery is American. In Italian TV the two-column layout is still cited, especially in rooms that come from theatre or broadcast.
Layout is a recipient decision, not a national identity. If the reader is a film commissioner or a room that thinks in minutes, use American. If a TV story editor asks for two columns, ask for a house sample — do not invent a hybrid.
Can I write it in Word?
Technically yes: Courier 12, manual indents, a downloaded template. Operationally no, if you need FDX export, scene numbers or a parser. Word does not know what a slugline is: it knows what a paragraph is. Every time you move a speech, the margins lie about the minute.
A Fountain editor or a screenplay editor keeps elements as elements. Then you export PDF for reading and FDX if delivery asks. Locked pages and colored revisions stay out of scope: that is production work, not development format.
How long is a feature?
Field, in Screenplay, places the feature around 90–120 pages, with the convention of about a minute a page. That is not a WGA rule and not a Wikipedia vote: it is the range American readers use to tell whether you delivered a film or some other object.
A series has episode lengths (22, 28, 48, 58…) asked by the company, not by Courier. We are not inventing a «true» Italian number here: ask for the brief.
How CineQuill uses it
CineQuill has a screenplay editor with screenplay elements and Fountain, FDX and PDF export. It is there to write and deliver format, not to run locked pages or shooting MOREs.
The slugline stays tied to the project's scene: if you change location on the card, the page should remain the same story, not another film. The Copilot can ask whether a V.O. is covering action that should be seen.
Put it into practice
Apply this guide directly in your project
Open CineQuill and use this resource as an operational checklist: move from reading to a concrete decision about bible, characters, structure or scenes.
Frequently asked questions
What is a slugline?
The scene heading: a line that says whether the scene is interior or exterior, where it plays and at what time. Example: INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT. Italian drafts also use EST. for exterior.
Do I have to use Courier 12?
In American format, yes, because the margins and the font are the timing tool. Other layouts (Italian two-column, French) have other conventions: ask the recipient.
Can I write a screenplay in Word?
You can, but Word treats everything as paragraphs. For FDX export, parsing and a trustworthy page count you need an editor that knows screenplay elements.
How many pages should a feature be?
Field places the feature around 90–120 pages, with ~1 page ≈ 1 minute. That is a reading convention, not a WGA rule.
Does CineQuill do locked pages?
No. It formats and exports Fountain, FDX and PDF. Locked pages belong to the production workflow, not to the development editor.
Related resources
More workflow guides to apply
How to use the story bible to keep the story centered
A practical guide to CineQuill's story bible: premise, theme, world, tone, rules, characters and narrative coherence before the screenplay.
Workflow guideHow to use templates without writing formulaic stories
A guide to CineQuill templates: narrative methods, character sheets, beats, scenes and how to adapt them without becoming formulaic.
Workflow guideCharacter sheets: from description to dramatic function
A guide to character sheets: desire, wound, mask, archetype, relationships and coherence across scenes and structure.
Workflow guideScenes: the bridge between structure and screenplay
A guide to scene work: objective, conflict, internal beats, narrative function and the move from structure to screenplay editor.