How to Write a Screenplay - Lowerated

By Muhammad Wisal

Let’s Be Real About It

Writing a screenplay isn’t about writing pretty words. It’s about writing instructions. You’re not writing a novel. You’re writing something that will be turned into sound, visuals, acting, editing; everything.

And that means there are rules.

A lot of them.

Some of them make sense. Some of them are just there becausepeople said so 50 years ago. Either way, if you want your script to be taken seriously by producers, competitions, festivals, or even your own crew, you need to follow the format.

In this blog, I’ll break it all down for you. The standards. The structure. The formatting. Everything that can make or break how your script is perceived.

And then I’ll explain how Lowerated Scriptwriter lets you forget most of that and just focus on the actual story.

Should I read em, or should I sleep?

Standard Script Format: What It Actually Looks Like

A standard film screenplay follows a specific format. Here's what you're dealing with:

Page Count

• 90–120 pages
• One page roughly equals one minute of screen time
• Short film? 5 to 30 pages.
• Anything longer than 130 pages better be exceptional.

Structure

• Act I - Setup (Pages 1 - 30)
• Act II - Conflict (Pages 30 - 90)
• Act III - Resolution (Pages 90 - 120)

This is the basic three-act structure. There are variations, but most commercial screenplays fall under this timeline.

Screenplay View - Lowerated Script Writer

Formatting Breakdown

Here’s what you need to know to make a script that looks like a script.

Scene Headings (Sluglines)

INT. LIVING ROOM – DAY

• INT. or EXT. — Interior or Exterior
• Then location
• Then time of day (DAY / NIGHT / EVENING / etc.)

These go in ALL CAPS and are left-aligned.

Action/Description

This is where you describe what’s happening on screen.

Sarah walks into the room, carrying a box. She sets it down gently and looks around.

• Always in present tense
• Keep it visual. Don’t write what can’t be seen or heard.

Character Name

This goes centered and in caps, above the dialogue.

Character Name Extensions

These go in parentheses right next to the character’s name, above the dialogue.

(V.O.) Voice Over

Used when the character is not seen on screen, and their voice is being heard narrating.

Common in:

• Narration
• Inner thoughts
• Letters or journals being read aloud
• Phone messages

Example:

(O.S.) Off Screen

Used when the character is in the scene but not currently visible on camera.

Maybe they’re in another room, or the camera is focused somewhere else.

Example:

You hear them, but don’t see them.

(O.C.) Off Camera (Sometimes used instead of O.S.)

(O.C.) stands for Off Camera, and it's essentially the same as (O.S.). Some screenwriters prefer one over the other depending on country or tradition, but (O.S.) is more widely recognized in the industry, especially in Hollywood style screenwriting.

Still, here's how it looks:

Again, the speaker is present in the scene, but the camera isn’t showing them at the moment.

(CONT’D) — Continued

This one appears automatically when the same character speaks again immediately after an action line or brief pause.

Tip: Don’t Overuse These

These extensions are useful, but don’t sprinkle them on every other line. Use them when they matter to the scene. In most cases, just the character name is enough.

Dialogue

Lines spoken by the character, right under the name, centered.

Parentheticals

Used for tone or small actions. Not for every line.

Don’t overuse these. Directors and actors don’t like being micromanaged. Use only when the delivery has to be clarified.

Transitions

Usually right-aligned. Use them when you really need them. Most modern screenplays don’t overdo it.

Margins and Spacing

Screenwriting software handles this, but here are the specs if you’re curious:

• Font: Courier 12pt
• 1.5-inch left margin
• 1-inch right, top, and bottom margins
• Character name block: starts at 3.7 inches from the left
• Dialogue block: starts at 2.5 inches

Each page should have around 55 lines max.

Do You Really Have to Memorize All This?

No. You don’t.

You just have to use the right tool.

How Lowerated Scriptwriter Makes This Easy

Most new writers get stuck not because they don’t have ideas—but because they don’t know how to format a screenplay properly. Or they get distracted trying to do everything perfectly and never finish the thing.

That’s why we built the Lowerated Scriptwriter to take care of all that formatting for you.

Here’s how it helps:

Auto-formatting

Just write. Don’t worry about margins, caps, spacing. We’ll handle that. Scene headings, dialogue blocks, transitions, all automatically formatted.

AI Assistance with Oli

Not sure how to structure a scene? Talk to Oli. Our assistant helps you brainstorm, refine, and even generate scenes based on your ideas.

Export-Ready PDF

Title page, synopsis page, proper pagination, it’s all baked in. When you’re done, you can export your script in industry standard PDF format.

Oli preparing your Script - Lowerated Script Writer

Character + Location Tools

Forget going back and counting who spoke what, where. LOWERATED scans your script and shows:

• All characters
• Their dialogues
• Which scenes they appear in
• Character images and backstories

Same thing with locations.

Auto Location Profiling - Lowerated Script Writer

Element Tagging

The platform tags props, effects, sound, costumes, 21 elements in total, so you don’t have to manually prep a breakdown for production later.

Analytics

It also gives you insight into:

• Dialogue pacing
• Most active characters
• Scene frequency
• Suggestions for balance and structure

So you’re not just writing blindly.

Final Thoughts

If you’re starting to write your first screenplay, learn the basics. Know the format. Understand the structure. But don’t let that block you from actually writing.

The story matters more than spacing.

Let the tool handle the formalities so you can focus on writing something worth filming.

Check it out here: https://platform.lowerated.com