Essential Script Writing Formats

Why This Matters

In Real World Productions, you're not just learning to write—you're learning to write for specific delivery systems. Every script format exists because of the medium's constraints and opportunities: a stage play relies entirely on live performance and dialogue, while a two-column AV script coordinates visual and audio elements frame by frame. Understanding these distinctions means understanding how audiences consume content differently across platforms, from passive TV viewing to active podcast listening during commutes.

When you encounter script formatting questions, you're being tested on your ability to match structural conventions, pacing requirements, and technical elements to their appropriate medium. Don't just memorize that screenplays use 12-point Courier—know why standardized formatting matters for production timelines and industry communication. Each format in this guide represents a different answer to the same question: how do we translate story into a specific audience experience?

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Visual Narrative Formats

These formats prioritize what audiences see. The writing must paint pictures that cameras can capture, balancing dialogue with action and visual storytelling.

Screenplay Format

• Three-act structure—the foundation of feature films, creating clear beginning, middle, and end arcs that drive character transformation
• 12-point Courier font with standardized margins—not arbitrary; one page roughly equals one minute of screen time, making budgeting and scheduling possible
• Scene headings, action lines, and parentheticals—technical elements that communicate with directors, actors, and crew without cluttering the visual story

TV Script Format

• Act breaks built around commercial interruptions—structure isn't just creative; it's economic, with cliffhangers designed to retain viewers through ads
• Cold opens or teasers—hook audiences immediately before the title sequence, a convention born from channel-surfing culture
• Episodic character arcs—unlike films, TV scripts must balance this episode's story with season-long development and series continuity

Web Series Script Format

• Shorter episode length with flexible structure—platforms like YouTube reward different pacing than broadcast TV, often front-loading engagement
• Episodic arcs across multiple installments—builds viewer loyalty and encourages binge-watching behavior unique to streaming
• Platform-specific considerations—may incorporate interactive elements, social media tie-ins, or direct audience address that traditional TV avoids

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Audio-Driven Formats

When visuals disappear, sound carries everything. These formats demand precision in dialogue, effects cues, and pacing because listeners create the images themselves.

Radio Script Format

• No visual components—every story element must be conveyed through dialogue, sound effects, and music cues alone
• Segment or act structure—maintains listener attention without visual anchors, using audio transitions to signal shifts
• Explicit pacing and tone indicators—voice actors need detailed guidance since they can't rely on visual context or blocking

Podcast Script Format

• Conversational tone with editing cues—balances natural discussion flow with production markers for pauses, transitions, and music drops
• Flexible structure—ranges from tightly scripted narratives to loose outlines for unscripted discussions, depending on show style
• Listener engagement priority—pacing accounts for passive listening during commutes or workouts, requiring frequent re-engagement hooks

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Dual-Track Formats

These formats explicitly coordinate visual and audio elements, often using two-column layouts that align what viewers see with what they hear, moment by moment.

Two-Column AV Script Format

• Split-page layout—video descriptions on one side, audio on the other, allowing production teams to plan both tracks simultaneously
• Synchronized timing—each row aligns visual and audio elements precisely, essential for maintaining coherence in editing
• Industry standard for corporate and commercial work—used in training videos, presentations, and advertisements where coordination is critical

Commercial Script Format

• Brevity and precision—15 to 60 seconds means every word and image must earn its place; no room for filler
• Clear calls to action with persuasive language—the format exists to sell, requiring attention to branding, target audience, and emotional triggers
• Exact timing requirements—commercial slots are inflexible, so scripts must hit specific durations down to the second

Documentary Script Format

• Hybrid narrative structure—combines interviews, voice-over, and visual sequences that may shift during editing as footage is reviewed
• Research-driven with factual accuracy—unlike fiction formats, documentaries require citations and source verification built into the process
• Flexibility as a feature—scripts often function as living documents, evolving through production as new material emerges

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Performance and Broadcast Formats

These formats serve live or near-live delivery, where scripts must guide performers through real-time execution with minimal room for error.

Stage Play Format

• Dialogue-dominant with descriptive stage directions—live performance means actors and directors need clear guidance on blocking, emotion, and subtext
• Act and scene divisions with set change indicators—practical necessity for live theater, where physical transitions require time and coordination
• Emphasis on character interaction and emotional beats—without camera close-ups, plays rely on dialogue and physical performance to convey meaning

News Script Format

• Inverted pyramid structure—most critical information first, allowing stories to be cut from the bottom if time runs short
• Anchor cues and visual element coordination—scripts must guide on-air talent while synchronizing with graphics, video packages, and live feeds
• Journalistic standards and timestamps—accuracy and timing are non-negotiable in broadcast news, with segment transitions planned to the second

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Quick Reference Table

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Self-Check Questions

1. Which two formats both use audio-only delivery but differ significantly in structural flexibility, and what accounts for that difference?

2. If you needed to coordinate precise visual-audio synchronization for a training video, which format would you choose and why does its layout support that goal?

3. Compare and contrast how commercial scripts and documentary scripts handle timing—what makes one rigid and the other flexible?

4. A production requires live performance with emphasis on subtext and character emotion. Which format applies, and how does it differ from news scripts that also guide live delivery?

5. You're writing for a platform where episodes are 8-12 minutes and viewers may binge multiple installments. Which format fits, and how does it borrow from traditional TV scripting while adapting to digital constraints?