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Preface | |
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Acknowledgments | |
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Introduction | |
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Basic Format and Style | |
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Guides to the Appearance of the Screenplay | |
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Sample Screenplay Pages | |
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Getting Started | |
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The Format Box | |
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The Header | |
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Margin Settings | |
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The Elements of a Screenplay | |
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How Screenplays Begin and End | |
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Scene Lines | |
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General Rules | |
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The Staging | |
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The Location | |
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The Time | |
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Adding Specifics to the Scene Line | |
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Instructions | |
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General Rules | |
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Introducing Characters | |
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Identifying Character Names to the Audience | |
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Limitations and Liberties on Introducing Characters | |
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Words That Get Capped | |
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Using a Note | |
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Refining the Writing of Instructions | |
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The Dialogue-Block | |
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General Rules | |
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Character-Names | |
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Dialogue | |
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Parentheticals | |
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Transitions | |
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General Rules | |
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Scenes, Sequences, and Transitions | |
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Putting It All Together | |
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Page Breaks | |
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Unacceptable Page Breaks | |
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Scene Numbers | |
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The Title Page | |
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Final Touches | |
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Protection of Screenplays | |
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Advanced Format and Style | |
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Enhancing the Narrative | |
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All About Slug Lines | |
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The Master Shot | |
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Slug Lines | |
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Three Types of Slug Lines | |
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What Utility Slug Lines Do | |
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What Visual Slug Lines Do | |
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What Non-Visual Slug Lines Do | |
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Utility Slug Lines | |
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Return to Scene | |
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Establishing | |
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Intercut as Needed | |
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Superimposed Words | |
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Visual Slug Lines | |
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Isolating Characters and Objects | |
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Point of View (P.O.V.) | |
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Cutaway | |
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Series of Shots | |
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Inserts | |
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Subdividing a Scene into Two or More Activities | |
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Subdividing a Multi-Room Structure into Specific Rooms | |
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Non-Visual Slug Lines | |
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Identifying a Critical Sound | |
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Emphasizing Something Dramatic | |
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Indicating a Lapse of Time | |
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Special Format Situations | |
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Parallel Action | |
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Telephone Conversations | |
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Only One Side of the Conversation Is Seen and Heard | |
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Only One Side of the Conversation Is Seen but Both Sides Are Heard | |
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Both Sides of the Conversation Are Seen and Heard | |
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Car Scenes | |
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Both the Car and Location Are Important | |
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Two or More Cars Are Engaged in a Chase | |
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Activity Occurs Both Inside and Outside a Car | |
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A Car Passes by a Fixed Position | |
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Televised and Projected Images | |
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Televised Images | |
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Projected Images | |
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Time-Shifts and Flashbacks | |
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Time-Shifts | |
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Flashbacks | |
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Unusual Scene Beginnings | |
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A Scene That Begins with Sound before the Image Appears | |
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A Scene That Begins with Text before the Image Appears | |
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A Scene That Begins with a Visual Slug Line before the Master Shot | |
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Unusual Effects | |
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Special Effects | |
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Strange Creatures | |
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Strange Environments | |
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Unusual Character Introductions | |
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An Environment Is Described before the Character Is Introduced | |
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A Character Enters the Story before Being Named | |
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An Imaginary Character Appears | |
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A Character Is Introduced by a Still Image | |
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A Character Is Introduced by a Voice | |
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A Character's Appearance or Demeanor Changes | |
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A Character Appears at Different Ages | |
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The Audience Is Aware the Character Is Disguised | |
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The Audience Is Unaware the Character Is Disguised | |
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A Character Has Multiple Identities or Personalities | |
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Dreams and Fantasies | |
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A Dream or Fantasy That Is Clearly Identified | |
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A Dream or Fantasy That Is Disguised as Reality | |
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Written Material On-Screen | |
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The Content of a Letter Is Read Aloud | |
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The Content of a Letter Is Heard Through the Mind of the Reader | |
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The Content of a Letter Is Displayed On-Screen | |
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An Emblem or a Sign | |
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Stock Footage | |
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Foreign Languages (With or Without Sub-Titles) | |
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Title Cards | |
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Common Format Mistakes | |
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General Mistakes | |
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Using Incorrect Line Spacing | |
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Using an Incorrect Typeface | |
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Confusing Real Time and Screen Time | |
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Scene Line / Slug Line Mistakes | |
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Writing Inaccurate Scene Lines | |
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Confusing Scene Lines with Slug Lines | |
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Confusing Locations | |
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Improper Intercutting of Visuals | |
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Confusing Slug Lines | |
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Creating Unclear Cutaways | |
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Using the Incorrect Format for a Series of Shots | |
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Instruction Mistakes | |
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Writing Instructions in the Past Tense | |
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Using Illogical Wording | |
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Using Illogical Actions | |
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Capping Words Excessively | |
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Providing Unknowable Information | |
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Providing a Premature Description | |
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Over-Describing a Basic Activity | |
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Neglecting an Important Description | |
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Introducing Too Many Characters Too Quickly | |
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Introducing a Character Incorrectly | |
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Not Clarifying Who Is in a Scene | |
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Neglecting Character Exits | |
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Dialogue-Block Mistakes | |
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Improperly Formatting a Song or Poem | |
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Creating Unwieldy Parentheticals | |
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Summarizing Dialogue | |
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Splitting Words with Hyphens | |
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Index | |