Very confused by all the different ways I've seen TV episodes written. For example: I read some Big Bang scripts and they use double spacing for dialogue and they letter the scenes. They also end the scenes with: AND WE CUT TO/FADE OUT which I've read is not something I should be doing. Other TV scripts I've read all use single spacing for dialogue. The reason I bring it up is because I wrote a spec for Big Bang a while back and was thinking of submitting it for the Happy Writers contest, but when I wrote it I copied the format I saw in the scripts I had read. Should I change it? And in the future is there any kind of standard for both specs and original pilots I should follow?
Screenwriting : TV Formatting by Tim Scharf
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TV Sitcoms have their own formatting rules that are very different from dramas or feature films. Here is a link that can explain better than I can. http://eyesondeck.typepad.com/scriptfaze/2009/03/how-to-format-a-tv-sitc...
The most important thing when you're writing a spec of an existing show is that you do it the way they do it. In both the terms of the material you're writing--you want it to look, sound, feel like an episode of their show--and in terms of the formatting. I think that what it may come down to on the formatting front is that there are big, general rules that everybody adheres to, and then show-specific rules laid out by the creator/showrunner/head writer. Part of that comes down to a matter of taste (for instance, some people don't like to look at all the capitalized words, so they don't put them in, while others seem to CAPITALIZE half the WORDS in their SCRIPTS.) My advice is to read the produced scripts of the show you're spec-ing and copy their formatting entirely. Anybody reading for a contest will recognize that you've done that, because it will look more like an actual episode of the show. But they'll also recognize when you haven't, because it won't "feel right."
...Trey! Nicely done! Yes... the methods used in scripting appear to evolve by binding and solvent nature of the body of writers combined with the artist's abilities to give the "life" of the characters in the way that the "Bangers" have .... if you are handing off "wet-ink" script sheets ... well, lol Rules are guide lines not laws and "viola'" lol a new method is born! I love the hit the wings at a break neck pace as ya stifle off an impish grin and draw the breath that is to deliver your team steam and remind the omniverse that once in a while... you CAN bottle lightening ! (as eddy asks himself... coffee at midnight? ) Mebbe....who wants to know? lol
I see a lot of people speaking of copying the formatting of the series as opposed to following formatting rules. I don't disagree but the example in the OP isn't about some strange formatting technique used only by this show. Using all caps for descriptions and double spacing dialog is standard formatting for a Sitcom. While it is a good idea to check the series scripts for things that might be unique to that show, its even more important to know what the standard formatting rules are for the type of script you are writing. A theater screenplay is different than a feature film script is different than a TV Drama is different than a TV Sitcom. While most look very similar, the Sitcom is a truly different animal and looks very different from all the others.
Each television series has its own format -- and yes, they're all sort of similar, but that doesn't matter -- and if you want to be taken seriously by any of these showrunners and their assistants, write in the format their show uses with all the quirks they've added. The easiest way to do this is to get a screenwriting format program like Final Draft. It, along with Movie Magic Screenwriter and others, has the formats for nearly every TV series currently in production. You can get FD for less than $200. As a side note, it borders on insanity -- or will drive you insane -- to try writing for television or film without using a standard formatting program.
Once again, Sitcoms are different animals. Using screenwriting software will not help if you don't know the tweaks necessary to make the format a Sitcom format. Here is an article from Final Draft with some more explanation: http://www.finaldraft.com/learn/articles/screenplay-teleplay-stage-play-... Here is what the article says about Sitcoms: "Sitcom script format reflects its talky radio origins: Dialogue is double-spaced for legibility; stage directions are formatted in all capital letters to make them easily distinguishable from dialogue; and the pages contain lots of white space for jotting notes. The live audience provides a laugh track but also limits where scenes can take place (street scenes and large crowds tend to be out of the question). The text in the script is spaced out much more so than in a screenplay; a page of a screenplay translates into about a minute of screen time while a page of a sitcom teleplay translates into about 30 seconds of screen time. The scenes are numbered—and the scene numbers are displayed at the top of each page along with the page numbers. The script is divided into acts and scenes and each division begins on a new page. A list of which characters are needed in each scene appears at the beginning of each scene. The dialogue can contain "personal direction" for the actor (such as "she sits" or "glumly") within it rather than outside of it, just like a stage play."
Still a little confused but the links help. I've been testing out the Fade In software and the sitcom template uses double spacing for the dialogue. I think for original work I'll stick with that.