such as how to automate "more's" and "continued's" with word processing software are contained in this template. It is Freeware written with Microsoft Word in 12-point Courier. Please feel free to pass it on to other filmmakers. For Macs, option+click to download; for PC's, right click.

Download template for advanced script topics

SCREENPLAY FORMATTING: ADVANCED TOPICS
Peter Thompson
5/11/89    

Breaking Dialogues between Pages
You’ll notice that the Screenplay Template does not have "MORE" and "cont’d’s" at the end of dialogue that extends past the end of a page. This is because it is not a final draft. MORE/cont’d’s are added only on the final draft of a screenplay elst you spend much of your writing time in the drafts stages needlessly adjusting dialogue breaks. So, let’s say you’ve completed your final draft. When you look over your script, you’ll occasionally see large blank spaces at the bottom of a page followed by long dialogues on following page. That’s because the Dialogue Style has been pre-programmed to keep all dialogue lines together on one page.

Here’s what to do to break dialogue:
1. Start from the beginning of your script (important) and scan for blank space at the bottom of the page followed by a long dialogue at the top of the following page.
2. Click anywhere in that dialogue.
3. Select "Paragraph" under the FORMAT menu.
4. De-select "Keep Lines Together" under "Pagination".
5. Select "Repaginate Now" under TOOLS menu. This lets you see where the new page break falls.
6. Decide where between sentences you want the dialogue to break before the page break.
7. Type (MORE) at the end of the break.
8. Type (cont’d) at the beginning of the continuing dialogue on the next page.
9. Select "Repaginate Now" under TOOLS menu. It is vital that you repaginate after every forced break, otherwise your script will be incorrectly formatted.
10 Search for the next needed dialogue break in the script. When you find it, goto step 1.  

Macro
You can write a macro to quickly perform steps 7 and 8, above. Refer to the Microsoft Word Manual for how to do this.

Renumbering Scene Numbers
Scene numbers are usually added after the final draft and after you have budgeted your film. Hopefully, you have already entered the number "1" + space as a place marker prior to every scene.

All you have to do now to renumber your entire script is to:
1. Select "Renumber" under the TOOLS menu.
2. Click in the radio button labelled "Paragraphs--Only if Already Numbered".
3. Enter the number "1" in the box "Start at:"
4. Click "OK". The computer will only look for paragraphs that begin with a number. It will find all your scenes numbered "1" and will then renumber them sequentially.

Numbering Scenes after Script is Written
Let’s say you did not preface each of your new scenes with a "1"+ space as a placeholder to be renumbered after you have written your script. How do you then number your scenes without scrolling through the entire script and individually numbering each new scene? Through a combination of "Redefine the Style based on the Selection" and "Replace".

Here’s how:
1. Click on any new scene.
2. On the Ruler, move the left hand margin (the top triangle) which is at 1/2" to "O". Do nothing with the bottom triangle.
3. Put a left hand tab marker where the bottom triangle is. 4. Press "Shift-Command+"S". Then press "A"+ Return. You have just selected the "New Scene" style. But the "New Scene" style goes to its style sheet and notices that you have made modifications in the scene header. A dialogue box then comes on the screen.
5. Choose "Redefine the Style based on the Selection". So you have now redefined the New Scene style. Now you are going to use the "Replace" function to add a number, scoot the EXT’s and INT’s over to their proper place, and then to reumber the scenes.

Here’s how:
1. Select "Replace" under the EDIT menu.
2. In the "Find What" box type in "EXT.
3. In the "Replace With" box type in "1"+space+^t+EXT. The "^t" is the code for the tab marker.
4. Click on "Replace All".
5. Repeat this procedure for all the INT scenes. Now all new scenes are prefaced with the number "1" at the "0" marker, followed by the scene description at the 1/2" marker.
6. Now select "Renumber" under the TOOLS menu. 7. Click "Only if Already Renumbered", and OK. Now all your new scenes are numbered sequentially.