Why script formatting matters

If you’ve ever seen a real Hollywood screenplay, you know it doesn’t look like an ordinary story. It’s clean, structured, and full of white space. That’s because script formatting isn’t just tradition, it’s a language. It helps everyone in a production instantly understand what’s happening on the page.

The whole production team depends on the script, not just the actors and directors. Therefore as well as telling the story, it serves as a blueprint for production.

For example, scriptwriters use Courier New 12-point font for a reason. This monospaced typeface keeps timing consistent because each page roughly equals one minute of screen time, helping producers estimate runtime.

Another formatting convention is scene headings (also called slug lines). This information tells the crew where and when the action takes place which helps not only the actors and directors but location scouts, lighting designers, and producers etc.

Furthermore, scripts for educational videos have extra formatting requirements such as clearly stating learning objectives at the top of the page. These help the wider editing team to achieve focus and to understand what words or dialogue are sacrosanct in the production and where there’s room to play.

So scripts follow particular conventions for a reason – to help directors, camera crews, producers, actors, editors etc find what they need instantly. They also offer a way for producers to determine the budget or make changes to the script accordingly and keep the team focused on the objectives of the video.

Implementing proper formatting helps the whole production to run smoothly. Stay tuned for our next blog on formatting educational scripts.

Looking to commission a script for your educational media project? We’re great listeners. Let’s talk. Fill out this form and we’ll get back to you with a quote.

Sign up to our newsletter to receive our free PDF guide to how to format scripts for educational media.