Put the exact words the audience must read in action, and use an INSERT only when the change in visual emphasis is itself important.
Direct answer
Introduce the object or screen in action, then reproduce only the words the audience must be able to read. Use a clear label such as INSERT — THE NOTE or ON MARA'S LAPTOP when the close view matters; otherwise keep the information in an ordinary action paragraph. Return to the scene with action rather than adding a new master scene heading for a close view inside the same location.
On the page
INT. ARCHIVE - NIGHT
Mara opens the recovered email.
INSERT - LAPTOP SCREEN
SUBJECT: HARBOR CAMERA 4
Delete the footage before sunrise.
Mara checks the clock: 5:41 A.M.
Evidence weight
A reader needs the exact words that change the scene and enough context to know where they appear. They rarely need every menu, timestamp, icon, email header, or graphic-design decision surrounding those words.
INSERT, ON SCREEN, CLOSE ON, and a plain action label all appear in professional scripts. The choice is partly tonal and partly about emphasis. A spec can be visually assertive when the reveal depends on framing, but routine written information does not become clearer merely because it is labeled like a shot.
Not one rigid template
A short sign, headline, or note can remain in the action paragraph when it reads naturally and does not require a distinct visual beat.
Give the object its own all-caps shot line when the audience's close attention, reveal timing, or return to the surrounding scene matters.
Summarize what is skimmed and quote only the lines that must be read verbatim. A voice-over may accompany it when the film actually uses a voice, but written material is not dialogue by default.
Reader and handoff friction
Choose for the recipient
Keep written material legible in a normal PDF at ordinary zoom and quote only story-essential text. Avoid embedded screenshots or decorative mock interfaces unless the recipient expressly permits them.
Playback graphics, clearance, localization, exact timestamps, and device behavior may require a separate production workflow. Retain the approved words in the script while those departments refine the final screen design.
In Plot, use a clearly labeled Action line for the insert heading and ordinary Action for the readable words. Keep Dialogue for speech that is actually heard. This preserves familiar screenplay structure while leaving room for production graphics to develop later.
Browse the screenplay formatting reference
Complete, source-backed guides for common screenplay situations
Text messages
Put readable on-screen messages in action, identify the sender when needed, and use one consistent pattern instead of disguising silent text as spoken dialogue.
Foreign language & subtitles
Tell the reader what language is spoken and whether the audience understands it, then write the readable translation without repeating the instruction on every line.
Continuous action & time jumps
Use CONTINUOUS for unbroken movement into a new location, SAME for simultaneous time, and a plain action beat or new time label for an actual jump forward.
