# Screenplay example: an annotated first page > An original screenplay example with each element explained: scene headings, action, character cues, parentheticals, dialogue and transitions, each shown in place. Sources reviewed: 2026-10-24 Article updated: 2026-10-24 ## Direct answer A screenplay page is built from six elements: scene headings that say where and when, action that says what we see and hear, character cues, dialogue, the occasional parenthetical, and an optional transition. The example below is an original opening page that uses each one. On paper it is set in 12-point Courier at standard margins, the layout that lets a reader estimate running time from the page count. ## On the page An original opening page: two scenes, every element ``` EXT. HARBOR WALL - DAWN Fog sits on the water. A row of fishing boats knocks against the wall, ropes creaking. NELL HARGREAVES (60s), oilskin coat, reading glasses on a cord, checks a battered tide table against her watch. Footsteps. TOMAS (17), her nephew, hood up, carries two coffees he has clearly spilled. TOMAS They were full when I left. NELL (not looking up) The tide turns at six-ten. You were meant to be here at six. TOMAS It's six-oh-four. Nell holds out her hand. He gives her a coffee. She sips it and winces. NELL Cold. Out in the fog, an ENGINE coughs and dies. They both turn toward the sound. CUT TO: INT. NELL'S BOAT - WHEELHOUSE - MOMENTS LATER Cramped. Charts pinned to every surface. Nell turns the key. Nothing. TOMAS (O.S.) Is that us or them? NELL Get the radio. ``` ## Current practice ### Six elements carry almost every page _Widely expected_ On the example, the scene heading names interior or exterior, the place and the time of day. Action introduces each character in capitals with an age the first time we meet them and capitalizes the one sound the scene turns on. A parenthetical appears only where the words alone would be misread, a character heard from another room gets O.S. after the name, and the cut sits flush right. ## Accepted variations ### A spec script page _Widely expected_ What the example shows: no scene numbers, no camera directions, and only the transitions that change how a moment reads. This is the page a reader, a contest or a representative sees. ### A shooting script page _Production-specific_ Once a script goes into production it gains scene numbers in both margins, CONTINUED and MORE markers at page breaks, and revision marks on colored pages. The words stay; the page now carries scheduling information. ### A television pilot page _Context dependent_ A pilot adds a teaser or cold open and act breaks, and some shows, multi-camera comedies especially, use a different house layout. Follow the show's own format when you have it. ## Where reasonable writers disagree Transitions are where writers disagree most. Some readers like an occasional CUT TO: as rhythm; others see it as clutter, since every new scene heading already implies a cut. Camera directions such as CLOSE ON or WE SEE split readers too. In a spec, use either sparingly and only when the shot carries the meaning. ## Mistakes to avoid - Writing action as long paragraphs. Keep blocks to a few lines so the page reads at the speed it plays. - Using a parenthetical to direct the actor when the dialogue or the action could carry the beat. - Introducing a character without capitals, or capitalizing the name every time after the first. - Formatting by hand in a word processor, so margins and page breaks drift and the page count stops meaning anything. ## Submission versus production ### Submission or reading draft For a spec submission, keep the page clean: no scene numbers, no revision marks, standard Courier and margins, and a title page with your contact details. Check the opportunity's own rules on page count and file format before you send. ### Production draft When a script goes into production, lock scene numbers, issue changes as colored revision pages, and keep the spec as its own draft so the clean page stays available for submissions. ## Working in Plot Plot formats each element as you write, so scene headings, character cues and dialogue land on the right margins without manual tabs. The free screenplay templates hold complete example scripts for a feature, a short and a TV pilot; open one, write over it and export a PDF. ## Questions writers ask ### What does a screenplay look like? A screenplay is set in 12-point Courier with wide margins. Scene headings in capitals start at the left margin, action runs the full width, character names sit in capitals toward the center, and dialogue is a narrower column beneath them. The example on this page shows each element in place. ### Where can I read real screenplays legally? The Academy Nicholl Fellowships publish past winning scripts as free PDFs on their screenwriting resources page, alongside formatting tips. Read them for how a page moves, not only for the format. ### How long is a screenplay? A feature spec usually runs about 90 to 120 pages. One page per minute is a planning convention rather than a measurement: dialogue-heavy pages play faster and action-heavy pages slower. ### Can I use this example as a template? Yes. The scenes are original and free to write over. For a whole script to start from, open one of the free screenplay templates, which include a feature, a short and a TV pilot written out in full. ## Sources and context - [Final Draft — How to Format a Screenplay](https://www.finaldraft.com/learn/how-to-format-a-screenplay/) - [Academy Nicholl — Screenwriting resources (winning scripts and formatting tips)](https://www.oscars.org/nicholl/screenwriting-resources) - [Academy Nicholl winning scripts, free to read](https://www.oscars.org/nicholl/screenwriting-resources) These sources document current screenplay practice, software guidance, or production workflow. Screenplay style remains flexible, and any delivery brief or submission rule supplied by the recipient takes precedence. ## Where to go next - [Free screenplay templates](https://www.inkwell.software/templates): Complete example scripts for a feature, a short and a TV pilot, ready to open and write over. - [Screenplay page count](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/page-count): How long a feature, a pilot and a short usually run, and why one page per minute is only a planning rule. --- Canonical page: