# How to format text messages in a screenplay > 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. Sources reviewed: 2026-08-09 Article updated: 2026-09-23 ## Direct answer Write a text message as visible information in action unless a voice actually speaks it. Introduce the device or notification, identify the sender, and present the exact words the audience must read. Labels such as ON SCREEN, TEXT FROM ELI, or ELI'S TEXT are all workable when used consistently. ## On the page A readable exchange without false dialogue ``` INT. LAST TRAIN - NIGHT Mara's phone lights her face. TEXT FROM ELI: Don't get off at Harbor. She types, deletes, then sends: MARA'S TEXT: Too late. ``` ## Current practice ### Keep the words in action and the pattern consistent _Common choice_ Action margins signal that the audience sees information rather than hears spoken dialogue. A short, repeated label lets the eye recognize every later message quickly. ## Accepted variations ### Inline message _Context dependent_ A very short message can sit in the same action paragraph as the notification when that reads cleanly and the exact screen presentation is unimportant. ### Dedicated message line _Common choice_ Place the label and message on their own action lines when the wording is a story beat or several exchanges need to scan quickly. ### Speech or V.O. _Context dependent_ Use dialogue only when a character or synthetic voice actually reads the message aloud. The visual text may still need an action line if the audience also sees it. ## Where reasonable writers disagree Writers use bold, italics, centered text, bubbles, or simple labels to separate messages visually. Those are presentation choices, not universal semantic elements. Clarity and consistency matter more than imitating a specific phone interface on the page. ## Mistakes to avoid - Putting silent messages under character cues, which trains the reader to hear speech that is not present. - Switching among TEXT, SUPER, INSERT, and custom indentation for the same device conversation. - Reproducing decorative interface detail that does not change the story beat. - Failing to identify the sender when the audience needs that information. ## Submission versus production ### Submission or reading draft Prefer a simple action-based pattern that remains legible in PDF and does not depend on color, a custom font, or a device-shaped graphic. ### Production draft If the exact interface, timing, or language becomes a playback-graphics requirement, the production can add design and shot detail without changing the submission draft's underlying story information. ## Working in Plot In Plot, write the message label and its words as Action and keep Dialogue for words someone says aloud. The exchange reads the same in the editor, the PDF, and the FDX, so every reader sees the texts the way you wrote them. ## Questions writers ask ### Should text messages be written as dialogue? Only when a voice actually reads them aloud. A silent message the audience reads on screen belongs in action; putting it under a character cue tells the reader somebody is speaking. ### How do I format a back-and-forth text conversation? Introduce the phone once, then give each message its own action line with a short, repeated label such as TEXT FROM ELI or MARA'S TEXT. The consistent label lets a reader scan the exchange without a drawn phone interface. ### Can I use SUPER for a text message? Pick one pattern per device and keep it. SUPER usually means words laid over the picture, like a location card; mixing it with TEXT and INSERT for the same phone makes the reader stop and decode your convention. ## Sources and context - [Final Draft — How to Format Text Messages in a Screenplay](https://www.finaldraft.com/blog/how-to-format-text-messages-in-a-screenplay) - [Final Draft's text-message examples](https://www.finaldraft.com/blog/how-to-format-text-messages-in-a-screenplay) 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. --- Canonical page: