What Is a Script?
A script is any written document that serves as the blueprint for a performed work. Stage plays have scripts. So do radio dramas, podcast episodes, corporate training videos, video game cutscenes, and comedy sketches. The word covers everything from a two-page sketch to a six-hour theatrical production.
What makes a script different from other types of writing is its purpose. A novel is meant to be read. An article is meant to be read. A script is meant to be performed. The words on the page are instructions for actors, directors, and crew. They describe what happens, what people say, and sometimes how they say it.
Scripts vary in format depending on the medium. A stage play script follows different conventions than a television script, which follows different conventions than a video game script. There's no single "script format" because each medium has its own standards.
What Is a Screenplay?
A screenplay is a script written for film or television. It follows a format developed by the Hollywood studio system:
12-point Courier font
Specific margins
Scene headings that start with INT. or EXT.
Action lines that describe only what the camera can see
Character names centered above dialogue
Page counts that correspond to screen time (one page equals one minute)
That format exists for practical reasons. A production team needs to break down a screenplay into shooting schedules, budgets, and department assignments. The standardized layout makes that possible. When an assistant director reads a scene heading that says "EXT. PARKING LOT - NIGHT," they know the scene requires a night shoot at an exterior location.
Screenplays come in two main types: spec scripts and shooting scripts. A spec script is written on speculation, before anyone has agreed to produce it. It reads more like a story and avoids heavy camera direction. A shooting script includes camera angles, shot numbers, and technical notes added during pre-production.
Key Differences Between Screenplays and Scripts
While the two terms are used interchangeably, several factors set them apart in practice.
Format
Screenplays follow a strict industry-standard format. Scripts for other media have their own conventions but tend to be less rigid. A stage play script, for example, has more flexibility in how stage directions are written.
Medium
Screenplays are for film and television only. Scripts cover every performed medium: stage, screen, radio, podcasts, video games, and more.
Visual language
Screenplays describe what the camera sees. Every action line is a visual instruction. Scripts for stage plays describe what the audience sees from a fixed vantage point. Radio scripts describe nothing visual at all, relying entirely on dialogue and sound cues.
Length conventions
A feature film screenplay runs 90 to 120 pages. A TV pilot runs 30 to 60 pages, depending on the format. Stage plays vary much more widely. A one-act play might be 15 pages. A full-length play can run over 100.
Types of Scripts
Here are the main categories of scripts you'll encounter in professional writing:
Screenplay: Film and television. Industry-standard format. Dialogue, action, and scene headings.
Stage play script: Theater. Includes stage directions, character entrances and exits, and sometimes set design notes.
Teleplay: Technically a screenplay for television, but the term distinguishes TV scripts from film scripts in industry conversations.
Radio/podcast script: Audio only. Heavy on dialogue and sound effects cues. No visual description.
Video game script: Interactive. Includes branching dialogue, player choice nodes, and cutscene descriptions.
If you're writing dialogue for any of these formats, working through dialogue prompts can sharpen the conversational quality of your characters' lines.
Screenplay Format Basics
If you're writing a screenplay, here's the standard format:
Scene heading (slugline): INT. or EXT., location, time of day. Example: INT. COFFEE SHOP - MORNING
Action lines: Present tense description of what happens on screen. Only what the camera can capture.
Character name: Centered, all caps, above the dialogue.
Dialogue: Centered below the character name, narrower margins than action lines.
Parentheticals: Brief acting direction in parentheses between character name and dialogue. Use sparingly.
Transitions: CUT TO, FADE TO, DISSOLVE TO. Modern screenwriting uses these rarely.
When to Use Which Term
Use "screenplay" when you're talking about a specific work written for film or TV. Use "script" when you're speaking generally, when the medium is theater or audio, or when you're not sure of the exact format. In casual conversation, either word works. In professional contexts, precision matters.
A screenwriter writes screenplays. A playwright writes scripts for the stage. A writer who creates dialogue for video games is a script writer or narrative designer. The terminology follows the medium.
If you're interested in the craft of visual storytelling, learning how to write a monologue is a practical exercise that applies across all script formats.
Related Resources
FAQ
Here are answers to the most common questions about screenplays and scripts.
Can I call my screenplay a script?
Yes. A screenplay is a type of script, so calling it a script is correct. In industry settings, using "screenplay" is more precise and shows you know the terminology.
Is a TV script the same as a screenplay?
A TV script follows screenplay format with some differences. TV scripts are sometimes called "teleplays." The format is the same, but TV scripts are structured around commercial breaks (for network TV) and episode structure.
Do I need special software to write a screenplay?
Not strictly, but it helps. The screenplay format has specific margins and spacing requirements. Software handles this automatically.
What's the difference between a spec script and a shooting script?
A spec script is the creative version written to sell the story. A shooting script includes technical elements such as camera angles and shot numbers during pre-production. Writers write spec scripts. Directors and their teams create shooting scripts.