Screenplay Template: Copyable Example for Word and Fountain

Copy the complete screenplay example below to start a scene of your own. You can format it in Word or save the plain text for a Fountain-compatible writing application. This guide covers title-page information, screenplay elements, paragraph styles you can create yourself and checks for your own PDF export.

Start by copying the example, then follow the method you intend to use. The text box shows the order of the elements; your writing application will create the printed page layout. For a submission, also follow the recipient’s paper size, title-page and anonymity requirements.

Copy the complete screenplay template

Select and copy the whole text box, from Title: through > FADE OUT.. Maya and Ellis’s scene is an original fictional example created for this guide. The title and writer fields are placeholders for your own information.

Title: SCREENPLAY TITLE
Author: Writer Name

INT. LIBRARY - DAY

MAYA (27) places a borrowed book on the desk. A dried flower falls from its pages. The librarian, ELLIS (50), checks the return date.

ELLIS
Three days late.

MAYA
I know.

Maya reaches for the flower, then stops. Ellis lifts it from the open book.

ELLIS
Is this yours too?

MAYA
(looking at the flower)
My mother's. I was reading the book to her.

Ellis opens an empty return envelope. He places the flower inside and offers it to Maya.

ELLIS
The book can stay here.

Maya takes the envelope. Ellis places a new bookmark between the pages.

> FADE OUT.

The example contains a scene heading, action, character cues, dialogue, a brief parenthetical and a transition. Use the text unchanged while learning the format, then make a separate copy for your own story.

How to set up the screenplay in Word

Prefer a ready-made file? Download the Word screenplay template (.docx) with the title page, KS paragraph styles and the sample scene already set up.

1. Separate the title page from the scene

Open a blank Word document and paste the example as plain text. Turn the Title: and Author: information into a separate title page with the screenplay’s name and your writer credit. In the scene, remove the > before FADE OUT. and keep the transition text. That symbol is an instruction for a Fountain application.

Start a new section after the title page. Set the screenplay section’s numbering to begin at 1, keeping the cover separate. For an anonymous submission, remove identifying information according to the recipient’s instructions. Save the editable document with a name that distinguishes the project and draft.

2. Choose the page layout

For this exercise, use US Letter paper, 12-point Courier New and single line spacing. Set the left margin to 1.5 inches and the right, top and bottom margins to 1 inch. These starting settings work with the paragraph layout below. If your recipient requires A4 or different measurements, apply those requirements and inspect the new page breaks.

The Academy’s screenwriting resources acknowledge small variations in professional scripts. Treat this layout as a working starting point rather than a universal requirement. Our screenplay format guide explains the purpose of the individual elements.

3. Create a paragraph style for each element

Use paragraph formatting to position character cues and dialogue. Begin by formatting one sample paragraph, then save that formatting as a named style. The Styles area in desktop Word lets you apply it again; Microsoft’s guide to creating styles explains the controls.

The indents below are measured from the edges of the text area inside the page margins, not from the paper’s edge. Do not add a separate first-line indent.

Paragraph style	Left indent	Right indent	Alignment
Scene	0 in	0 in	Left
Action	0 in	0 in	Left
Character	2.2 in	0 in	Left
Dialogue	1 in	1.5 in	Left
Parenthetical	1.5 in	2 in	Left
Transition	0 in	0 in	Right

Create these styles in your own document. You can leave 12 points of paragraph space after scene headings, action paragraphs and completed dialogue blocks. Keep a character cue together with its speech, without an added blank space between them; a parenthetical belongs within the same speech block.

After pasting the Fountain text, check whether its blank lines and your paragraph spacing create doubled gaps. Remove unnecessary empty paragraphs where the style already supplies the space. Check that a character cue does not become separated from the dialogue by a page break.

4. Apply the styles to the sample

Apply Scene to INT. LIBRARY - DAY, Action to the paragraph describing the falling flower, and Character to the standalone ELLIS cue. The following speech takes Dialogue. Use Parenthetical for (looking at the flower) and Transition for FADE OUT..

Format the whole scene before adding more pages. Then lengthen an action paragraph and add a speech. Are the indents and page breaks still readable as the text grows? This small exercise lets you inspect the setup before committing a longer draft to it.

How to use the same text as Fountain

Fountain describes screenplay elements in readable plain text. Paste the original example into a plain-text editor with its symbols intact. Save it using UTF-8 encoding with a name such as my-film.fountain. Check that the resulting filename is not accidentally my-film.fountain.txt.

Open or import that file in an application that supports Fountain. Changing a filename alone does not automatically format text pasted into Word.

• Title: and Author: identify title-page information.
• INT. LIBRARY - DAY is a scene heading. A leading period can force a heading that uses a different prefix.
• > FADE OUT. identifies a transition.

See the official Fountain syntax guide for details. Inspect the sample’s elements and characters in the application’s preview before moving your own draft into it.

Turn the sample into your own scene

The conversation initially appears to concern an overdue book. The flower reveals Maya’s connection to the object, and Ellis’s task changes from checking a return date to protecting a keepsake. The change becomes visible when he puts the flower in an envelope and hands it back. It does not require a long explanation of their feelings.

Change three things in your own version: what the person wants now, what stands in their way and the choice they make at the end. If Maya wanted to keep the book for another day, how would Ellis’s resistance change? Altering names alone leaves the same story in place; a new objective should change the action.

Use the logline exercise to express the new conflict in one sentence. Then follow the screenplay writing guide to develop the actions and dialogue.

Create and check your own PDF

Keep the editable source when the scene is ready. If your Word or Fountain application offers PDF output, export your own document through that option. Open the resulting PDF separately; the appearance of the editing window is not enough to verify the file you will send.

1. Placeholders: Have you replaced the sample title, writer field and example character names?
2. Characters: Are names, punctuation and accented letters displayed correctly?
3. Page breaks: Has a character cue separated from its speech? Are there unnecessary blank pages or isolated lines?
4. Requirements: Do paper size, title page, numbering and anonymity match the recipient’s instructions?
5. Version: Does this PDF contain the latest changes? Is it readable in another viewer?

Counting a screenplay page as roughly a minute does not establish an exact running time. Silence, rapid dialogue and an extended action described briefly can play at different speeds. Format for readability, then consider how the scene will actually unfold.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use this template for a short film?

Yes. The main scene-heading, action and dialogue elements can support a short-film draft. Use the sample to begin, then write a new scene around your own character’s goal and decision.

Do I have to use Word?

No. You can work in a Fountain-compatible application or build a layout in another editor with paragraph controls. Review the elements after moving the text and inspect the PDF you create.

Will correct formatting guarantee acceptance?

No. The story, the finished document and the recipient’s current requirements all matter. Copy the example, complete your own scene, then check both its formatting and what has changed by its final moment.