How to Format a Screenplay Title Page

The title page is the first thing a reader sees, and it has one job: tell them what the script is called, who wrote it and how to reach you. This guide shows you exactly what goes on a screenplay title page, what to leave off a spec script, where everything sits on the page, and the small mistakes that make a script look amateur before page one.

Updated September 2026 · 7 min read

1. What a title page is for

A screenplay title page is a plain cover sheet. It isn't a poster and it isn't a pitch. Readers go through many scripts a week, and they expect the first page to look like every other professional title page, so their attention goes straight to the story.

That's why the rule for a title page is simple: less is more. Everything on it should answer one of three questions. What is this? Who wrote it? How do I contact them?

The title page uses the same font as the rest of the script, 12-point Courier or a Courier-style font. It has no page number and isn't counted in the page count. Page one is the first page of the story. If you're unsure about the rest of the page setup, see our complete guide to screenplay format.

2. What goes on a title page

A standard spec title page has only a handful of elements:

That's it. If you're writing a TV pilot, the show title goes in the title position and the episode title, often in quotation marks, sits on the line below it. Everything else stays the same.

3. Written by, Screenplay by and Based on

The credit line follows conventions from the film industry, and readers know them well. Use the one that matches your situation:

• Written by is the standard credit when you wrote an original script from your own idea. This is what most spec writers use.
• Screenplay by is typically used when the script is adapted from existing material, like a novel, a play or an article, paired with a Based on line.
• Story by appears when one person came up with the story and another wrote the screenplay. On a spec, you rarely need it.

If you co-wrote the script as a team, join your names with an ampersand: Maria Lopez & Sam Park. In industry credits, the ampersand signals a writing team that worked together, while the word and signals writers who worked separately. On your own spec, the ampersand is the right choice for a partnership.

For adaptations, name the source and its author below your credit:

A practical warning: only write an adaptation if you own or have secured the rights to the source material. The title page line doesn't grant you anything; it just tells the reader where the story came from.

4. Layout and positions

There's no single official template, but the standard layout is consistent enough that any deviation stands out. Here is where each element goes on a US Letter or A4 page:

Some writers place contact information bottom right instead. Both are accepted; bottom left is the more common choice. What matters is that the details are easy to find and that you use one block, not scattered lines.

5. An example title page

This is a complete spec title page at roughly true proportions. The blank lines at the top push the title about a third of the way down; the contact block sits at the bottom left.

Notice what isn't there: no date, no draft number, no logo, no tagline. A reader sees the title, the writer and the contact details, then turns the page.

Here is the kind of title page to avoid:

Every extra line here either repeats something the reader already assumes or tells them something you'd rather they didn't know.

6. What to leave off a spec script

A spec script is one you wrote on your own, hoping to sell it or use it as a writing sample. Production drafts follow different rules, but for a spec, current common advice is to keep the title page clean. Practices vary, and you'll see professionals break these rules, but leaving these items off is never wrong:

• Dates. A date tells the reader how long the script has been circulating. An old date can make a script feel stale before anyone reads it.
• Draft numbers. "Third Draft" or "Revised Draft" invites the question of how many versions came before. As far as a reader knows, every spec is the final draft. Production scripts do carry dates and revision labels, but that happens once a project is in development.
• WGA registration or copyright numbers. Registering or copyrighting your script is sensible, but most advice says not to print the number on the title page. It can read as a writer worried about theft, and it adds nothing for the reader.
• Images, logos and artwork. No poster art, no production company logo you made yourself, no decorative fonts.
• Quotes and taglines. A marketing line doesn't belong on the cover. If you want an epigraph, some writers place it on page one, above the opening scene, but many readers prefer none at all.
• Genre, page count or logline. These belong in your query letter or submission form, not on the script.

7. Common mistakes

• Numbering the title page. The title page has no number. The first page of the story is page one.
• Using a different font. The whole script, title page included, is in Courier. A fancy title font is the most common beginner giveaway.
• "An Original Screenplay by". "Written by" already says it. Extra words just add clutter.
• Missing contact details. A reader who loves your script needs to be able to reach you. Always include an email and a phone number.
• A title that doesn't match. The title on the page should match the file name and the title in your query. Inconsistency looks careless.
• Crowding the page. If your title page has more than about eight lines of text, something probably doesn't belong there.

Once the title page is done, the next thing a reader checks is length. Our guide to how long a screenplay should be covers that, and if you're still drafting, start with how to write a screenplay.

8. Frequently asked questions