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The Hollywood Standard

The Complete and Authoritative Guide to Script Format and Style
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Hollywood Standard is a practical guide for screenwriters, offering clear, concise instructions and hundreds of examples to navigate the complexities of script formatting. Christopher Riley covers essential topics such as scene headings, shot headings, dialogue, pacing, and capitalisation, while also addressing modern storytelling elements like text messaging and virtual meetings. The book explores how format varies between animation and live action, and how top Hollywood writers innovate within formatting rules, making it an indispensable resource for writers aiming to craft professional, reader-friendly scripts.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for screenwriters of all levels who want to master the details of professional script formatting, including those working in live action and animation. It is particularly useful as a handy reference guide for industry professionals seeking clarity on evolving formatting conventions.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Intended to be kept at a screenwriter's fingertips, The Hollywood Standard provides what even the best script software can't: clear, concise instructions and hundreds of examples to take the guesswork out of a multitude of formatting questions that perplex even seasoned screenwriters.

Contents include:

  • When a new scene heading is appropriate and when it isn't
  • How to format shot headings, dialogue, direction and transitions
  • How to control pace with formatting
  • How to make a script page visually inviting to the reader
  • What to capitalise and why
  • How to get into and out of a POV shot
  • How to handle text messages and Zoom meetings
  • How Hollywood's most innovative screenwriters are pushing the boundaries of format
  • How format for animation differs from live action formats

Simply put, Riley knows more about script format than anyone in Hollywood and shares it all in this indispensable guide.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781615933228

Publisher: Michael Wiese Productions

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 04 June 2021

Country: United States

Imprint: Michael Wiese Productions

Edition: 3rd Revised edition

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 216.0mm

Height: 279.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 220

About the Author

Christopher Riley is an American screenwriter whose first film, After The Truth, a multiple-award-winning courtroom thriller, sparked international controversy when it was released in Germany in 1999. Other credits include 25 To Life, written for Touchstone Pictures, The Other White House, written for Sean Connery's Fountainbridge Films, Aces, written for Paramount Pictures and Emmy-winning producer Robert Cort, and an adaptation of the book Actual Innocence, for Mandalay Television Pictures and the Fox television network. He is a 14-year veteran of the Warner Bros. script department, and from 2005 through 2008, he served as director of the acclaimed Act One Writing Program in Hollywood. He executive produced the groundbreaking 2010 web series Bump+ and produced the 2013 feature film, Red Line. He teaches screenwriting at John Paul the Great Catholic University and serves on the Pediatric Central Institutional Review

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