Chapter 21 - Other Script Formats

Chapter 21 - Other Script Formats

So far we've mostly discussed submission or spec screenplays. The same elements used in a screenplay are used in several other script formats. Only measurements and format vary here and there.

•           MOW - Movies of the Week

•           DTV - Direct TV Movie

•           Hour Episodic TV Show

These formats are almost identical as the format of the spec screenplay. However, these scripts are broken into ACTS that are delineated within the body of the script. An act covers that part of the story that takes place between the commercials. Hence, an ACT BREAK is a commercial break.

When a MOW Act begins, note it this way:

                                    ACT ONE

When an Act ends, note it this way:

                                 END OF ACT ONE

MOW or DTV scripts usually have 7 acts. When a MOW ends, note it this way:

                                    THE END

A MOW will also have a (roughly) three- to eight-minute "teaser" that begins the story, noted this way:

                                     TEASER

A Teaser is not usually noted with END OF TEASER. Rather, the scene simply ends and a new page begins where Act One starts. A one-hour episodic script will also have a Teaser, albeit a shorter one than a MOW.

A MOW will also have a similar (but shorter) "Tag" scene at the end that caps off the story and keeps your audience riveted by the television until after the next set of commercials. This is usually not delineated as such.

A one-hour episodic program usually has 4 acts.

Page numbering is continuous for both forms.