Articles on: Getting Started

How should my script be formatted?

Scriptation works best with industry-standard TV, film, and theatrical script formatting. You can open and annotate any PDF, but scripts that follow these specs get the most reliable results from Auto-Highlight, Playback Mode, Info Layers, and the Lining tools.


Documents such as musical scores, schedules, ROS, and contact sheets can be annotated normally, but features like Auto-Highlight may not work reliably on them.


How Scriptation identifies scenes


Scriptation detects scenes by looking for standard scene headings (slug lines): INT. or EXT. followed by the location and time of day (e.g. EXT. PLACE - TIME), optionally preceded by a scene number.


Common reasons a scene heading isn't recognized


  • No period after INT or EXT — use INT. or EXT.;
  • No period after a scene number typed into the heading — use 1., not 1;
  • Extra spaces — use single spaces between the scene number, INT./EXT., and the location;
  • No blank line after the heading — leave one blank line between the scene heading and the first action line;
  • Offset margins — extra spaces or indents before a heading (or before a character name) stop it from being detected;
  • A slash after a closing parenthesis followed by a space — (DRIVING)/GUS'S APARTMENT works, but (DRIVING)/ GUS'S APARTMENT may not.


Scene numbers


In standard formatting, scene numbers sit at the far left and right margins, separate from the heading text. That's hard to replicate in a word processor, so it's best to leave scene numbers out of the heading and let the Large Scene Numbers Info Layer add them.


In Final Draft, a scene heading long enough to reach the right margin can push the right-side scene number off the page, and Scriptation won't detect that scene. To fix it, shorten the heading so the number has room, or adjust the right-side scene number margin under Scene Numbers. Test on a copy first, and check any studio or network formatting requirements before changing margins.


✅ TIP: Keep scene headings to a single line whenever possible — long, multi-line headings are the most likely to lose their scene number.


📝 NOTE: Sub-scenes written as plain action lines (e.g. "110A" without an INT./EXT. heading) aren't recognized as separate scenes, even if they have scene numbers.


Creating a script from scratch


These guidelines come from Final Draft's "Untitled One-Hour TV Drama" template:


  • Text Margins: Left: 1.5", Right: 1", Top: 1.0", Bottom: 1.0";
  • Header/Footer Margins: 0.5";
  • Page Number: Top right of Header, Right Indent: 7.25", period after the number;
  • Font: Courier;
  • Font Size: 12;
  • Leading (vertical line spacing): Normal.



Single-Camera Sample Script



Multi-Camera Sample Script



Theatrical Sample Script


Scriptation offers custom Final Draft and Microsoft Word templates for theatrical productions, designed to work with Auto-Highlight.



✅ TIP: To get the most out of the Microsoft Word template, turn on the Style Pane and Style Guide.



What about Dual Dialogue?


Scriptation doesn't recognize Dual Dialogue (side-by-side dialogue). In those sections, Auto-Highlight may miss the lines, Playback Mode reads them with the Narrator voice as action, and Dialogue Numbering is inaccurate for that scene.


What's Next


Auto-Highlighting or Character Names not working correctly
What is Auto-Highlighting?
How do I add Dialogue Numbering to my script?
What is Playback Mode?

Updated on: 08/10/2026

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