Short Film Script Format: How to Write a Screenplay That Works

A screenplay is not a story written down. It is a working document that tells your cast and crew exactly what will be seen and heard on screen, scene by scene. A properly formatted script makes everything after it easier: scheduling, budgeting, rehearsing and editing.

The good news is that the format is simple, and it is the same for a five-minute short as for a feature.

The parts of a screenplay

Every scene is built from a few elements, always in the same order and style.

Scene heading (slugline). Where and when the scene happens, in capitals: INT. or EXT. (interior or exterior), the location, and DAY or NIGHT.

Action. What we see, in the present tense, in short paragraphs. Only what a camera can show or a microphone can hear.

Character name. In capitals, above their dialogue. The first time a character appears in the action, their name is in capitals too, usually with their age.

Parenthetical. A short note under the name about how a line is said, used sparingly.

Dialogue. What the character says.

Transition. Instructions like CUT TO: on the right. Most modern scripts leave these out; a new scene heading already implies a cut.

An example scene

Here is how it looks on the page:

INT. TEA SHOP - NIGHT

Rain hammers the tin roof. The shop is empty except for
MURUGAN (60s), wiping the same glass for the third time.

The door opens. KAVYA (20s), soaked, holds out a
folded envelope.

                    KAVYA
          Appa sent this. He said you'd
          know what it means.

Murugan does not take it.

                    MURUGAN
               (quietly)
          Twenty years, and he sends an
          envelope.

He turns off the radio. The rain is suddenly very loud.

EXT. BUS STAND - CONTINUOUS

Kavya runs for the last bus, the envelope still in her hand.

Notice what is not there: no camera directions, no music cues, no paragraph about the characters' feelings. The action shows behaviour ("wiping the same glass for the third time") and lets the actor and director bring the meaning.

How long should a short film script be?

The usual rule is one page is about one minute of screen time in standard format. Dialogue-heavy pages run a little faster, action-heavy pages slower. So:

a 5-minute short: about 5 pages
a 10-minute short: about 10 pages
a 15-minute short: about 15 pages

Many festivals favour shorts under 15 or 20 minutes, and audiences online drop off quickly. If your script is 25 pages, it is probably two films, or one film with scenes that can go.

Writing a Tamil screenplay

You have three practical options:

Tamil script, Tamil dialogue. The most natural for actors who read Tamil. Make sure your writing software and fonts handle Tamil Unicode properly before you start.
English action, Tamil dialogue in Tamil script. Common in Tamil cinema. The crew reads the action easily; actors get dialogue they can perform.
English action, Tamil dialogue in English letters (transliterated). Easy to type and share, but harder for actors to read naturally. Fine for a first draft.

Whichever you choose, keep it consistent through the whole script. If you plan to send the film to festivals outside Tamil Nadu, an English version of the script will also help when you write subtitles.

Tools

You don't need expensive software. Free screenwriting apps and plain-text formats such as Fountain handle the layout for you as you type, and export to PDF. Even a word processor works if you set up styles for each element. What matters is the consistent layout, not the tool.

Make it easy to shoot

A script is read by many people who each need different things from it. Help them:

Number your scenes once the script is close to final, so the crew can refer to "scene 12".
Keep locations consistent. If the tea shop is "TEA SHOP" in one heading, don't call it "MURUGAN'S SHOP" in the next. Your schedule is built from these headings.
Mark DAY or NIGHT honestly. Night scenes cost more time and light. Your producer will thank you.
Write what you can afford. A rainstorm, a crowd or a moving car are each a day's problem. Keep them if the story needs them; cut them if it doesn't.

Before you shoot: read it aloud

Get your actors around a table and read the whole script aloud before the shoot. Lines that look fine on the page often sound wrong out loud. You will hear the slow scenes, the lines nobody would say, and the moments that work. Fix them on paper, where changes are free.

Then shoot it, finish it, and share it. A script only becomes a film when it gets made.