Hey there friends! Thank you for watching! Share your script formatting preferences below, and don’t forget to subscribe at ua-cam.com/users/HalfHourCall
I’m still learning how to Stage Manage and I NEVER thought about just retyping the script. I’ve been trying to use photocopies (which I also hate) and lowering the scale so I prints smaller than the full page. This is an amazing idea. Thank you so much for making this series. My school doesn’t have stage management classes and none of my professors are stage managers cuz we’re still very small so I’m basically trying to teach myself how to stage manage. I rely so heavily on stuff like this and it’s really helpful to have found this series. Also helps with my confidence cuz a lot of what I’ve figured out actually aligns with what you’re saying too.
Thanks for watching!! It's definitely not needed/helpful in every scenario, and it's honestly one of the first things I cut when I'm on a team that's understaffed, but it can be a huge help!
This is a cool way, especially for the mini-scripts like you're using for DEH. Thanks for sharing. I type scripts for every show I do, as I refuse to work off of a photocopy. I try to duplicate the look and layout of the published script exactly, so I'm looking at something that looks just like what someone else might have but is still editable. The libretto format you showed towards the beginning of the video is the kind of script I end up working with the most and I actually spent some time a few years ago reverse-engineering the formatting so I can create something that ends up looking almost identical, and allows for exactly the same number of lines on a page. I set up styles in Word, re-type the script (or scan with OCR if I have a clean copy) and use the styles to apply formatting so it's exact. It works out as follows: Margins: 1 inch on all sides Act Heading: Tahoma, 12pt, Bold, Left Justified, indent Left 0.5", space before: 0pt, Based on Heading 1 Scene Heading: Times New Roman, 12 pt, Bold, Left Justified, Indent left 0.63", Space before 0pt, based on Heading 2 Song Title: Times New Roman, 12pt, Background 1 (Black background, white text), Left Justified, indent 0.25", Space before 0pt, based on Heading 3 Character Name: Times New Roman, 12 pt, Bold, Centered, based on Plain Text Dialogue: Times New Roman, 12 pt, Left Justified, indent left: 0.3," based on Plain Text Lyrics: Times New Roman, 12 pt, Left Justified, Indent left 1", based on Plain Text, all caps Stage Directions: Times New Roman, 12pt, Italic, Left Justified, Indent left 0.5", based on plain text The advantages of this is the headings system creates a table of contents for the piece, and if you enable the navigation pane (View, Show, Navigation Pane, Headings) you can quickly jump between places in the script. I use tables only for when multiple people are singing at once, as you mentioned, and adjust the indents if needed. Libretto format has the page number on the "Outer" corners, so check the box for "Different Odd & Even Pages" in the Header & Footer settings and put the number in the right side for odd pages and right side for even pages. Use the three column header setting for this, and leave the non-page number corner blank. The title of the show is centered, Arial Black, size 12, and Italicized. In the paragraph settings, add a bottom border to the whole line of the header to create that line. Then I'll add the theatre company name and a date in the footer so if we make changes that can be tracked. This is all for creating a look-alike script that I use for blocking and might provide the cast in place of the usual libretto books or as a replacement if someone wants a single-side version or a reduced size version (which I've provided before. I throw out the "published" style script completely when I create a calling script, though, but that's a whole different story. And yes, in a perfect process for me they're completely different documents.
Pre-Covid, I was doing stage management and stagehand work for a conservatory, and will hopefully be back at it in the fall. The role varies WIDELY from simple recitals, to orchestra concerts, to opera... You might have saved my future butt, because I never know exactly what I'm going to get thrown into and all of these tips are SUPER helpful! The organization itself can be a sort of "toss you into the deep end, ask questions later" type of deal in some respects, but that's why I like it! It's a different challenge every day!
my favorite font is Alegreya and Alegray SC idk what it is about them, they are slightly bigger and wider spaced than times new roman and they are just so easy to read. I love them!!
I've just got back into writing, and I have been rattling my head around formatting the script in the UK theatre style (not a screenplay format). This table trick is an absolute godsend. I wish I knew it sooner.
I've been working on writing a very complicated script using CELTX which is not a bad script writing program, but this video has just saved me more time than I can even calculate - and the price is right!!!!!!!. THANKS!!!!!!!
considering my teacher is using your videos as our HW, you are doing a great job with these videos man, your content is really easy to follow and quite informative.
The way my jaw was dropped this whole video. I'm graduating undergrad soon, as a training SM, and have never thought to just.. retype the script. I have only ever scanned my little booklet and resized the page to give myself enough white space for blocking and cues. This has revolutionized the way I create my prompt script. This is so smart. Thank you SOOO much for this. My university only has one SM class and I'm mostly self-taught just by experience on productions at my University, so your series has been incredibly helpful and has taught me so many new things already (watching this is what I'm doing for fun on a weekend night LOL).
Thanks so much! I work in community theatres up in Canada and just ordered the mug and duck. :) I type out my scripts and format them to my style. I'll use your trick of tables for sure in the future (whenever we can get back). I like to put the stage directions in slightly smaller italics so my eyes can skip over them when I'm scanning for something particular. If it is a heavy entrance/exit show I'll put the ent/ex in bold so I can find that as well. One Director (who asks for me all the time) likes to use a copy of my script rather than the one the theatre provides him. I'm pretty much self taught over the past 10 years so I've relied heavily on searching on the internet for new ideas. I'm looking forward to watching some more of your videos. Thanks!
Scanning using OCR may help with this method; then, you would only be copying, pasting, and eventually editing errors. You still become more familiar with the script but save time and your wrists.
Love this video! Just a question about formatting - when you're writing in musical numbers, do you write in the song title when the music would begin or when the vocals start, or do you just follow how the script you're using labels it? Using the example you're re-creating, I know that in the show, the first bar of Anybody Have a Map actually starts with the line "the pep talks?" and there's a few measures of underscore until the line "Neither do I."
How much of the stage direction in the script do you include in your typed format? Do you change the font style for stage directions? I love the look of this and I'm about to start typing out The Miracle Worker.
I don't change the font, usually just italicized. For stage directions, it depends on when I'm typing it out. If it's for day one of rehearsals, I want it exactly like what the actors/director have. If it's just for a call script, I'll generally write my own that includes major blocking notes specific to our production.
Great question! It’s sort of both the playwright and the stage managers’ responsibility. Technically, the stage manager is responsible for maintaining the prompt book, which includes “accurate playing text” or something like that (I am paraphrasing). But the playwright is the one responsible for actually making the changes, obviously. Typically it’s just a conversation between the SM team and the playwright, some playwrights are happy to hand off the responsibility, others want to keep control of their script so they update it. On major projects (broadway, etc) there might be a “Script PA” who is a member of the stage management team who’s whole job (or primary job) is to maintain the script and track/distribute changes and new pages. So, like everything, the answer is “it depends”!
I’ve done that, but I find I spend just as much time reformatting every line as I would just typing it out. Plus, typing it helps me learn the show. But yes- there are several options!
If I have to look at Times New Roman for more than five minutes, I'll get annoyed, but that's because I'm a font geek and Times New Roman is almost entirely without personality
Hey there friends! Thank you for watching! Share your script formatting preferences below, and don’t forget to subscribe at ua-cam.com/users/HalfHourCall
I’m still learning how to Stage Manage and I NEVER thought about just retyping the script. I’ve been trying to use photocopies (which I also hate) and lowering the scale so I prints smaller than the full page. This is an amazing idea. Thank you so much for making this series. My school doesn’t have stage management classes and none of my professors are stage managers cuz we’re still very small so I’m basically trying to teach myself how to stage manage. I rely so heavily on stuff like this and it’s really helpful to have found this series. Also helps with my confidence cuz a lot of what I’ve figured out actually aligns with what you’re saying too.
Thanks for watching!! It's definitely not needed/helpful in every scenario, and it's honestly one of the first things I cut when I'm on a team that's understaffed, but it can be a huge help!
This is a cool way, especially for the mini-scripts like you're using for DEH. Thanks for sharing.
I type scripts for every show I do, as I refuse to work off of a photocopy. I try to duplicate the look and layout of the published script exactly, so I'm looking at something that looks just like what someone else might have but is still editable.
The libretto format you showed towards the beginning of the video is the kind of script I end up working with the most and I actually spent some time a few years ago reverse-engineering the formatting so I can create something that ends up looking almost identical, and allows for exactly the same number of lines on a page. I set up styles in Word, re-type the script (or scan with OCR if I have a clean copy) and use the styles to apply formatting so it's exact. It works out as follows:
Margins: 1 inch on all sides
Act Heading: Tahoma, 12pt, Bold, Left Justified, indent Left 0.5", space before: 0pt, Based on Heading 1
Scene Heading: Times New Roman, 12 pt, Bold, Left Justified, Indent left 0.63", Space before 0pt, based on Heading 2
Song Title: Times New Roman, 12pt, Background 1 (Black background, white text), Left Justified, indent 0.25", Space before 0pt, based on Heading 3
Character Name: Times New Roman, 12 pt, Bold, Centered, based on Plain Text
Dialogue: Times New Roman, 12 pt, Left Justified, indent left: 0.3," based on Plain Text
Lyrics: Times New Roman, 12 pt, Left Justified, Indent left 1", based on Plain Text, all caps
Stage Directions: Times New Roman, 12pt, Italic, Left Justified, Indent left 0.5", based on plain text
The advantages of this is the headings system creates a table of contents for the piece, and if you enable the navigation pane (View, Show, Navigation Pane, Headings) you can quickly jump between places in the script.
I use tables only for when multiple people are singing at once, as you mentioned, and adjust the indents if needed.
Libretto format has the page number on the "Outer" corners, so check the box for "Different Odd & Even Pages" in the Header & Footer settings and put the number in the right side for odd pages and right side for even pages. Use the three column header setting for this, and leave the non-page number corner blank. The title of the show is centered, Arial Black, size 12, and Italicized. In the paragraph settings, add a bottom border to the whole line of the header to create that line.
Then I'll add the theatre company name and a date in the footer so if we make changes that can be tracked.
This is all for creating a look-alike script that I use for blocking and might provide the cast in place of the usual libretto books or as a replacement if someone wants a single-side version or a reduced size version (which I've provided before. I throw out the "published" style script completely when I create a calling script, though, but that's a whole different story. And yes, in a perfect process for me they're completely different documents.
This is so valuable, thank you for adding this!
Pre-Covid, I was doing stage management and stagehand work for a conservatory, and will hopefully be back at it in the fall. The role varies WIDELY from simple recitals, to orchestra concerts, to opera... You might have saved my future butt, because I never know exactly what I'm going to get thrown into and all of these tips are SUPER helpful! The organization itself can be a sort of "toss you into the deep end, ask questions later" type of deal in some respects, but that's why I like it! It's a different challenge every day!
my favorite font is Alegreya and Alegray SC idk what it is about them, they are slightly bigger and wider spaced than times new roman and they are just so easy to read. I love them!!
I've just got back into writing, and I have been rattling my head around formatting the script in the UK theatre style (not a screenplay format). This table trick is an absolute godsend. I wish I knew it sooner.
Been a professional SM for well over a decade and appreciate this. Well done.
Thank you so much!!
I've been working on writing a very complicated script using CELTX which is not a bad script writing program, but this video has just saved me more time than I can even calculate - and the price is right!!!!!!!. THANKS!!!!!!!
considering my teacher is using your videos as our HW, you are doing a great job with these videos man, your content is really easy to follow and quite informative.
Thank you!! 🙌 Happy to make homework a little more palatable 😂
The way my jaw was dropped this whole video. I'm graduating undergrad soon, as a training SM, and have never thought to just.. retype the script. I have only ever scanned my little booklet and resized the page to give myself enough white space for blocking and cues. This has revolutionized the way I create my prompt script. This is so smart. Thank you SOOO much for this. My university only has one SM class and I'm mostly self-taught just by experience on productions at my University, so your series has been incredibly helpful and has taught me so many new things already (watching this is what I'm doing for fun on a weekend night LOL).
So glad it’s helpful! Definitely cannot take credit for the idea of typing out a script, that’s long been a practice in some SM circles!
Thanks so much! I work in community theatres up in Canada and just ordered the mug and duck. :)
I type out my scripts and format them to my style. I'll use your trick of tables for sure in the future (whenever we can get back). I like to put the stage directions in slightly smaller italics so my eyes can skip over them when I'm scanning for something particular. If it is a heavy entrance/exit show I'll put the ent/ex in bold so I can find that as well. One Director (who asks for me all the time) likes to use a copy of my script rather than the one the theatre provides him.
I'm pretty much self taught over the past 10 years so I've relied heavily on searching on the internet for new ideas. I'm looking forward to watching some more of your videos. Thanks!
This is fantastic!
Thank you so much!
Scanning using OCR may help with this method; then, you would only be copying, pasting, and eventually editing errors. You still become more familiar with the script but save time and your wrists.
Love this video! Just a question about formatting - when you're writing in musical numbers, do you write in the song title when the music would begin or when the vocals start, or do you just follow how the script you're using labels it? Using the example you're re-creating, I know that in the show, the first bar of Anybody Have a Map actually starts with the line "the pep talks?" and there's a few measures of underscore until the line "Neither do I."
Great question! I match it exactly with whatever the directors/actors have so we are all on the same page (literally)!
How much of the stage direction in the script do you include in your typed format? Do you change the font style for stage directions? I love the look of this and I'm about to start typing out The Miracle Worker.
I don't change the font, usually just italicized. For stage directions, it depends on when I'm typing it out. If it's for day one of rehearsals, I want it exactly like what the actors/director have. If it's just for a call script, I'll generally write my own that includes major blocking notes specific to our production.
Invisible tables are my secret to a well formatted CV!
It makes life line up so perfectly!
Thanks for these really helpful tips. Do you know who's job it is to update the script if the dialogue gets changed during rehearsals?
Great question! It’s sort of both the playwright and the stage managers’ responsibility. Technically, the stage manager is responsible for maintaining the prompt book, which includes “accurate playing text” or something like that (I am paraphrasing). But the playwright is the one responsible for actually making the changes, obviously. Typically it’s just a conversation between the SM team and the playwright, some playwrights are happy to hand off the responsibility, others want to keep control of their script so they update it. On major projects (broadway, etc) there might be a “Script PA” who is a member of the stage management team who’s whole job (or primary job) is to maintain the script and track/distribute changes and new pages. So, like everything, the answer is “it depends”!
Omg. You shouldn’t have to type your script. Use Adobe Acrobat Pro (just find a designer who has it) and export all the text from PDF to Word.
I’ve done that, but I find I spend just as much time reformatting every line as I would just typing it out. Plus, typing it helps me learn the show. But yes- there are several options!
#TeamTimesNewRoman
If I have to look at Times New Roman for more than five minutes, I'll get annoyed, but that's because I'm a font geek and Times New Roman is almost entirely without personality
Typing out the whole script???? Naaaaaaaa
It’s a big job, but particularly helpful for musicals where you need to add dance counts!