- Consider the audience.
- Clearly note speaker changes and non-spoken cues like the way someone is speaking or external noises.
- The current speaker’s name is frequently all caps followed by a colon before the words being spoken:
DR. ROBERTS: This is my pet fern. - External sounds and descriptions of the way someone is speaking are frequently in brackets:
JANE [giggling]: What did you name it?
- The current speaker’s name is frequently all caps followed by a colon before the words being spoken:
- Describe necessary visual content like on-screen only text (opening and closing credits), scene changes, important gestures and observable emotional states.
- Recommended line lengths are between 30 and 40 characters. However, it’s more important they occur in logical places; at the ends of phrases or when a different person starts talking.
Challenges
For performances and artwork a text equivalent can be particularly challenging. In addition to describing what is happening, who is performing, what instruments or movements are being performed, what the space looks like, you can also include artists statements, stage direction, quotes about the performance, and character and tone assessments. Don’t be afraid to be a little creative.
