2

The following extract is from a screenplay I'm writing. I could really use some advice on how to format it, particularly around referring to groups of people and an unnamed person from a group.

Bob watches as a group of YOUNG WOMEN dance.
He turns his attention to a group of MIDDLE-AGED MEN talking at a table.
They continually glance over at the Young Women.
The Young Women head to the exit.
Bob watches the Men.
A MAN from the group gets up and walks to the bar.

Is it right to refer to e.g. the group of young women as 'Young Women' with capitalised first letters? The same question for 'Men'. I am also not sure how to refer to the 'MAN' from the group, does it look OK as is? He doesn't have a name or dialog and doesn't have any further role in the screenplay.

4
  • 3
    To the downvoter and/or close-voter: this question is not asking for a critique. It's asking how to format a screenplay, and that's perfectly on-topic here. Including a snippet of one's screenplay in order to illustrate the problem is both allowed and encouraged.
    – F1Krazy
    May 6, 2020 at 15:36
  • 1
    Thanks, yes, I'm not asking for critique. I even simplified the lines to keep focus on the question I have so this is not something I would want critiqued anyway!
    – petehallw
    May 6, 2020 at 15:41
  • 1
    Does this answer your question? Are non-speaking characters in a screenplay introduced in all caps? May 7, 2020 at 3:21
  • 1
    Not really, no.
    – petehallw
    May 7, 2020 at 4:37

2 Answers 2

1

When I write musicals, I reffer to my un-named people with a general word, such as Students or Monkeys, with capitalization. When a named characters says a word such as "Students" or "Monkeys" I don't capitalize it. Capitilization matters.

0

When I was in theatre in high school this was the way it was done.

The people, if nameless or in a group like above, were mentioned in big letters. I've seen the roles, when they mentioned to be doing an action, to be in big capital letters, for all the letters, not just the first.

Oh, and characters can be referred to as young women, men, or whatever else in a script.

Hope this helps.

Edit: You should change ALL of the character's names to all-caps. Characters, whether they do an action or have an action be done to them is in all-caps. When one character talks to another, the character does not have to be in all-caps.

2
  • 1
    Thanks for your answer, but in screenwriting the format is different - characters are only written in all-caps when they are first introduced.
    – petehallw
    Jun 4, 2020 at 8:13
  • @petehallw Ah, ok. Just bringing to the table what I know. Jun 4, 2020 at 15:12

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.