TV Formatting in Celtx

time2focus said:

Has anyone else used Celtx to write for TV? I am working on a pilot screenplay and this is my first time writing for TV format as opposed to film. Two questions have come up so far:

(1) When you're writing your headings such as "Teaser," "End of Teaser," "Act One," "End of Act One" and so on how do you center the text? I have labeled as "text" and try to center it by eye. I'm just wondering if there is a more precise way to do this.

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It depends on the production company/studio's template. Many spec scripts for television follow the same format as films. While you still see some scripts with act breakouts, you're best bet is to write the company for a template or see if you can download a script from the series. You'll get mixed signals on the Internet largely because there is no accepted approach. For example, TV comedies are supposed to be double spaced. That's changing too. If this is a spec for a series you've created, you are free to write it as you choose. Otherwise, I'd work from a template. Final Draft, a pricey but professional package, includes many templates to draw upon.

If you want to create them visually, make them a character and then underline the name. If you are trying to create the "Teaser"-"End Teaser" property, use the Shot (Ctrl+7 or from the dropdown box). And often a block is marked with "XX:" and "End XX:" where XX=Flashback/Dream/etc. And often the start of the block set to the right margin (Ctrl+6 or 'Transition' from the dropdown box). While we talk about 'industry standard' for films, for television it's still rather specific to the studio/production company.

time2focus said:

(2) Similarly, at the end of an act is there a way to add a page break in Celtx or do I once again just eyeball it? It just seems like hitting enter all the way to the next page will become very aggravating when I get into the revision process.

Thanks in advance

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I know of no way to create a page break easily. You add action lines. But remember to type in a space before hitting the return. There needs to be a character there or it ignores the return when formatting. Again, most television scripts, like film, do not use them. If you have to follow a studio's specific guidelines, these workarounds should help. If you are writing these for submission, check to see if you can get a template first. They often have a bible and other information that can be useful.