Elements of the Sitcom

1
Elements of the Sitcom

• by Mr. Cunha with help from screenstyle.com

2
The Cover

• Name of the show
• Episode title
• Writer(s)
• 30 Rock
• Hardball
• by

3
Fade In/Fade Out

• Used to open and close the script
• All caps and underlined
• FADE IN left justified
• FADE OUT right justified
• FADE IN
• FADE OUT

4
CUT TO/DISSOLVE TO

• Used at end of each scene
• CUT TO small passage of time or parallel
  occurring event or scene
• DISSOLVE TO longer passage of time between
  scenes
• Left justify in all caps and underlined
• CUT TO
• DISSOLVE TO

5
Scene Numbering

• Numbered using capital letters
• Centered
• Underlined
• ACT ONE
• SCENE A

6
Slugline

• A.K.A. scene heading or scene caption
• Explain where, time of day
• Capitalized and underlined
• INT. TRACY JORDANS DRESSING ROOM, DAY

7
Scene Action

• All caps, single-spaced
• List the characters
• Place in parentheses
• What are they doing as scene begins?
• (TRACY AND HIS ENTOURAGE, GRIZZ AND DOT.COM ARE
  HANGING OUT PLAYING VIDEO GAMES.)

8
Character Intros/Camera Instructions

• All caps
• Underlined
• Entrances left justified, exits right justified
• Examples
• KENNETH ENTERS
• CLOSE UP ON TRACY
• KENNETH LEAVES

9
Character Names/Dialogue

• Character names are in all caps and centered
• Dialogue is tabbed twice and double-spaced
• TRACY
• I love that cornbread so much, I want to
  take it out behind the middle school and get it
  pregnant.

10
Personal Direction

• Appears within dialogue
• All caps
• Enclosed in parentheses
• KENNETH (AMUSED)
• Mr. Jordan, (HANDS TRACY THE
• CORNBREAD) pregnant cornbread!

11
Power of Three

• Cause and effect order
• A causes B causes C
• Builds suspense (in a drama)
• Involves the complications in a sitcom

12
Scriptwriting Rules

• Limit stage directions
• Avoid parentheticals
• Avoid long speeches or monologues

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Now get writing!