Glossary

The Ultimate Screenplay Format Reference

Mute Dialog

A character may be mute and communicate using sign language. As the general public is not familiar with sign language the meaning must be communicated somehow - either orally or by subtitles.

The character - even though mute - could speak while he signs:
 

                    
                     MUTE PERSON
               (while signing)
         Do you understand me?
 

If the dialog is written in subtitles, this should be mentioned in the parenthesis:
 

                    
                     MUTE PERSON
               (while signing; in subtitles)
         Do you understand me?
 

If the mute character is a major character, it might suffice to mention his/her muteness once in the narrative instead of every time he/she speaks.

Another option would be to just have the character sign without speaking, in the hope that the audience will get the meaning. Trottier doesn’t mention this option, but this is a common approach to communication when silence is important, for example in the usual military scenarios.

Dialog Punctuation

--

The double dash indicates interruption: a sudden shift or break in thought, for example when one character interrupts another, a character is interrupted by an event (sound, action), the character interrupts himself by shifting his thought or he speaks interrupted. Trottier also mentions using the -- when the character speaks with sudden emphasis.
 

                     VIVIAN
         I’m sorry you had to wait --

                     JIM
         I’m tired of your excuses.
 

...

The ellipsis is used to indicate continuity. A character starts speaking, pauses and continues to speak. Also when a character finishes another character’s sentence the ellipsis is used.
 

                     VIVIAN
         On second thought ... I’m not
         that sorry.
 

(beat)

(beat) is used to insert a pause into dialog.

A picture says more than a thousand words. The following example comes from the script of The Big Lebowski:

                   VOICE
         Shut the fuck up.
             (beat)
         Hello?
 

tDon’t overuse it, though. Don’t try to micromanage conversation this way. The (beat) must bee relevant for the plot. Here is the above example in context:
 

                   VOICE
             (German accent)
         Who is this?

                     DUDE
           Dude the bagman. Where do you want
           us to go?

                     VOICE
           ...Us?

                     DUDE
           Shit... Uh, yeah, you know, me
           and the driver. I’m not handling
           the money and driving the car and
           talking on the phone all by my
           fucking--

                     VOICE
           Shut the fuck up.
                 (beat)
           Hello?

                     DUDE
           Yeah?

                     VOICE
           Okay, listen--
  

VOICE originally told the Dude to come alone. When he doesn’t VOICE reacts strongly but then reconsiders - during the (beat). Then it’s actually worried that Dude hung up.

As the audience finds out soon enough, VOICE and its companion in crime is in a pitifully weak position and this is a great way to foreshadow that. Good example for the rule ‘Show don’t tell.’

A beat.

A beat. is the corresponding way to insert a pause into the narrative. Again, don’t overuse it. It normally reads better if you insert half a line describing the reaction of a character, for example “He shrugs his shoulders.” or “She chews on her lips.”

It’s also a premier way to get around disasters like this:
 

                     DEFFNER
           That’s what I hoped to hear. I have
           plans with you, Father Andrew.
           Great plans. Trust me, your trying
           days in St. John will be over soon.
                 (beat)
                 (MORE)

          

------------------------------------------------   page break  -------------------------------------------

               (CONTINUED)
           Father Minkell will supervise all
           activities here. He has my full
           confidence and will keep me up to
           date at all times.
            

The solution is obvious:
 

                     DEFFNER
           That’s what I hoped to hear. I have
           plans with you, Father Andrew.
           Great plans. Trust me, your trying
           days in St. John will be over soon.
                        

------------------------------------------------   page break  -------------------------------------------

A beat.

                    DEFFNER
           Father Minkell will supervise all
           activities here. He has my full
           confidence and will keep me up to
           date at all times.
            

The fact that the movie itself ultimately expands the (beat) into a full page’s worth of dialog and action - VOICE hangs up, Dude and Walter argue, VOICE calls back - just to make sure that e v e r y b o d y gets it, takes nothing away from the fact that we’re looking at an awesomely effective use of this screenwriting tool.

That said, use it sparingly. Trottier advises to avoid it all together or to find more descriptive ways to indicate a pause if you really have to.

Subtitles

You specify in parenthesis under the character cue if you want the words to be displayed as subtitles. See the sections on foreign languages and mute dialog for details.

(filtered)

Antiquated way to indicated a voice that comes over telephone, intercom, radio etc. Trottier suggests to use (V.O.) in all cases.