If you\u2019re a screenwriter you\u2019ve probably been here before: you can see something in your head so vividly, but you have no idea how to get it onto the page.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Don\u2019t worry, we\u2019re here to help!<\/span><\/p>\n One of the delicate balances in screenwriting is creating a colorful and visual world with characters who have distinct voices and styles <\/span>while<\/span><\/i> simultaneously \u201cstaying in your lane\u201d as the writer. It is vital to remember that you are not the director (so take it easy on all those camera cues) and you are not the actor (so spare us all the performance notes).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Similarly, a screenwriter is neither a Costume Designer nor a Set Designer, so too many details on costumes or sets are generally considered a faux pas in your script.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Additionally, lengthy background descriptions would bog down the pacing of your script and are often left up to the Cinematographer in addition to the Costume or Set Designers (and, of course, the Holy Director).<\/span><\/p>\n However, if you are introducing a location or a character for the first time — or if a given piece of wardrobe or set design are important to the actual story — you can have a more detailed scene description. For instance, a screenplay character bio might include, in the action lines, \u201cAdam wears his everyday uniform of black jeans and a black t-shirt.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Because the writer has now established this, they do not need to write that Adam is wearing this get-up in every single scene description for the rest of the screenplay.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Similarly, a scene description example could include \u201cEve\u2019s apartment is cramped and dirty with a malfunctioning ceiling lamp that constantly flickers.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This gives the reader insight into who Eve is as a character, and what her world is like, but would appear in the opening of a scene description (after a slugline) rather than in a screenplay character bio.<\/span><\/p>\nHow many details are too many details in screenwriting?<\/span><\/h2>\n