Voice-over (V.O.) is seen next to a CHARACTER’S name in all CAPS and inside a parenthetical before a specific piece of dialogue. It is a technique where an off-camera voice is used to deliver commentary. The voice-over may be spoken by a character that appears in the film elsewhere or by an omniscient narrator. A less common use of voice-over occurs when the (V.O.) is delivered by a character who is in the scene and engaged in non-dialogue action.

Scripts that invite vertical reading have a lot of white space, which helps the reader to skim quickly, shot by shot, and see the film as the writer envisioned it.

Show, don’t tell. Screenwriting is a visual medium; therefore, the writer must avoid explaining to the audience. The screenwriter must reveal information bit by bit, allowing the audience to become active participants as they experience the story. The screenwriter is the first director of the film, and it is his or her job to direct the reader’s mind to imagine that film, shot by shot, scene by scene, image by image.

White space is the screenwriter’s best friend because it helps the reader move quickly through the pages. The more white space the page has, the more vertical it becomes, making it a faster read. White space breaks up action into smaller sections as well as allows the story to be delivered shot by shot.

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