Screenplay title page: what to include and where it goes

A screenplay title page carries the title, a credit line such as "Written by", the writer's name and contact details — and on a spec script, very little else. The title and byline are centered about a third of the way down the page, and the contact block sits in the lower left corner.

The title page is the first thing a reader sees and the one page with no story on it. Its only jobs are to say what the script is called, who wrote it and how to reach them. Getting it plain and correct signals that the writer knows the format, and it costs nothing to get right.

What goes on a screenplay title page

• Title: in capitals, centered. Many writers underline or bold it; either is fine.
• Credit line: "Written by" on its own line, centered, a few lines below the title.
• Author: the writer's name, centered, below the credit line. Two writers who worked as a team are joined with an ampersand (Ana Ruiz & Paul Kemp); "and" is used for writers who worked separately.
• Source material, if any: "Based on the novel by…" or similar, centered below the author.
• Contact: in the lower left — your name or your representative's, an email address and a phone number.
• Draft or revision line: in the lower right, used on production drafts rather than spec scripts.

Script title page layout

The title page uses the same 12-point Courier and the same margins as the script. Positions are conventions rather than exact measurements, but most title pages follow the same shape:

• The title sits roughly a third of the way down the page.
• "Written by" comes about four lines below the title, and the author's name two lines below that.
• The contact block is left-aligned at the 1.5-inch margin, ending near the bottom margin.
• Nothing else on the page: no page number, no header, no border. The title page is not counted as page 1.

For the rules of the pages that follow, see the screenplay format guide.

Screenplay title page example

Here is a complete spec title page written in Fountain, the plain-text screenplay format. Screenwriting software lays these fields out in the positions described above.

Title: THE NIGHT ROUTE
Credit: Written by
Author: Jo Halvorsen
Contact:
    Jo Halvorsen
    jo.halvorsen@example.com
    (555) 010-0199

An adaptation adds a source line and often uses "Screenplay by":

Title: SALT ROAD
Credit: Screenplay by
Author: Priya Nand & Tomas Weil
Source: Based on the novel by Ines Carvalho
Contact:
    Lark & Finch Management
    office@example.com

What to leave off a spec script title page

Common advice from readers and script consultants is to keep a spec title page bare. The usual omissions:

• Dates. A date tells a reader how long the script has been circulating; leave it off a spec.
• Draft numbers. "Fourth Draft" invites the question of what was wrong with the first three.
• Registration numbers and copyright notices. Registering a script or holding copyright protects you whether or not the number is printed, and printing it is widely seen as a beginner's habit.
• Images, logos, colored type and decorative fonts.
• Quotes, dedications and character lists.
• Labels such as "Spec Script" or "Draft for review".

How to make a screenplay title page

1. Start a new page before page 1 of the script, set in 12-point Courier with the script's margins.
2. Move down about a third of the page and type the title in capitals, centered.
3. A few lines lower, center "Written by" — or "Screenplay by" for an adaptation — and below it your name.
4. If the script is adapted, add a centered "Based on" line naming the source and its author.
5. At the bottom left, type your contact block: name or representative, email and phone number.
6. Leave the lower right empty on a spec script, check that no page number prints, then export the title page and script together as one PDF.

Title pages for contests and short films

A short film's title page is identical to a feature's. Contests and fellowships are the main exception to the general rules: many ask for a title page with no name or contact details at all, so judges read without knowing who wrote the script, and some want an entry number in its place. Read the entry rules before you export, and keep a second copy of the PDF with your details for everyone else.

Title pages for TV scripts

A TV script title page puts the series title first and the episode title in quotation marks on the line below, then the credit and author. Some writers add the episode number (Episode 101) under the episode title. A pilot is usually labeled with the episode title or simply "Pilot". The TV pilot guide covers what goes on the pages that follow.

Title:
    HOLLOW HARBOR
    "Pilot"
Credit: Written by
Author: Jo Halvorsen
Contact: jo.halvorsen@example.com

Draft and revision lines on production scripts

Once a script is in production, the title page gains the information a spec leaves off. The lower right corner carries the draft name and the date of each revision — for example a white production draft followed by blue and pink revisions — so the crew can tell at a glance which pages they are holding. Production companies may also add their own name and address and a confidentiality line.

How Scenaloom's cover page fields map

Scenaloom's cover page is a short form rather than a free-form page, and each field prints in its conventional place:

• Title: printed in capitals at the top of the centered block.
• Subtitle: centered under the title — the place for an episode title or a "Based on the novel by…" line.
• Author: printed under a "Written by" credit line.
• Edition or version: an optional line centered under the author's name.
• Contact: printed in the lower left, one line per entry.
• Draft line: printed in the lower right. Use it for a draft name or revision date on production copies.

Write it in Scenaloom

Fill in the cover page once and Scenaloom sets it in the same Courier Prime 12 as the script; the PDF export can include it as the first page or leave it out. Import a Fountain file and its title, author, contact and draft date fill the cover page for you — the screenplay template has a title page ready to use. Start a script and add the cover page when the draft is ready to send.

To lay one out without fiddling with spacing, fill in the free title page generator and save it as a PDF, Fountain or Final Draft file.