To write a text message in a script, show the phone with INSERT – PHONE SCREEN or put the words in the action with ON SCREEN:, then give the exact message in quotation marks or italics; for a longer exchange, describe the bubbles appearing in action or intercut between the people texting.
There is no single standard, because texting arrived after the conventions of screenplay format were settled. Readers accept several approaches as long as three things are clear: who sent the message, what it says and how the audience sees it. This guide covers the main formats with original samples and how to choose between them.
Method 1: INSERT for a single message
An INSERT cuts to a close-up of an object — here, the phone screen — then returns to the scene with BACK TO SCENE. It suits a message that lands like a blow and deserves the full screen.
INT. BUS - NIGHT Jules dozes against the window. Her phone buzzes. INSERT - PHONE SCREEN A text from "Dad": "Don't come home tonight." BACK TO SCENE Jules sits up. Reads it again.
Keep inserts for messages that matter. Three inserts in a page of texting turns the read into a slideshow.
Method 2: ON SCREEN or text in action
For most messages, writing the text straight into the action is the cleanest choice. Label it so the reader knows the words are on the screen, not spoken.
Theo types with one thumb: ON SCREEN: "running late, save me a seat" He deletes "save me a seat." Sends just "running late."
This is the format most current spec scripts lean towards because it keeps the page moving. Typing, deleting and retyping can be shown as action, which is often the most dramatic part of a text: what the character almost said.
Method 3: chat bubbles described in action
Many films now show messages as bubbles floating on screen beside the actor rather than cutting to the phone. Describe that once, early, then keep the format consistent.
Mina scrolls. Her messages float beside her as bubbles, gray for her sister, blue for her. SISTER (TEXT): Did you tell him yet? MINA (TEXT): Tonight. Promise. The word Promise sits on screen a beat too long. She deletes it.
The NAME (TEXT): style is easy to scan for an exchange of more than two or three messages. Some writers instead set the texts as dialogue with (texting) or (on screen) as a parenthetical, or as a cue with the extension (TEXT); all are understood. What matters is that a reader can never mistake a text for spoken dialogue.
Method 4: intercut a conversation
When two characters text in different places and we see both, use INTERCUT, so you do not need a new scene heading every time the conversation switches sides.
INT. OFFICE - NIGHT / INT. CAR - SAME TIME INTERCUT between Lena at her desk and Sam in a parked car. LENA (TEXT): Is it done? Sam looks at the empty passenger seat. SAM (TEXT): Not yet. Lena closes her laptop.
Phone calls work the same way; Two Calls in the Screenplay Museum shows an intercut conversation from start to finish, and the montage and flashback guide covers related formats.
Emails, social feeds and video calls
- Emails: use INSERT – EMAIL or ON SCREEN with the subject line and only the sentences that matter.
- Social feeds: describe the scroll and pick out one or two posts that carry the story; a full feed reproduced on the page is unreadable.
- Video calls: treat them as a scene. A heading such as INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT, then describe the laptop screen, then write the other person's lines as dialogue with (ON SCREEN) or (ON LAPTOP) as an extension.
How to write a text message in a script: choosing a method
Pick by how the message works in the story:
- One message that changes the scene — INSERT.
- A few short texts while the scene continues — ON SCREEN in action.
- A back-and-forth that is the scene — bubbles with NAME (TEXT):.
- Two people in different places — INTERCUT.
Whatever you choose, keep the exact wording, punctuation and spelling as the character would type them; a missing capital or an emoji described in words can say more than a line of dialogue. And keep texting scenes short. Watching someone read is less dramatic than watching them decide what to type.
One more test: read the scene with the texts removed. If the actors' faces and actions still tell the story, the texts are support and can stay short; if nothing happens without them, the scene may need a stronger visual event. A message is strongest when we see the reaction to it, so give the reader that reaction in action straight after the text arrives.
Write it in Scenaloom
Scenaloom formats INSERT and BACK TO SCENE as shots or action, intercut headings as scene headings, and message lines as action or dialogue with the extension in the cue. A comment on a line can hold a reference image of how the screen should look. See the screenplay editor or start a script.
Questions
How do you show a text message in a screenplay?
Show a text message with INSERT – PHONE SCREEN followed by the message and BACK TO SCENE, or write ON SCREEN: and the message in quotation marks inside the action. For an exchange, use a NAME (TEXT): line for each message or intercut between the two characters. Keep one format through the script.
Should text messages be in italics in a script?
Italics are one accepted option, alongside quotation marks. Many writers put the exact message in quotation marks after ON SCREEN: or inside an insert, and some italicize it as well. What matters is that the reader can tell at once that the words are typed, not spoken.
How do you write a texting conversation between two characters?
If both characters are seen, write an INTERCUT heading with both locations and show each message as a NAME (TEXT): line or in action, with reactions between them. If only one character is seen, write their side in action and show the replies arriving on screen.
How do you write a video call in a script?
Treat a video call as a normal scene in the location of the character we are with, describe the screen in action, and write the remote person's lines as dialogue with an extension such as (ON SCREEN). If we cut between both sides, use INTERCUT.