Trottier Formats Scripts

Dave Trottier. 2020. Dr. Format Tells All: Everything You Need to Format Your Screenplay. Cedar Hills, UT: Applewood Arts.

Review by Stephen W. Hiemstra

Women read; men watch movies. When I wrote my first novella last year as a romantic suspense, I was told that my male protagonist would not appeal to the primary audience for this genre: older women. One thing led to another and I realized that if my novella were to end up as a screenplay, I would need to write it. This line of reasoning led me to begin studying screenwriting.

Introduction

In the preface to his book, Dr. Format Tells All, Dave Trottier writes:

“My desire is to provide you with guidance to specific formatting and spec screenplay writing topics…I have mainly selected columns and articles prepared for Script magazine.” (iii)

Needless to say, Trottier writes a column in Script magazine entitled: “Ask Dr. Format.” This book is written to complement his other title: The Screenwriter’s Bible (review).

Background and Organization

Trottier has a master’s degree from Goddard College and is a graduate of both the Hollywood Scriptwriting Institute and the Hollywood Film Institute. He describes himself as a screenwriter, script consultant, and teacher. He is the author of numerous books and screenplays.

This book primarily takes a question and answer format. The table of contents cites these divisions:

Crucial Formatting Information (page 1)Answers to Specific Formatting Questions (20)General and Miscellaneous (214)How I Became Dr. Format (225)Index (229)Screenwriting Resources (240)

The individual sections typically pose a question and offer answer along with screenwriting examples.

Discussion

Trottier writes: “Formatting is the language of screenplays.” (6) He observes that when he taught screenwriting, about half the questions from students had to do with formatting (226). His focus is on writing spec scripts.

Trottier describes the spec script in these terms:

“The spec is sometimes called the reading script or selling script. A spec script … is primarily written for a reader (story analyst).” (2)

Spec is short for speculation, a script written for sell, not one written under contract. Once it is sold, it is typically rewritten as a shooting or production script, where camera direction and other needs of the director are considered. Because a spec script has not yet been sold, it is written in a standard form to facilitate the reader being able quickly to understand and appreciate it. Non-standard formatting distracts the reader and can lead the script to be rejected.

Assessment

Dave Trottier‘s Dr. Format Tells All proved to be a useful read. It focuses on special formatting circumstances that come up and require discussion. After reading The Screenwriter’s Bible I thought that I knew all the conventions, but after reviewing my first script I found that I clearly misinterpreted many of these special issues. Inexperienced screenwriters, like myself, may find this book helpful.

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