How to Format a Phone Call in a Screenplay

One of the most common questions about screenwriting format for beginners is how to format a phone conversation.

It seems simple enough at first glance, but once you start writing scenes involving cell phones, speakerphones, voicemail messages, video calls, and especially conversations between characters in different locations, the formatting dynamics can be confusing for some.

The good news is that there's no single "correct" way to format these types of moments. But that can also make things even more confusing for screenwriters who want to get it right.

What matters most is ensuring clarity and readability in how these types of scenes are presented. With that in mind, here's a simple breakdown on how to format phone calls in screenplays.

Formatting Phone Calls Is All About the Visuals

It's a visual medium, and screenplays are visual blueprints for eventual movies and television episodes. So, you always want to think about the visuals. It's your job as a screenwriter to tell us what we should be seeing, and how we should be seeing it. This has nothing to do with camera angles, camera lenses, or camera movement. Those elements are not the screenwriter's job.

The screenwriter's job is to give the script reader the basic layout of how the phone calls are presented visually.

• Who do we see on camera?
• Who do we not see on camera?
• Who do we hear?
• Who do we not hear?
• How do we see people on camera?
• When do we see people on camera?
• When do we not see people on camera?

It's actually fairly simple when you break those elements down. And remember, nothing is set in stone until it's shot by a director and edited by an editor. But that doesn't mean you can't give the reader a general template to envision before that happens. You want to write cinematically. This is how you do it.

Utilizing Standard Screenwriting Format

Every industry pro who reads screenplays (industry readers, assistants, interns, producers, development executives, directors, talent, agents, managers, etc.) wants and needs to be told how things should be seen and heard. The purpose of the industry-wide standard screenwriting format is to communicate a cinematic story in a common, easy-to-envision language. For feature screenplays, this involves five formatting elements:

1. Scene Heading
2. Action
3. Character Name
4. Parentheticals
5. Dialogue

These formatting elements are all that you need to create a movie scene.

Scene Heading

Scene Headings establish whether we are inside (INT.) or outside (EXT.), what location we are in or near, and whether or not it is during daytime (DAY) or nighttime (NIGHT).

• INT. HOUSE - DAY
• INT. HOUSE - NIGHT
• EXT. HOUSE - DAY
• EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT

There are two variances you can use in the DAY or NIGHT category.

• SAME - Refers to consecutive scene headings taking place at the same time as the previous.
• CONTINUOUS - Communicates a character or characters moving from one location to another, or moving from inside a location to outside of the same location.

Remember the first one for phone calls.

Action

The action line is where your scene description goes. Scene description is the visual and auditory elements that the script reader should envision and hear (sounds, etc.). The action line is also where you can insert title cards (text scene on the screen) and other elements like text messages, etc.

Character Name

The character name is a specifically margined section where the designated character name goes above dialogue. Next to the character name, you can use parentheses to showcase how the dialogue should be heard.

• If it's a voiceover where a character isn't seen onscreen at the designated location of the scene, you would write (V.O.) next to the character's name.
• If it's dialogue for a character that is in the scene, but is meant to be just off-screen, you would write (O.S.) next to the character's name.

Note: Professional screenwriting software like Final Draft will offer you these options when you type the first parenthetical.

Parentheticals

Parentheticals are additional asides that screenwriters can use to add prompts for the script reader to explain how lines should be said or to accompany the dialogue with intended actions (these should both be kept to a minimum). They are placed directly under Character Names, before the first line of dialogue.

For phone calls, you would use these to indicate that the person on screen is talking into the phone...

... or when a character's voice is coming from the phone.

Notice how we also used (V.O.) to communicate the voice-over element. It may be redundant to use the parenthetical as well, but it is a common practice.

It may be assumed that the script reader should know that Jackson is talking into the phone and Tyler's voice is coming from the phone because he's not in Jackson's location, but it's always important to give the script reader that information, so when they're reading through your script, the intended visual is always communicated.

Dialogue

The dialogue section is where dialogue goes. It's important to note that inner thoughts and text messages should not be in the dialogue section unless a voice is attached to those elements. Parentheticals would be used to communicate if those elements have a voice attached to them.

That's All of the Format You Need to Write a Script

Those five elements are all you need to write and properly format a script. And, more specifically, they are all you need to format a phone call in your screenplay.

How to Format Phone Calls

Okay, so we know the importance of communicating the visuals in a scene. You always want to make sure that you're telling the script reader how to envision things. You accomplish that through proper formatting, which we've provided above.

Now it's time to implement all of that into writing phone calls.

1. Think Like an Editor

You control the initial visuals that are meant to be seen or visualized. Some of the best advice for screenwriters is to write like a film editor edits. Why? Because it helps the script reader to see your movie through their mind's eyes as quickly as possible.

• You decide who is seen talking on the phone onscreen.
• You decided if we're meant to hear the other side of the line.
• You decide if we cut to the other end of the line via a new location/scene heading.

Utilize the screenplay format to communicate these things.

If you want to cut back and forth between the two locations of each end of the phone line, use new scene headings to showcase whether we're inside (INT.) or outside (EXT.), what location we are in or around, and then type SAME to indicate that this conversation is happening at the same time.

The first time this phone call scene begins, in that first location, you will indicate DAY or NIGHT. But after that, you'll type SAME until you go to another scene.

That's all you need to cut back and forth within a phone call scene. Again, keep it simple and just use the formatting to convey the visuals.

Now, if you want to show just one side of the phone call onscreen, here's how you would format that same scene differently.

As you can see, we stay in the bedroom with Amy and communicate that we hear Jackson's dialogue from Amy's phone. Why do we use both the (V.O.) and (from the phone)? Isn't that overly redundant?

There's a reason, and knowing this will put any screenwriter in the good graces of any script reader. When a script reader sees this...

... most will immediately read it as voice-over or narration out of habit. But when we add the (from the phone) parenthetical, their mind acknowledges that the dialogue is coming from the phone.

It may seem overly redundant, but when you have a script reader who reads dozens upon dozens of scripts per week, you'll be doing them a favor.

2. Cut Between Locations to Break Up Long Phone Call Scenes

You can use the same formatting above to break up longer phone call scenes so that you're not stuck in one location for too long, and can offer the reader some different visuals.

This, again, is where you choose how the phone call sequence is visually edited.

• Maybe you want to show specific reactions from each phone-call participant?
• Maybe you want to establish a visual beat to their conversation by switching perspectives?

Whatever the reasons, you have full control at this stage. Just use the scene headings, parentheses, and parentheticals as instructed, and you'll be able to easily format any phone conversation in your scripts.

3. One-Sided Phone Calls Are Fine

Sometimes you may not want us to hear the other side of the phone call, either for specific story-related reasons, or maybe there's just no need for the other voice to be heard.

If that's the case, here is how you would format that same phone call scene example.

Another version could be...

We use parentheticals to communicate that she pauses to listen, and then laughs in response to what Jackson said on the other end of the call. You could also use variants of the parenthetical.

• (listening)
• (listens)

Once you see the formatting options, it's not as difficult to format phone calls. There's no need to be intimidated by the format because it's all very simple.

3. Speakerphones, Videocalls, Voicemails, Oh My!

It's simple. Utilize the formatting examples to adjust to instances where a character puts a call on speaker, is utilizing car speakers, is listening to voicemails, and even if video calls are being made.

• Instead of (from the phone) it could be (from the speakers)
• If it's a video call, you could use (from the screen) or any other variation.

There's no set rule. These are all just industry guidelines and expectations. These examples are there to keep the script as simple and quick as possible for script readers.

Keep It Simple, Screenwriters, By Using the Format

When in doubt, keep it simple. Use the format. It's there for a reason. You're overcomplicating things if you don't use the format. It forces the script reader to stop, reset, and make sure they're on the right track. If you keep it simple by using the format, you'll make your script easier to read. And when script readers are happy, your odds of giving them a great reading experience increase tenfold.