fountain-syntax

Apply this skill when:

• Writing or editing .fountain files
• Validating screenplay format
• Converting between formats
• Teaching Fountain syntax

Title Page

Key-value pairs at the start of the document:

```fountain

Title:

Seoul Identity

Credit: Written by

Author: Scott Graham

Draft date: December 27, 2025

Contact: scott@wordstofilmby.com

```

Standard keys: Title, Credit, Author, Source, Draft date, Contact, Copyright, Notes

Scene Headings

```fountain

INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY

EXT. MOUNTAIN ROAD - NIGHT

INT./EXT. CAR (MOVING) - CONTINUOUS

```

Must begin with: INT, EXT, EST, INT./EXT, INT/EXT, or I/E

Force any line as scene heading with . prefix:

```fountain

.FLASHBACK - TWENTY YEARS EARLIER

```

Optional scene numbers:

```fountain

INT. HOUSE - DAY #1#

INT. HOUSE - DAY #1A#

```

Action (Description)

Plain paragraphs are action. Line breaks are preserved.

```fountain

The room is dark. A FIGURE moves in the shadows.

Sarah enters, hesitant. She looks around.

```

Force uppercase lines as action with !:

```fountain

!MONTAGE - SARAH'S MORNING ROUTINE

```

Character Names

All UPPERCASE on own line, blank line before:

```fountain

SARAH

I don't understand.

```

With extensions:

```fountain

MOM (V.O.)

When I was your age...

JOHN (O.S.)

I'm in the kitchen!

SARAH (CONT'D)

And another thing...

```

Force mixed-case with @:

```fountain

@McCLANE

Yippee ki-yay.

```

Dialogue

Text following Character or Parenthetical:

```fountain

JOHN

This is dialogue. It can span

multiple lines without a problem.

```

Parentheticals

Wrapped in parentheses, after Character or within Dialogue:

```fountain

SARAH

(looking away)

I never said that.

(beat)

Not exactly.

```

Dual Dialogue (Simultaneous)

Add ^ after second character:

```fountain

JACK

I love you!

JILL ^

I hate you!

```

Transitions

Uppercase ending in TO:, or forced with >:

```fountain

CUT TO:

DISSOLVE TO:

>FADE TO BLACK.

```

Centered Text

Bracket with > and <:

```fountain

>THE END<

>TITLE CARD: "THREE YEARS LATER"<

```

Emphasis (Formatting)

```fountain

italics

bold

bold italics

_underline_

```

Escape with backslash: \not italic\

Lyrics

Prefix with ~:

```fountain

~Somewhere over the rainbow

~Way up high

```

Page Breaks

Three or more = on own line:

```fountain

===

```

Notes (Writer Comments)

Double brackets, won't appear in output:

```fountain

[[This is a note to myself about the scene.]]

```

Boneyard (Archived Content)

Content between / and / is ignored:

```fountain

/*

CUT SCENE - keeping for reference

INT. DINER - NIGHT

...

*/

```

Sections (Structural, Hidden)

Pound signs for outline hierarchy:

```fountain

# Act One

Scene Group

```

Synopses (Scene Summaries, Hidden)

Prefix with =:

```fountain

= Sarah discovers the truth about her father.

INT. SARAH'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

```

Required Elements

• Title page (for complete scripts)
• Scene headings with location and time
• Proper character/dialogue structure

Common Errors

1. Missing blank line before character names
2. Scene heading missing time of day
3. Parenthetical not on own line
4. Unescaped special characters triggering wrong format

Syntax Validation Checklist

• [ ] Title page has required fields
• [ ] Scene headings start with INT/EXT
• [ ] Character names are UPPERCASE
• [ ] Parentheticals are in (parentheses)
• [ ] Dual dialogue uses ^ correctly
• [ ] Notes use [[double brackets]]
• [ ] Boneyard uses / / correctly