Board Thread:Voting/@comment-4854965-20141207004226

As some of you have noticed, there is no official format for the transcripts. There are two discussion threads where some of us tried to iron out the details. You can vote for all, or just a portion. The following is the current proposal:

The spacing is not intentional, this is just how the text box is formatted.

1) Stage directions —Defined (for this site) as:  a simple sum of actions made by the important characters of the story line and/or any actions that are important to the story/ give context to the script.  If the stage directions are short, they should be written in italics and parentheses in the speech box.  If the stage directions are lengthy (e.g. the Globnar fight) it gets its own speech box. The character box should be left blank. No parentheses are needed.

Example:

!

| ''Soos leaves, walking around the corner of the Mystery Shack. Wendy and Stan walk in from around the corner, staring at Soos.''

|-

2) Scene changes, theme song, and commercials— All three always get their own speech box, with no character name, and written in italics but with no parentheses. Scene changes should begin with simple phrasing, such as “cut to”. The theme song should always be written as “cut to theme song”. For scene transitions where a commercial would be aired if played on TV, it should always be written as “commercial break”. Grammar should be used as normal, such as using a period.

Example:

<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">!

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;">| Cut to the Mystery Shack.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;">|-

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">3) Dialogue

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">a) Character sounds—If a character makes a sound (e.g. gasp, bleat) within either their own or another character’s dialogue, the description should be in the same speech box in line with the rest of the dialogue. If it is done between the dialogue of two different characters, the description should be at the end of the former character’s speech. For shouts, screams, and the like, write as a stage direction as opposed to using "Aah!".

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Example 1: Within same-character dialogue. (Ellipses used below because example is an excerpt)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">!Mabel

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;">|…Who could it be? Who could it be? (Wompers bleating and squealing) What’s that Wompers? Someone we already know?...

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;">|-

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Example 2: Between two characters’ dialogue.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">!Lee and Nate

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;">|Lick that sponge! Lick that sponge! (Thompson groans and licks a dirty sponge)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;">|-

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">!Lee, Nate, and Mabel

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;">|(laughing) Oh!

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;">|-

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">b) Special Dialogue— If a character changes their tone or affects an accent (e.g. mimicking another character, using a sarcastic tone, etc) it should be written in italics and in parentheses within the speech box. If a character narrates to the audience (the viewers) it should be written in the character box.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Example 1:

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">!Mabel

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;">| No. He’s more like (puts on trucker hat and mocks Dipper’s voice) Aaah! Let’s solve a mystery! I kiss a pillow with Wendy’s face drawn on it!

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;">|-

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Example 2:

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">!Dipper (Narrating)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;">| My name is Dipper. The girl about to puke is my sister Mabel.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;">|-

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">c) Addressing other characters—If a character specifically addresses another character, it should be noted in italic in parentheses within the speech box.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Example:

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">!Dipper

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;">|Stan! Stan! (Sees Wendy drive up in a golf cart) (To Wendy) Wendy! Wendy! I need to borrow the golf cart so I can save my sister from a zombie!

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;">|-

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">4) Links—Links should be done on the very first use of the character’s name (or alias).

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Example:

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;">!Hank

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;">|<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">You want cheese on that <span style="padding:0in;font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">hun <span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">?

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;">|-

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size:13px;line-height:16.5pt;margin-bottom:0px!important;">5) Grammar<span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">—Grammar should, as always be used. For everything, stage directions included, a period should be used. Only one space should be used between sentences. <ac_metadata title="Transcript Format Guidelines"> </ac_metadata>