the.com/screenplay
A novel that went on a diet and learned to show, not tell.
means The written blueprint for a film or TV show, told almost entirely through action and dialogue, with scene headings and camera-ready structure instead of narrative description.
from A straightforward compound of 'screen' (the movie/TV screen) plus 'play' (a dramatic work written for performance) — coined in the early 20th century once film became an industry that needed a word distinct from stage 'plays.' It simply names what it is: a play meant for the screen rather than the stage.
- page rule
- roughly one page equals one minute onscreen
- format tyranny
- courier font exists only to standardize timing
- white space
- the blank parts are doing half the work
- true authorship
- director and editor often rewrite it invisibly