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mcforman · 05-08-2012, 12:22 PM

DWIBG and kiwidude -

really appreciate the responses and generally understand what you are saying. BUt here's the thing -- just reading it on a kindle tablet is not an option. Yes, you can keep the formatting but the problem is the only way to read it is to use the zoom function which makes reading it a nightmare.

Screenplays follow a fairly strict format and calibre does a pretty close job of getting the conversion right. The issue is that after the conversion, some of the line breaks between she of this formatting are wrong. I'm searching for a global way to fix them. Let me try to break it down more clearly -

As you may/may not be aware, screenplay formatting has very specific definitions, such as:

Scene/Action formatting which looks something like this:

INT. OFFICE BLDG - NIGHT
A lone man sits inside a cramped office feverishly working at his computer. He's unaware that all his colleagues have gone home.

Next comes character and dialogue formatting which generally has the character's name centered on the page and then the dialogue off set left justified and looks something like this:

MICHAEL
They all laughed at me when I tried
to tell the them the world was coming to
and end. Well, they won't be laughing any
longer...

This repeats multiple times with different characters and new scenes/action, etc.

I don't care so much about the indenting of the character names and keeping that formatting. However, I really need to keep the line spacing of Character/name/scenes/action, etc., appropriate.

Below is an example of how Calibre formatted one of the screenplays I was using:

EXT. COLORADO HIGHWAY - MOMENTS LATER

3

Boon gets out of the pickup, strapping on his gun belt, smiles at the men as he walks calmly towards them.

The highway has TUFTS OF GRASS poking through cracks in the concrete. The paint is faded. In the distance are one or two ABANDONED CARS. A bullet blasted ROAD SIGN says I-70.

The Skinny Bandit spits on the ground.
SKINNY BANDIT
Hip, he’s armed.
FAT BANDIT
Stranger, hold it right there.
Both men have their guns casually aimed towards Boon.
Boon raises a polite hand, acknowledging.
The Fat Bandit coughs to find his most impressive voice.
FAT BANDIT
We here are Colorado Rangers doing road patrol. Looking for bandits and all sorts of troublemakers on the road to Denver.
SKINNY BANDIT
All sorts of trouble.
Trouble. Boon grins at the slip.

As you can see, i need to figure out how to keep the breaks between the Action the then the CHARACTER and the the character's dialogue.

Does this all make sense or am I just pissing in the wind?

Regardless, really appreciate the back and forth on this.

05-08-2012, 12:22 PM	#6
mcforman Member Posts: 10 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Kindle DX	DWIBG and kiwidude - really appreciate the responses and generally understand what you are saying. BUt here's the thing -- just reading it on a kindle tablet is not an option. Yes, you can keep the formatting but the problem is the only way to read it is to use the zoom function which makes reading it a nightmare. Screenplays follow a fairly strict format and calibre does a pretty close job of getting the conversion right. The issue is that after the conversion, some of the line breaks between she of this formatting are wrong. I'm searching for a global way to fix them. Let me try to break it down more clearly - As you may/may not be aware, screenplay formatting has very specific definitions, such as: Scene/Action formatting which looks something like this: INT. OFFICE BLDG - NIGHT A lone man sits inside a cramped office feverishly working at his computer. He's unaware that all his colleagues have gone home. Next comes character and dialogue formatting which generally has the character's name centered on the page and then the dialogue off set left justified and looks something like this: MICHAEL They all laughed at me when I tried to tell the them the world was coming to and end. Well, they won't be laughing any longer... This repeats multiple times with different characters and new scenes/action, etc. I don't care so much about the indenting of the character names and keeping that formatting. However, I really need to keep the line spacing of Character/name/scenes/action, etc., appropriate. Below is an example of how Calibre formatted one of the screenplays I was using: EXT. COLORADO HIGHWAY - MOMENTS LATER 3 Boon gets out of the pickup, strapping on his gun belt, smiles at the men as he walks calmly towards them. The highway has TUFTS OF GRASS poking through cracks in the concrete. The paint is faded. In the distance are one or two ABANDONED CARS. A bullet blasted ROAD SIGN says I-70. The Skinny Bandit spits on the ground. SKINNY BANDIT Hip, he’s armed. FAT BANDIT Stranger, hold it right there. Both men have their guns casually aimed towards Boon. Boon raises a polite hand, acknowledging. The Fat Bandit coughs to find his most impressive voice. FAT BANDIT We here are Colorado Rangers doing road patrol. Looking for bandits and all sorts of troublemakers on the road to Denver. SKINNY BANDIT All sorts of trouble. Trouble. Boon grins at the slip. As you can see, i need to figure out how to keep the breaks between the Action the then the CHARACTER and the the character's dialogue. Does this all make sense or am I just pissing in the wind? Regardless, really appreciate the back and forth on this.