Maintain screenplay formatting in epub

[Anonomaly]

Hello,

In my work I need to read many screenplays every week. I've started to use an e-reader to reduce eye strain, and while it's technically possible to read PDFs on it, it would really help me a lot to be able to use the epub functions on KOReader.

As you may know, when converting screenplays from PDF to epub using Calibre results in losing the screenplay formatting, most notably aligning all text to one side, but sometimes also not keeping other parts like the scene headlines.

I searched the forums and it seems no one has brought up this issue in more than a decade, so I wanted to check if maybe since then there's been some option or plugin to retain the formatting that I couldn't find, or if anyone's figured out a way to do it using CSS. Alternatively, if anyone would be so kind to help me do it I'd really appreciate it because I don't know anything about CSS.

Thank you!

[Karellen]

I'm not familiar with the layout of a screenplay. Maybe you can post some screenshots or a sample pdf?

I am not aware of any screenplay specific converter, but I wouldn't imagine it too difficult to get the results using css.

[Anonomaly]

This is an in-depth article about screenplay formatting, but you can skim it or watch the short video embedded at the top.
And attached are two of the several sample files referenced in the article - a short general sample script and the full screenplay to Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums.

One thing which might not be immediately obvious concerning the formatting is that in screenplays the character name and parentheses are always centered, but the dialogue is indented and justified.

Let me know if I can give any additional information you might need.

[BetterRed]

Which authoring software do you use, what are its output options.

E.G. Final Draft can save as HTML and RTF, which are better formats to convert to EPUB than PDF (which is the worst format to convert)

If all you have is PDF, convert that to DOCX by opening the PDF in Word, Save as DOCX and convert that to EPUB with calibre. Sample attached.

BR

[Karellen]

Your sample looks simple enough. I expect these screenplays will run into hundreds of pages with hundreds of conversation changes, so it will take a bit of work.

What @BetterRed states is the best way to go - converting from the original format, not the pdf.

But if you only have the pdf, it can still be done. Attached is a quick fix as proof of concept....
Only change is removal of page numbers as they don't mean anything in reflowable content. Instead I added a TOC.

[Bradles]

Originally Posted by Karellen

...
Only change is removal of page numbers as they don't mean anything in reflowable content. Instead I added a TOC.

I would respectfully suggest that page numbers are important when reading a screenplay. You need to know where you are in the story to judge the flow.

Also, the OP would probably refer back to the original page number for notes.

Just my 2c.

[Karellen]

Originally Posted by Bradles

I would respectfully suggest that page numbers are important when reading a screenplay. You need to know where you are in the story to judge the flow.

Also, the OP would probably refer back to the original page number for notes.

Just my 2c.

Sure, understand. I don't know enough about screenplays, but it is easily added back.
I would have thought being able to jump directly to a scene via the TOC would be easier than trying to remember what page a scene is on, though.

[Anonomaly]

Thank you guys for your help.
I don't actually use any screenwriting software - I only receive PDFs from writers and they don't always agree or are technically savvy enough to export and send different formats.

But this is interesting! It hadn't occurred to me to open the PDF in Word and then converting the DOCX.
I actually tried that with a different screenplay and uploaded the epub, along with the two samples you both attached, to my device.
For some reason the file that Karellen made looked best on my Kindle, and reacted best to KOReader's styling options. It was also the only file of the three that could change fonts through KOReader, which is significant since I find specific fonts much easier and faster to read.
Could it be because of the removed page numbers and added TOC?
Which settings specifically did you use to do that?

Edit: Bradles is actually right that having page numbers would be more convenient when writing and giving notes, since most writers don't number their scenes until they're almost ready to shoot.
But readability is more important and if I'm right in my guess and the page numbers somehow make the files less compatible then I'd rather remove them and figure out some way to find the right page for a note.

[Karellen]

Originally Posted by Anonomaly

For some reason the file that Karellen made looked best on my Kindle, and reacted best to KOReader's styling options. It was also the only file of the three that could change fonts through KOReader, which is significant since I find specific fonts much easier and faster to read.
Could it be because of the removed page numbers and added TOC?
Which settings specifically did you use to do that?

No, nothing to do with page numbers and TOC.
The pdf conversion did not do a good job at maintaining the format, so I recoded the epub after conversion. This also meant I removed font references, so there is no forced reference to use Courier New / Monospace fonts in the epub. The conversion specifies this because that is what is used in the pdf.

If you open the stylesheet.css file in the conversion by @BetterRed, scroll to the bottom of the page, and you can see that Courier New and Calibri fonts are specified.

Originally Posted by Anonomaly

Edit: Bradles is actually right that having page numbers would be more convenient when writing and giving notes, since most writers don't number their scenes until they're almost ready to shoot.
But readability is more important and if I'm right in my guess and the page numbers somehow make the files less compatible then I'd rather remove them and figure out some way to find the right page for a note.

Fair enough. Though because of the reflow, and font size you choose on your ereader, page numbers won't really show where you expect them to show. A scene might be on page 2, but because of the above reasons, it may be another two or three page clicks further on before you find the scene. (for example).

[Anonomaly]

Originally Posted by Karellen

No, nothing to do with page numbers and TOC.
The pdf conversion did not do a good job at maintaining the format, so I recoded the epub after conversion. This also meant I removed font references, so there is no forced reference to use Courier New / Monospace fonts in the epub. The conversion specifies this because that is what is used in the pdf.

If you open the stylesheet.css file in the conversion by @BetterRed, scroll to the bottom of the page, and you can see that Courier New and Calibri fonts are specified.

Looking at the two files' stylesheet.css, I can see they're both quite different in more than just the font.
Is there by any chance a template I can use for all my future screenplay conversions, or specific parts of the code I should either delete or paste each time, to get the same effect as your conversion?
I assume the way the code works is much too complicated for me to simply copy/paste the entire code and expect the same result.

[Karellen]

Mine wasn't really a conversion. It was a re-code of the epub. What I did is a manual process that can't be done with some check boxes in the Conversion dialogue screen.
As an aside, I never use the conversion dialogue, so I don't have a good understanding of what it is capable of and its limitations.

So your choice is...
1. The method by @BetterRed, which gets pretty close to what you are after and all you really need to do is delete those references to fonts in the stylesheet.css which will allow you to select the font used by your ereader
This method is quick and easy, but may not give you 100% what you want.

2. The re-code method. It will give you exactly what you want but is a very time-consuming process.

If you want to go with method 2, I can give you my stylesheet.css as a starting point. But you will also need to replace all the code in the files that contain the screenplay text to match the new tags in the css file.

[Quoth]

Screenplays properly styled in Word or LO Writer (only edit ODT) and then imported to Calibre via docx need no extra work if there are no images. Images can sometimes need the CSS edited.

[Anonomaly]

Originally Posted by Karellen

So your choice is...
1. The method by @BetterRed, which gets pretty close to what you are after and all you really need to do is delete those references to fonts in the stylesheet.css which will allow you to select the font used by your ereader
This method is quick and easy, but may not give you 100% what you want.

2. The re-code method. It will give you exactly what you want but is a very time-consuming process.

Thank you for laying out my options clearly.
If it's not too much of a bother, I'd like to give the re-code method a crack using your stylesheet.css.
If I find it's too big of a task for me, I'll try the first method.

Originally Posted by Quoth

Screenplays properly styled in Word or LO Writer (only edit ODT) and then imported to Calibre via docx need no extra work if there are no images. Images can sometimes need the CSS edited.

Thanks for the tip. I'll try removing the cover pages with images before converting to docx and see if it improves the outcome.

[Quoth]

A cover for the whole thing is best never in Word/LO Writer, but added directly to Calibre to add to the ebook.

In fact for publishing all retailers ignore the included epub cover and require a twice as good separate image upload. This is clue

PDFs are only for printing, giant tablets, QHD or better screens, or publishing on paper. Abysmal for conversion or phones orr ereaders.

[Karellen]

Originally Posted by Anonomaly

Thank you for laying out my options clearly.
If it's not too much of a bother, I'd like to give the re-code method a crack using your stylesheet.css.
If I find it's too big of a task for me, I'll try the first method.

No problems. Just copy the text to your css file... https://paste.kodi.tv/tiwoxoluhu
Do you have some experience with this? It's not just as simple as pasting the new css into the ebook and you are done. The rest of the ebook - every paragraph, every blockquote, italic, bold etc - also needs to be updated accordingly.
If you have no previous exposure to this, it will be a steep learning curve. But most of us will be happy to answer questions.