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).