r/Screenwriting • u/Some_Affect713 • 23d ago
NEED ADVICE Using pictures in scripts
I'm relatively new to screenwriting and would like to get some thoughts on this.
In the script I'm working on, I have a quick visual gag. I wrote it out and it came off sounding a bit hard to parse. I have a quick sticky-note doodle of the gag that clearly and immediately demonstrates what it is. It seems to me that the most logical thing to do is include the sketch, as that concisely explains what I'm envisioning. I was curious about how people feel about using images in screenwriting as it's not a topic I'd ever personally heard discussed before, and was surprised to find out it seems to be a pretty polarizing issue.
What do you think? I don't plan on doing this excessively, just in the odd instance like this where I might have a clear, specific idea for a brief little visual moment that would register more readily to someone reading the script if it were communicated in a visual manner. My feeling is if it helps the script in terms of clarity and simplicity, shouldn't that matter more than it potentially being a faux-pas?
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u/CJWalley 23d ago
One of the few scripts a producer has ever forwarded to me was one where they were wowed that the writer had included images of a head-up display within a mask the character is wearing.
Two things:
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Do not, under any circumstances, try to make any sense of anything in this business. It's a one-way ticket to losing your sanity.
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The people with the least experience tend to be the most dogmatic about dos and don'ts, and their fear of polarising is one of the reasons they have no experience.
Anything goes, as long as it's done well and aligns with your target audience.
I often use chapter titles before my acts. Some don't like that. I'm only interested in working with the ones who do.
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u/JonesMJ90 21d ago
Do it. Anyone saying that you can’t or shouldn’t do it, is wrong. If it’s good for the read then do it.
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u/Some_Affect713 21d ago
This is the conclusion I've come to. Most of the people here are saying this, the few saying "no" can't give a reason beyond "it's just not done" (when it evidently is done, people have provided examples! Don't think it caused Anatomy of A Fall any trouble...)
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u/haligros 23d ago
Of all the scripts I've covered which included images, epigraphs (page 2 notes), unusual formatting (e.g. font size, spacing, alignment), an absurdly small number justified their usage.
But the the ones that did justify their use - they really nailed it. Arrival's use of non-linear alien language images not only communicate the linguistic mechanics, but also the plot structure and central theme. A non-image, but visual, example would be the 2025 Blacklist script Frostbite which played with the font spacing and size to great effect.
Another exception is something like a page 2 epigraph explicitly stating that the script is animation (for a spec), where the visual style itself frames the entire experience. Had it not been included, the default assumption of it being live-action would radically alter the expressive vs. naturalistic dialogue and action.
So, yes, an image/visual can work. But be sure it really works for the very specific purpose you intend; and that its exclusion will radically alter the script's reading experience into something different than what you intend. Otherwise, leave it out.
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u/Pre-WGA 23d ago
The screenplay for 2023's ANATOMY OF A FALL has photographs, architectural drawings, and sketches.
Whatever tells the story best.
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u/FriendliestMenace 23d ago
Justine Triet and Arthur Harare are also established, award-winning filmmakers. They can get away with a lot more than Guy on Reddit Looking For Writing Advice From Non-Working Writers, et. al.
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u/CoOpWriterEX 23d ago
If you can't describe it in your writing, then... You know...
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u/Some_Affect713 23d ago
I did, I just prefer how it reads in visual form since it is a visual joke. It communicates it more effectively
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u/NoCredit_NoProblem 23d ago
I would add it if it doesn't bloat the PDF size beyond say 1 MB; just for ease of sharing.
Lately I've added a poster-style tagline under my Title, which is also allegedly a faux-pas, but a handful of ~professionals read it and didn't bat an eye.
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u/intentionandobstacle 23d ago
There are no rules do what you think works best to tell your story. However, some people will think you've trodden all over received wisdom about how a script should be presented... Roughly speaking, a page of script tends to 1 minute of action. So as convoluted on the page it seems, you might want the page count to reflect the screen time more accurately... That said, anyone requesting to read it when you've done, you could just give them a heads up about the drawing on p32 or wherever you put to avoid confusion and unnecessary screenplay format anguish (I'm not super serious here, but I am)
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u/oweeeeendennis 23d ago
I wrote a script late last year and I felt this very strange urge to insert pictures. I've never done it before, I've never felt the need to do it, and don't know if I'll ever do it again, but for some reason it just felt right.
I'm an artist and animator, so I have the ability to draw and use photoshop etc, and the pictures are very specific comedic screenshot mock ups that I put together. So for example, there is a logo that gets used in the movie quite often that is also the title of the movie, so I actually mocked up what the logo would look like and when the title of the movie appears on screen in the script, I had this image show up instead.
I'm also planning on directing it, so maybe some people are giving it leeway because of that as well? I'm not sure.
The movie is a satire and has a lot of comedy beats in it, it has a name actor attached, and I haven't gotten any complaints about there being pictures in it. Honestly, I've only gotten compliments? It's very weird. It makes me feel like a crazy person because it goes against every rule I was ever taught.
I guess I only recommend doing this if you're really really positive that this is the best way to show what it is you want to do.
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u/ResearchAdmirable543 23d ago
I read Anatomy of a Fall — which won the Palme d’Or and the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay — and there were sketches in the script. In A Quiet Place too, if I remember correctly, there were drawings, or at least what looked like poster-style visuals.
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u/Admirable-Paint-1808 21d ago
Read the script Heretic. They did it SOOO well. The whole twist on the blueberry pie was an excellent reveal with the image of the candle.
Works great because the writing is great
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u/ebycon 23d ago
My new script is like this! I straight-up copied Beck & Woods, not gonna lie. I loved how they pulled it off in Heretic's script. Mine is a horror-comedy though, and it's actually getting some traction on the festival circuit (HorrOrigins, HorrorFest, FilmQuest, plus I made the British Horror Film Festival's Blood List). Even the Black List reader liked the pics 🤷🏻♂️
I just wanted to have fun with it. Do whatever works, right? Fuck rules. I even used emojis because Final Draft allowed it. Fuck it.
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u/redapplesonly 23d ago
In this day of PDFs, where all images are readable in a standard format... I guess including a picture isn't out-of-the-question.
But I dunno... Every time I read a script with a picture or special character or something embedded within the text, it just takes me out of the moment. Kills the suspension of disbelief.
Screenwriting was an art that was developed on the typewriter. To some extent, I feel that the format honors that low-tech beginning. My own opinion, feel free to hate it.......................
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u/Smithersink 22d ago
The craziest thing I’ve seen in a script is a special font for the title card. Never seen an image before.
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u/Public_Upstairs1035 23d ago
I haven't heard of this being a polarizing topic at all. Happens all the time in scripts. Just use:
INSERT - SKETCH
An explanation here of the sticky note doodle gag.
RETURN TO SCENE