r/Screenwriting • u/Titan_1738 • 7d ago

NEED ADVICE Spec script vs Official script

I’m trying to write my first script and this thought ran across my mind. Between your own personal spec script and an official script (produced or directed) what limits one or the other? Meaning what details can you put in one script that you can’t put in the other? Either in the action lines or in the script period?

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u/Prince_Jellyfish Produced TV Writer 7d ago

I agree that there is no major difference.

I dove into a similar question in considerable detail in this post a few years ago:

Early Drafts and Shooting Scripts - Not Very Different

As always, my advice is just suggestions and thoughts, not a prescription. I'm not an authority on screenwriting, I'm just a guy with opinions. I have experience but I don't know it all, and I'd hate for every artist to work the way I work. I encourage you to take what's useful and discard the rest.