Screenplay format guide
How to Write Text Messages in a Screenplay
To write a text message in a screenplay, show it as on-screen text in the action: a tag like ON PHONE SCREEN: followed by the message in quotes, with reactions in action between messages. There is no single official format, so here are the three that readers recognise, plus a live formatter.
Written and reviewed by ScriptLix Editorial
INT. TAYLOR'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Taylor lies on the couch, phone above her face. It buzzes.
ON PHONE SCREEN: "u up?"
She types. Deletes. Types again.
ON PHONE SCREEN: "who is this"
Three dots appear. Disappear. Appear.
ON PHONE SCREEN: "it's Jordan. I'm outside."
Taylor sits bolt upright.
Write your own
Type in plain text. A name in caps right above a line becomes dialogue, and lines starting INT. or EXT. become scene headings.
INT. TAYLOR'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Taylor lies on the couch, phone above her face. It buzzes.
ON PHONE SCREEN: "u up?"
She types. Deletes. Types again.
ON PHONE SCREEN: "who is this"
Three dots appear. Disappear. Appear.
ON PHONE SCREEN: "it's Jordan. I'm outside."
Taylor sits bolt upright.
How to use it
- 1
Introduce the phone in action so we know who is looking at it.
- 2
Show each message on its own line, in quotes, after a short tag like ON PHONE SCREEN or TEXT MESSAGE.
- 3
Keep reactions in action between messages. The pause before a reply is often the scene.
Which text message format should I use?
| Format | Example | Use when |
|---|---|---|
| On-screen text | ON PHONE SCREEN: "u up?" | Most scenes, 1 to 6 messages |
| Dialogue style | TAYLOR (TEXT) then the message | Long exchanges, used the same way all script |
| Insert | INSERT - PHONE SCREEN ... BACK TO SCENE | One message that is a reveal |
How do you format text messages in a script?
On-screen text in action. Write a tag such as ON PHONE SCREEN: or TEXT: and then the message in quotes, as in the example. It reads quickly and works in every app. Spelling and caps inside the quotes can be as messy as real texts.
Text as dialogue. Some writers put the sender as a cue with an extension like (TEXT) or (TEXTING), then the message as dialogue. It is handy for long back and forth exchanges, but it can make readers think a line is spoken. Use it only if the whole script does it the same way.
A centred or bold insert. A few writers set the message apart with an INSERT - PHONE SCREEN heading, then BACK TO SCENE. That suits a single important message, like a reveal, more than a full conversation.
How do you make texting play on screen?
Watching someone type is not exciting by itself. What plays is the hesitation: typing, deleting, the dots that appear and vanish, the phone put face down. Write those beats in action and the reader will feel the tension the audience will feel.
Long texts are a warning sign. If a message runs more than a line or two, the audience will be reading instead of watching. Cut it down, or turn it into a call or a face to face scene.
How do you show group chats and notifications?
For a group chat, put the sender name before the message: ON SCREEN - FAMILY CHAT: MOM: "dinner at 7". For a lock screen notification, describe it as an image in action, which is how the audience will see it.
More from the format guide
- How to Write a Montage in a Screenplay
- How to Write a Flashback in a Screenplay
- How to Write a Phone Call in a Screenplay
- Dual Dialogue in a Screenplay
- Voice Over in a Screenplay: V.O. Narration
- Screenplay Transitions: CUT TO, DISSOLVE TO
- How to Introduce a Character in a Screenplay
- How to Use Parentheticals in a Screenplay
- How to Write an Intercut in a Screenplay
- How to Write a Title Card in a Screenplay
- How to Write a Series of Shots in a Screenplay
- How to Write a Flash Forward in a Screenplay
- How to Write a Dream Sequence in a Screenplay
- Smash Cut: What It Is and How to Write One
- O.S. in a Screenplay: Meaning and Format
- How to Write a Pre Lap in a Screenplay
- Subtitles in a Screenplay: Foreign Dialogue
- How to Write a Split Screen in a Screenplay
- How to Write Slow Motion in a Screenplay
- How to Write a Freeze Frame in a Screenplay
- How to Write Song Lyrics in a Screenplay
Questions writers ask
How do you write a text message in a screenplay?
Write a tag like ON PHONE SCREEN: in the action, then the message in quotes on the same line. Keep reactions in action between messages.
Should text messages be formatted as dialogue?
You can use a cue with (TEXT), but it risks reading as speech. On-screen text in action is clearer for most scripts.
How do you show a text conversation in a script?
Alternate the messages as on-screen text lines, with short action beats for the typing and the pauses in between.
How do you format a phone screen insert?
Write INSERT - PHONE SCREEN as a heading, describe what we read, then BACK TO SCENE.