Screenplay

%% example.tex — Sample screenplay using screenplay.cls
%%
%% Compile with: pdflatex example.tex  (run twice for breakdown table)
%%
%% Toggle pre-production mode:
%%   \documentclass[preproduction]{screenplay}   ← annotations visible
%%   \documentclass{screenplay}                  ← clean shooting script
%%

\documentclass{screenplay}

% --- Revision info (optional) ---
% \revisioncolor{pink}           % Uncomment for colored revision pages
% \revisioninfo{2nd Draft}{February 8, 2026}

% --- Title page metadata ---
\screentitle{The Lst Light}
\screensubtitle{``Pilot Episode''}
\screenauthor{Jane Doe}
\screencontact{%
  Jane Doe\\
  123 Sunset Blvd\\
  Los Angeles, CA 90028\\
  jane@example.com\\
  (555) 867-5309%
}
\screendraftinfo{First Draft --- February 2026}

\begin{document}

\maketitlepage

% --- Pre-production legend (only shows in preproduction mode) ---
\preprodlegend

% ================================================================
% ACT ONE
% ================================================================

\slugline[1]{EXT.}{COASTAL HIGHWAY --- AERIAL}{DAWN}

\shot{WIDE AERIAL SHOT}
\cam{DRONE TRACKING, moving south along coastline}

\action{%
  A winding highway hugs the cliffs above a restless ocean.
  \setnote{Practical location: Big Sur, CA. Need permits for drone.}
  A single pair of headlights cuts through the pre-dawn fog.
  \lighting{Natural pre-dawn blue, fog diffusion.}
}

\trans{CUT TO:}

% ----------------------------------------------------------------

\slugline[2]{INT.}{SARAH'S CAR --- MOVING}{DAWN}

\shot{CLOSE-UP}
\cam{MOUNTED DASHBOARD CAM}

\action{%
  SARAH CHEN (30s, sharp eyes, tired face) grips the steering wheel
  of a battered \prop{1998 Honda Civic}. A \prop{paper coffee cup}
  sits in the cupholder, long cold. She wears a
  \wardrobe{wrinkled blazer over a faded band t-shirt} --- someone
  who left in a hurry.
  \lighting{Dashboard glow on face, blue-grey ambient from windows.}
}

\action{%
  Her phone buzzes. She glances at it --- \prop{cracked iPhone} on
  the passenger seat displaying ``DAD --- 3 Missed Calls.'' She
  silences it without answering.
  \sfx{Phone vibration buzz, two short pulses.}
}

\character{SARAH}
\paren{to herself, barely audible}
\dialogue{Not yet.}

\action{%
  She reaches for the \prop{coffee cup}, takes a sip, grimaces.
  \cam{SLOW PUSH IN on her reflection in the rearview mirror.}
}

\trans{SMASH CUT TO:}

% ----------------------------------------------------------------

\slugline[3]{EXT.}{PINE RIDGE MOTEL --- PARKING LOT}{MORNING}

\shot{WIDE SHOT}

\action{%
  \setnote{Motel exterior: run-down, 1970s architecture, neon sign
  partially burnt out reading ``P\_NE R\_DGE MOT\_L.''}
  The Civic pulls into a near-empty lot. Only two other cars: a
  \prop{rusted pickup truck} and a \prop{black SUV with tinted
  windows}. The SUV feels conspicuous.
  \lighting{Harsh morning sun, long shadows from the motel sign.}
}

\action{%
  Sarah steps out, stretches. She pulls a \prop{leather duffel bag}
  from the back seat and walks toward the office.
  \sfx{Gravel crunch underfoot. Distant highway traffic.}
  \vfx{Remove modern cell tower visible behind motel --- period
  accuracy.}
}

% ----------------------------------------------------------------

\slugline[4]{INT.}{PINE RIDGE MOTEL --- FRONT OFFICE}{MORNING}

\cam{STEADICAM follows Sarah through the door}

\action{%
  \setnote{Interior: wood paneling, hunting trophies, dusty plastic
  plants. A \prop{tube TV} plays the local news with the sound off.}
  A bell jingles as Sarah enters. Behind the counter sits EARL
  (60s, leathery skin, reading glasses perched on his nose),
  flipping through a \prop{fishing magazine}.
  \wardrobe{Earl: flannel shirt, suspenders, reading glasses on
  a chain.}
}

\character{EARL}
\paren{not looking up}
\dialogue{Single or double.}

\character{SARAH}
\dialogue{Single. Something in the back, if you have it.}

\character{EARL}
\paren{finally looking up, studying her}
\dialogue{Running from something or running to something?}

\revised{%
\character{SARAH}
\paren{a beat, then a tired smile}
\dialogue{Ask me when I check out.}
}

\action{%
  \shot{INSERT} --- Earl slides a \prop{brass room key} (not a
  keycard --- old school) across the counter. The tag reads
  \prop{Room 7}.
  \sfx{Metal key sliding on Formica counter.}
}

\trans{CUT TO:}

% ----------------------------------------------------------------

\slugline[5]{INT.}{MOTEL ROOM 7}{MORNING}

\shot{WIDE establishing, then MEDIUM on Sarah}

\action{%
  \setnote{Room: faded floral bedspread, wood-grain furniture,
  landscape painting bolted to wall. Bathroom visible through
  half-open door.}
  Sarah drops the \prop{duffel bag} on the bed. She crosses to the
  window, parts the curtains. Through the glass: the \prop{black
  SUV} hasn't moved.
  \lighting{Venetian blind shadows across Sarah's face --- film
  noir callback.}
  \cam{SLOW DOLLY from behind Sarah toward the window, rack focus
  from her shoulder to the SUV outside.}
}

\character{SARAH}
\paren{under her breath}
\dialogue{Okay. So it's like that.}

\action{%
  She unzips the \prop{duffel bag}. Inside: clothes, a
  \prop{laptop}, a \prop{manila envelope thick with documents}, and
  at the bottom, wrapped in a cloth --- a \prop{compact handgun}.
  \shot{EXTREME CLOSE-UP} on her hand hovering over the gun. She
  chooses the \prop{manila envelope} instead.
  \sfx{Zipper opening. Rustling fabric. Paper sliding.}
}

\trans{CUT TO:}

% ----------------------------------------------------------------

\slugline[5A]{INT.}{MOTEL ROOM 7}{MOMENTS LATER}

\action{%
  Documents spread across the bed.
  \cam{TOP-DOWN OVERHEAD SHOT looking straight down at the
  documents.}
  We glimpse fragments: \prop{financial spreadsheets},
  \prop{photographs of a corporate building}, a
  \prop{hand-drawn map} with red circles. Sarah arranges them
  methodically, building a case only she understands.
  \vfx{Insert legible text on document close-ups in post ---
  hero props will be blank on set.}
}

% --- Dual dialogue example ---

\action{%
  Her phone rings again. This time she answers.
  \sfx{Phone ringtone --- generic, not personalized. She never
  bothered.}
}

\dualdia
  {SARAH}
  {Dad, I can't talk right now. I'm handling it.}
  {FATHER (V.O.)}
  {Handling it? Sarah, you took the \textit{files}. Do you have any idea---}

\character{SARAH}
\dialogue{I have every idea. That's the problem.}

\action{She hangs up. Stares at the documents.
  \cam{SLOW ZOOM into the photograph of the corporate building.}
  \sfx{Dial tone hum, then silence.}
}

\trans{FADE TO BLACK.}

% ================================================================
% Script note example (visible only in preproduction mode)
% ================================================================

\scriptnote{%
  END OF TEASER / COLD OPEN. Estimated runtime: 4--5 minutes.
  Scenes 1--5A establish Sarah's isolation, the mystery of the
  SUV, and the stakes (files, gun, estranged father). The motel
  becomes our primary location for Act One.
  \textbf{Location scout needed for Pine Ridge Motel exterior.}
}

% ================================================================
% BREAKDOWN TABLE (compile twice to populate)
% ================================================================

\printbreakdownraw

\end{document}