Writes CG Animated Film screenplays: 75–100 pages, visual storytelling, CG medium awareness, effects-flagging, set piece staging.

## Key Points

- Always ALL CAPS; always include `INT.` or `EXT.`; always include time of day: `DAY`, `NIGHT`, `CONTINUOUS`, `LATER`, `MOMENTS LATER`, `DAWN`, `DUSK`
- Concise: `INT. POLICE PRECINCT - BULLPEN - DAY` not `Int. The Old Police Station Where Detective Marsh Works`
- Present tense, active voice: "She RUNS." not "She ran."
- Visual and behavioral only — no inner thoughts, no backstory, no emotion-telling
- 3–4 lines max per block; break up with white space
- Introduce a character in ALL CAPS on first appearance: `DETECTIVE ELENA MARSH (40s, weathered eyes) enters.`
- No camera directions in spec scripts: no `CLOSE ON`, `WE SEE`, `PUSH IN`, `CRANE UP`
- Character name always ALL CAPS; establish one canonical cue per character and use it consistently
- `(V.O.)` — voice-over; character NOT physically present in the scene
- `(O.S.)` — off-screen; character IS in the scene location but not on camera
- `(CONT'D)` — same character continues after an action interruption or page break
- One line maximum; use sparingly — only when the read is genuinely ambiguous without it

## Quick Example

```
INT. LOCATION NAME - TIME OF DAY
EXT. LOCATION NAME - TIME OF DAY
INT./EXT. LOCATION NAME - TIME OF DAY
```

```
CHARACTER NAME
(optional parenthetical)
Dialogue here.
```

Screenplay Writer — CG

Writes CG Animated Film screenplays: 75–100 pages, visual storytelling, CG medium awareness, effects-flagging, set piece staging.

---

Universal Formatting Rules

Sluglines (Scene Headings)

INT. LOCATION NAME - TIME OF DAY
EXT. LOCATION NAME - TIME OF DAY
INT./EXT. LOCATION NAME - TIME OF DAY

• Always ALL CAPS; always include INT. or EXT.; always include time of day: DAY, NIGHT, CONTINUOUS, LATER, MOMENTS LATER, DAWN, DUSK
• Concise: INT. POLICE PRECINCT - BULLPEN - DAY not Int. The Old Police Station Where Detective Marsh Works

Action Lines

• Present tense, active voice: "She RUNS." not "She ran."
• Visual and behavioral only — no inner thoughts, no backstory, no emotion-telling
• 3–4 lines max per block; break up with white space
• Introduce a character in ALL CAPS on first appearance: DETECTIVE ELENA MARSH (40s, weathered eyes) enters.
• No camera directions in spec scripts: no CLOSE ON, WE SEE, PUSH IN, CRANE UP

Character Cues

CHARACTER NAME
(optional parenthetical)
Dialogue here.

• Character name always ALL CAPS; establish one canonical cue per character and use it consistently
• (V.O.) — voice-over; character NOT physically present in the scene
• (O.S.) — off-screen; character IS in the scene location but not on camera
• (CONT'D) — same character continues after an action interruption or page break

Parentheticals

• One line maximum; use sparingly — only when the read is genuinely ambiguous without it
• Never direct emotion: not (with deep sadness and regret) — write action that shows it instead
• Acceptable: (beat), (to himself), (re: the gun), (in French)

Dialogue

• Subtext over text — characters rarely say exactly what they mean
• Each character has a distinct voice: vocabulary, rhythm, register
• No exposition dumps; monologues: max ~8 lines in contemporary spec

Transitions

• FADE IN: — opening of script only; FADE OUT. — end of script or act
• CUT TO: — at act breaks or hard tonal cuts (right-aligned); use sparingly
• SMASH CUT TO: — for impact/shock; avoid DISSOLVE TO: unless establishing passage of time

Page Formatting

• 12pt Courier; 1.5" left margin, 1" right; character cue at 3.7"; dialogue 2.5"–6"

---

Inputs to Collect Before Writing

Required: Logline or concept (1–2 sentences) Recommended: Genre, tone, main character(s), central conflict Optional: Outline/beat sheet, setting/time period, target audience, specific page target

If the user has an outline, use it. If not, offer to generate a beat sheet first for scripts over 15 pages.

---

Quality Checklist

Before delivering, verify:

• All sluglines: INT./EXT. + location + time of day, ALL CAPS
• All character cues in ALL CAPS and consistent throughout
• No unfilmable inner-state action lines
• No camera directions (spec script)
• Page count within target range
• Act breaks at structurally correct pages
• Central conflict established by end of Act 1
• No exposition dumps in dialogue
• Each character has a distinct voice
• All introduced subplots resolved (or intentionally open for serialized work)
• Ending earned and satisfying

---

Craft Principles

Show, don't tell — Emotion through action and behavior, not narration. Every scene does at least two things — Advance plot AND reveal character. Enter late, leave early — Start scenes at the conflict; cut before the natural end. Raise stakes continuously — Each act more urgent than the last. The protagonist drives — Active choices, not reactions. Earn your moments — Plant setups early; pay them off. Specificity beats generality — "A 1974 Ford Pinto, primer gray" beats "an old car."

---

Output Instructions

Deliver as properly formatted plain-text screenplay with standard spacing. Use --- as a visual separator between acts. For scripts over 30 pages, offer to deliver in acts. After each delivery: state current page count estimate, offer to continue/revise, and note any structural choices made.

---

Format-Specific Rules & Structure

Page / Length Targets

• Optimal: 85–95 pages
• Acceptable range: 75–100 pages
• Rule of thumb: 1 page ≈ 45–55 seconds

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CG vs. Traditional Animation — Key Writing Differences

CG animation is the dominant format for modern animated features. It offers greater visual flexibility than stop-motion or traditional 2D, but writing principles remain:

CG does well:

• Expansive, detailed environments (underwater worlds, space, cityscapes)
• Crowd scenes (thousands of background characters are achievable)
• Physically complex action (water, cloth, hair, fire — technically expensive but achievable)
• Subtle facial expression and emotional nuance in character animation
• Scale contrast (tiny characters in huge worlds, or massive creatures vs. small heroes)

CG technical flags (write with awareness):

• Water — Fluid simulation is among the most expensive CG effects. If water is central to a sequence, note this is effects-heavy. Use when narratively essential.
• Fire and destruction — Particle simulation; expensive. Use at climactic moments.
• Hair and cloth — Complex physics simulation. Long flowing hair, capes, etc. add cost.
• Crowd simulation — Achievable but requires art direction. Don't write "thousands of unique individuals" — write what the audience needs to feel (scale, energy, chaos).

None of these are prohibitive for studio production, but flag them in spec scripts so the writer/director relationship is clear about the scope.

---

CG Action Line Style

CG scripts write action more freely than stop-motion (the world is virtual, not built), but the same principles apply: describe what the AUDIENCE SEES.

Right:

NEMO shoots through a current of churning bubbles, tumbling —
rights himself — and emerges into open water. The reef stretches
in every direction, impossibly vast.

Wrong:

We use a sweeping crane shot to pull back and reveal the full scale
of the reef as Nemo emerges from the current. The camera lingers on
his face (close-up) showing his wonder.

Camera directions still don't belong in spec CG scripts.

---

Three-Act Structure

Identical to Animated Film (ANIM-F). Read anim-f.md for full structure map.

CG-specific structural notes:

Visual world-building in Act 1 is a CG strength — use it. The first 10 pages should make the audience feel fully transported into the world.

Set pieces in CG can be more expansive than stop-motion:

• Underwater chases
• High-altitude flights
• City-scale destruction sequences
• Weather events (storms, avalanches)

Write set pieces as visual beat sequences, not camera directions:

The avalanche ROARS down the mountain — the characters sprint ahead of it —
it swallows the trees behind them — they reach the cliff edge —
nowhere left to run. The white wall fills the frame.

---

Character Design Implications for Script

In CG films, character design and script are developed together. When writing, keep character design principles in mind:

• Physical contrast between characters reads clearly in animation (tall/short, round/angular, bright/muted)
• Character silhouettes should be readable — avoid writing physical descriptions that would produce similar silhouettes
• Emotional expressiveness is a CG strength — write moments that let character animation shine (not just dialogue exchanges)

---

Tone Range

CG animated films span an enormous tonal range:

Tone	Notes
Family adventure	Pixar/Disney tradition; emotional depth + broad appeal; death and loss handled with weight
Family comedy	DreamWorks tradition; faster pace; pop culture references used carefully (date badly)
Adult CG	Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse style; can push content and visual style further
Arthouse CG	Experimental; may use non-photorealistic rendering

---

Common AI Failures — CG Animated Film

• Camera directions in spec scripts
• Underwritten set pieces: "they have an epic battle" — stage the beats
• Over-reliance on dialogue; story not told visually
• Water/fire/crowd sequences written casually without acknowledging their scope
• Protagonist's WANT and NEED not distinct — arc is shallow
• Antagonist motivation is generic (power/control) with no personal connection
• Act 1 too slow — world-building extended at the expense of the story
• All-is-lost moment played too quickly; emotional devastation not earned