Writes Stop-Motion Film screenplays: 75–95 pages, tactile-world action lines, puppet physics, practical set constraints, medium-specific craft.

## 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 — STOP

Writes Stop-Motion Film screenplays: 75–95 pages, tactile-world action lines, puppet physics, practical set constraints, medium-specific craft.

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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.

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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

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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."

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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.

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Format-Specific Rules & Structure

Page / Length Targets

• Optimal: 80–90 pages
• Acceptable range: 75–95 pages
• Rule of thumb: 1 page ≈ 50–60 seconds (stop-motion pacing tends slightly slower than live action; deliberate, tactile movement takes time)

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The Stop-Motion Aesthetic — Write for the Medium

Stop-motion is a tactile, handcrafted medium. The physicality of the medium IS the aesthetic. Scripts should embrace what stop-motion does uniquely well:

What stop-motion excels at:

• Textured, tangible worlds with physical weight and presence
• Characters that feel handmade — slightly imperfect, expressive in a unique way
• Intimate scale — small worlds that feel huge
• Mood lighting and shadow play (sets are physically lit)
• Deliberate, precise movement that rewards close watching
• A sense of time and patience built into every frame

What to avoid writing:

• Massive crowd scenes requiring hundreds of unique puppets
• Seamless liquid water or fire as a narrative focus (extremely difficult/expensive)
• Fast, chaotic action sequences that would require extreme amounts of frames
• Instant transformation/morphing (doable but costly — use sparingly and intentionally)
• Any action that contradicts the physical puppet construction

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Physical World Rules

When writing, respect these physical constraints:

Sets are finite and practical

• Characters exist in built sets — geography is fixed and real
• Don't write a character crossing the room if the set doesn't have that space described
• Establish each major set clearly on first appearance and stay consistent

Puppet physics

• Puppets move in the way their construction allows — joints bend certain ways
• Don't write: "She melts into his arms" — describe stageable movement
• Do write: "She leans her head against his shoulder. He slowly raises his arm around her."

Scale

• Stop-motion worlds often play with scale for effect — lean into it
• A character described as small in a large world uses the medium's strength

Practical effects

• Rain, snow, and weather are achievable but expensive — use when narratively essential
• Fire and water are technically challenging — flag as effects-heavy when writing
• Miniature replaceable-part animation (metamorphosis): achievable but costly — earn it

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Notation in Action Lines

When a sequence would be visually complex or technically notable, a brief production note is helpful:

[PRODUCTION NOTE: This sequence requires replacement-animation for the transformation.
Approximately 40 unique face pieces needed.]

Use sparingly — only for sequences that are meaningfully expensive or technically distinct.

---

Three-Act Structure

Same as Animated Film (ANIM-F). Key differences in application:

Act 1 — World establishment is especially important in stop-motion. The audience needs to understand the physical rules of this world. Use the opening to establish texture, scale, and the feeling of the world.

Set Pieces — Stop-motion set pieces favor:

• Chase sequences through known environments (not wide open spaces)
• Precise mechanical sequences (clocks, machines, contraptions — stop-motion heritage)
• Transformation sequences (morphing, growth, decay — used with care)
• Quiet, emotionally intense scenes — stop-motion excels at stillness

Climax — Should use the established world's physical logic. The protagonist solves the problem using the world they've come to understand.

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Tone & Aesthetic Traditions

Stop-motion has a distinct aesthetic history. Know which tradition you're drawing from:

Tradition	Characteristics	Examples
Gothic/dark fairy tale	Shadows, rot, decay, beautiful grotesque	Coraline, Corpse Bride
Warm/handmade charm	Wool, felt, imperfect edges, golden light	Shaun the Sheep, Chicken Run
Surreal/dreamlike	Logic-defying imagery, texture-driven worlds	The Boxtrolls, Kubo
Classic model animation	Clean puppets, traditional fairy tale	The Nightmare Before Christmas

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Dialogue in Stop-Motion

• Dialogue should be minimal compared to live-action — let the visuals carry weight
• Stop-motion characters are often most expressive in silence
• Long monologues are harder to animate compellingly — keep speeches short
• Physical reactions replace what dialogue would communicate in live action

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Common AI Failures — Stop-Motion Film

• Writing crowd scenes that would require impossible numbers of puppets
• Action lines that ignore physical puppet constraints
• Set geography changes between scenes (sets are built; they don't change)
• Water/fire as a central action element without flagging it as effects-heavy
• Over-reliance on dialogue instead of visual storytelling
• Ignoring the medium's strength in intimate scale and tactile texture
• Transformation sequences written casually (should be used as major story moments)