Screenplay format guide
How to Write a Title Card in a Screenplay
To write a title card in a screenplay, put TITLE CARD: on its own action line followed by the words in quotes, like TITLE CARD: "Six months later." For text laid over a picture, write SUPER: instead. Keep the card short, and only use one when the audience truly needs the information. Examples follow.
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EXT. HARBOR - NIGHT
Fog rolls over the docks. A freighter's horn moans somewhere out in the dark.
SUPER: "Marseille, 1962."
Inès runs along the quay, a parcel under her coat.
CUT TO BLACK.
TITLE CARD: "Six months later."
INT. PRISON VISITING ROOM - DAY
Inès sits behind the glass. Her hair is shorter.
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.
EXT. HARBOR - NIGHT
Fog rolls over the docks. A freighter's horn moans somewhere out in the dark.
SUPER: "Marseille, 1962."
Inès runs along the quay, a parcel under her coat.
CUT TO BLACK.
TITLE CARD: "Six months later."
INT. PRISON VISITING ROOM - DAY
Inès sits behind the glass. Her hair is shorter.
How to use it
- 1
For text over a black screen, write TITLE CARD: then the words in quotes as an action line.
- 2
For text laid over the picture, like a place and year, write SUPER: then the words in quotes.
- 3
Keep it short and only add one when the audience cannot learn the fact any other way.
TITLE CARD or SUPER?
| TITLE CARD | SUPER | |
|---|---|---|
| Background | A plain screen, usually black | Over the running picture |
| Common use | Time jumps, chapter titles, epigraphs | Place, date, names and jobs |
| Written as | TITLE CARD: "Six months later." | SUPER: "Marseille, 1962." |
What is the difference between a title card and a super?
A title card fills the screen on its own, usually white text on black, between scenes. A super, short for superimpose, lays text over the picture while the scene plays. Both are written as action lines. Some writers use ON SCREEN: or CHYRON: for the same thing; any of them reads clearly if you stay consistent.
When should I use one?
When the audience needs a fact the picture cannot give, fast. A date at the start of a period film, a jump of six months, a chapter title in a story told in parts. If a character can mention it naturally, or the set can show it, you usually do not need text on screen.
Opening epigraphs, a quote on black before the first scene, are common in drafts and often cut later. If you use one, make sure it earns the seconds it costs.
How do I write a title sequence or the film title?
Most spec scripts do not mark the main title at all. If the title appearing is part of the storytelling, a short action line works: TITLE CARD: "NIGHTFALL." Leave credits and title design to the production.
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
- How to Write Text Messages 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 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
- Cold Open: What It Is and How to Format One
Questions writers ask
How do you write a title card in a screenplay?
As an action line: TITLE CARD: followed by the words in quotes, such as TITLE CARD: "Six months later."
What does SUPER mean in a script?
Superimpose. It means text laid over the picture while the scene plays, often a place and date. Write SUPER: then the text in quotes.
Is a title card the same as a chyron?
Close. A chyron usually means a caption over the picture, like a name and job on the news, which is the same as a super. A title card usually stands on its own screen.
Should I put the movie title in my spec script?
Usually not. The title page carries it. Only mark it on screen if its appearance is a story moment.