bybren-llc Fountain Syntax Skill
Invocation Triggers
Apply this skill when:
- Writing or editing .fountain files
- Validating screenplay format
- Converting between formats
- Teaching Fountain syntax
Complete Fountain Syntax Reference
Title Page
Key-value pairs at the start of the document:
Title:
**Seoul Identity**
Credit: Written by
Author: Scott Graham
Draft date: December 27, 2025
Contact: scott@wordstofilmby.com
Standard keys: Title, Credit, Author, Source, Draft date, Contact, Copyright, Notes
Scene Headings
INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY
EXT. MOUNTAIN ROAD - NIGHT
INT./EXT. CAR (MOVING) - CONTINUOUS
Must begin with: INT, EXT, EST, INT./EXT, INT/EXT, or I/E
Force any line as scene heading with . prefix:
.FLASHBACK - TWENTY YEARS EARLIER
Optional scene numbers:
INT. HOUSE - DAY #1#
INT. HOUSE - DAY #1A#
Action (Description)
Plain paragraphs are action. Line breaks are preserved.
The room is dark. A FIGURE moves in the shadows.
Sarah enters, hesitant. She looks around.
Force uppercase lines as action with !:
!MONTAGE - SARAH'S MORNING ROUTINE
Character Names
All UPPERCASE on own line, blank line before:
SARAH
I don't understand.
With extensions:
MOM (V.O.)
When I was your age...
JOHN (O.S.)
I'm in the kitchen!
SARAH (CONT'D)
And another thing...
Force mixed-case with @:
@McCLANE
Yippee ki-yay.
Dialogue
Text following Character or Parenthetical:
JOHN
This is dialogue. It can span
multiple lines without a problem.
Parentheticals
Wrapped in parentheses, after Character or within Dialogue:
SARAH
(looking away)
I never said that.
(beat)
Not exactly.
Dual Dialogue (Simultaneous)
Add ^ after second character:
JACK
I love you!
JILL ^
I hate you!
Transitions
Uppercase ending in TO:, or forced with >:
CUT TO:
DISSOLVE TO:
>FADE TO BLACK.
Centered Text
Bracket with > and <:
>THE END<
>TITLE CARD: "THREE YEARS LATER"<
Emphasis (Formatting)
*italics*
**bold**
***bold italics***
_underline_
Escape with backslash: \*not italic\*
Lyrics
Prefix with ~:
~Somewhere over the rainbow
~Way up high
Page Breaks
Three or more = on own line:
===
Notes (Writer Comments)
Double brackets, won't appear in output:
[[This is a note to myself about the scene.]]
Boneyard (Archived Content)
Content between /* and */ is ignored:
/*
CUT SCENE - keeping for reference
INT. DINER - NIGHT
...
*/
Sections (Structural, Hidden)
Pound signs for outline hierarchy:
# Act One
## Sequence 1
### Scene Group
Synopses (Scene Summaries, Hidden)
Prefix with =:
= Sarah discovers the truth about her father.
INT. SARAH'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Validation Rules
Required Elements
- Title page (for complete scripts)
- Scene headings with location and time
- Proper character/dialogue structure
Common Errors
- Missing blank line before character names
- Scene heading missing time of day
- Parenthetical not on own line
- Unescaped special characters triggering wrong format
Syntax Validation Checklist
- Title page has required fields
- Scene headings start with INT/EXT
- Character names are UPPERCASE
- Parentheticals are in (parentheses)
- Dual dialogue uses ^ correctly
- Notes use [[double brackets]]
- Boneyard uses /* */ correctly