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name: action-description description: | This skill provides screenplay action and description writing techniques. Covers present tense formatting, visual storytelling, action sequences, and paragraph structure for scene descriptions.

Use when: writing scene descriptions, crafting action sequences, describing visual storytelling, or formatting action paragraphs in Fountain format.

Action & Description Skill

Invocation Triggers

Apply this skill when:

• Writing scene descriptions
• Crafting action sequences
• Describing visual storytelling
• Formatting action paragraphs

Action Format Fundamentals

Basic Rules

1. Present tense: Always "walks" not "walked"
2. Active voice: "John opens the door" not "The door is opened"
3. Third person: Describing what camera sees
4. Visual: Only what can be filmed

Paragraph Structure

CopyINT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT

A single bulb swings overhead. Shadows dance on concrete walls.

SARAH creeps forward, gun raised. Her breath mists in the cold.

A SOUND. She freezes.

• Short paragraphs (2-4 lines)
• New paragraph for new beat
• White space suggests pacing/cuts

Visual Writing Principles

Show, Don't Tell

Wrong:

CopySarah feels nervous about entering the room.

Right:

CopySarah hesitates at the threshold. Her hand trembles on the doorframe.

Filmable Only

Wrong:

CopyJohn thinks about his ex-wife and wonders if he made the right choice.

Right:

CopyJohn stares at a photograph. His jaw tightens. He turns it face-down.

Economy of Words

Wrong:

CopySarah is a woman in her thirties with brown hair and she walks across
the room very slowly and deliberately, her high heels clicking on the
hardwood floor as she makes her way to the window where she looks out
at the city lights below, thinking about everything that has happened.

Right:

CopySARAH (30s, sharp) crosses to the window. The city glitters below.

Capitalization Conventions

What to CAPITALIZE (First Appearance Only)

• CHARACTER NAMES on first introduction
• Critical SOUND EFFECTS
• Important PROPS
• Key VISUAL ELEMENTS

CopyINT. APARTMENT - DAY

SARAH CHEN (30s) enters. She drops her KEYS on the counter.

A PHONE RINGS. She ignores it.

On the table: A GUN. She stares at it.

Don't Over-Capitalize

Only capitalize what's truly significant. Not every sound or prop needs emphasis.

Action Sequence Pacing

Fast Pacing (Action)

Short sentences. Short paragraphs. Lots of white space.

CopySarah runs.

GUNSHOTS behind her.

She dives behind a car. Glass SHATTERS above her head.

Returns fire. Two shots.

Silence.

Slow Pacing (Dramatic)

Longer sentences. More description. Fewer line breaks.

CopySarah stands at the window. The rain traces patterns on the glass,
distorting the city lights into abstract impressions.

She presses her palm against the cold surface. Breathes.

Behind her, the apartment is dark. Still.

Camera and Direction

The Golden Rule

Avoid camera directions in spec scripts.

Wrong:

CopyCAMERA PANS across the room to reveal John.
CLOSE-UP on the photograph.
WE SEE Sarah through the window.

Right:

CopyJohn sits in the corner, unnoticed.
The photograph: a family at the beach. Happier times.
Through the window: Sarah, alone.

Acceptable Exceptions

Minimal, when the shot is the story:

CopyANGLE ON: The bomb. 00:03... 00:02... 00:01...

Common Action Patterns

Character Entrance

CopyThe door opens. JOHN MARCUS (40s, worn suit, wary eyes) enters.
He scans the room before committing to it.

Environmental Description

CopyINT. ABANDONED FACTORY - NIGHT

Rust and shadows. Broken windows let in slants of moonlight.
Somewhere, water DRIPS.

Reaction Without Dialogue

CopySarah reads the letter.

Her face changes. Something breaks behind her eyes.

She sets the letter down. Walks to the window. Doesn't speak.

Simultaneous Action

CopyINTERCUT:

Sarah sprints down the hallway—
John breaks through the window—
The timer hits 00:05—

They COLLIDE at the door.

Transitions and Pacing

Scene Endings

End on strong images or moments:

CopySarah looks at the gun. Reaches for it.

                              CUT TO:

Time Passage

CopyEXT. CITY - NIGHT (LATER)

The streets are empty now. A single car passes.

Montage Format

Copy.MONTAGE - SARAH'S INVESTIGATION

- Library: Sarah searches through newspapers
- Street: Sarah photographs a building
- Bar: Sarah interviews an OLD MAN
- Home: Sarah pins photos to a board, steps back

.END MONTAGE

Things to Avoid

Common Mistakes

1. "We see" - Remove. It's implied.
2. "begins to" - Just do the action.
3. Passive voice - Use active.
4. Camera directions - Avoid in specs.
5. Internal thoughts - Make external.
6. Purple prose - Keep it lean.

Before and After

Copy// Wrong
We see Sarah as she begins to slowly walk across the room
toward the window where she will look out at the view.

// Right
Sarah crosses to the window. She looks out.

Validation Checklist

• Present tense throughout
• Active voice used
• Only filmable content
• Short paragraphs (2-4 lines)
• Key elements capitalized appropriately
• No camera directions (spec script)
• Strong visual imagery
• Economy of language