How to End a Screenplay: Basic Script Format Explained

Technical Examples

Screenplay endings explained

Before we analyze the storytelling aspects of some screenplay endings, let’s break down how they’re done in a technical sense. Going through the process of properly formatting a screenplay can be a headache, but here are some tried and true tips on how to end a screenplay.

We imported the Star Wars: The Force Awakens screenplay into StudioBinder’s screenwriting software to see how one of the biggest scripts in recent memory ended. Make a note of the last line of the script!

The ending to The Force Awakens script is rather straightforward. Writers Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams, and Michael Arndt didn’t write in any fades or superimpositions, they simply just wrote THE END. Oftentimes, THE END is all you need to conclude your script.

For some stories, more information is required in the credits. Take The Big Short, for example — the script gives us “the fallout information” in superimposed text. Let’s take a look at how it looks in the script — follow the image link to read the entire ending.

In a technical sense, there’s a lot more going on here than there was in The Force Awakens. First, we go to black, “then over black…” we get superimposed text.

If you’re adapting a true story and need to relay “the fallout information,” then superimposed text is always a good option. We’ve seen it done countless times, like in the Goodfellas script. After the text, the script gives us a simple END, rather than THE END — both achieve the same purpose.

If you’re in a classic mood and/or French, you can always write in FIN, just be mindful that it may ruffle a few readers' feathers as some regard it as cliche.

Here is a list of some other popular chyrons and transitions you can use at the end of scripts:

How to End a Film Script

• FADE TO BLACK
• FADE TO WHITE
• DISSOLVE TO BLACK
• DISSOLVE TO WHITE
• SUPERIMPOSE
• END
• THE END
• FIN

Creative Examples

How to end your screenplay

The ending to a script can make or break the whole story. Think about it: how many times have you watched something with a terrible ending? Game of Thrones, Dexter, I’m looking at you. A bad ending can turn a great story into something that you remember with a sour taste. As such, it’s important that we study how to end a movie script.

It’s not a perfect science, but there are a few strategies that will help your story end in a firework fashion. Before we dive into some examples, let’s watch an excellent video essay that explores how to end a script:

Perhaps it’s trite to say, but a story will only go so far as its characters bring us. Without characters we empathize with, a story lacks purpose and resonance — ultimately it means nothing.

Keep this point in mind as you’re thinking about your ending. If the protagonist of your story is someone we root for, we’ll be emotionally connected to their fate, and the ending as a whole.

Here are some do’s and don'ts for writing protagonists:

Screenplay Rules

• DO empower your protagonist to make decisions
• DON’T make your protagonist too powerful
• DO give your protagonist character flaws
• DON’T have them overplay their hand
• DO give context to their actions
• DON’T let them always win

By following these screenplay rules, you’ll have a good chance at constructing a protagonist we can relate to.

Characters are just one part of how to end a film script though. Context is what keeps us in the moment, anticipating how things will “all come together.” The three-act structure refers to this part of the story as “the resolution.”

Resolution comes in many forms; from overstatement to ambiguity. Not every story has to be tied together with a bow on top. Take the Inception ending for example:

The ending of The Life of Brian is full of subtext, but the resolution is still remarkably clear: the protagonist is literally crucified. Even without Eric Idle’s iconic singing, the ending of The Life of Brian would still have worked as a perfect example of resolute satire in film.