Multi-Camera Scripts: How Do They Differ From Other Scripts in Content and Style?

The Multi-Camera Sitcom

Since coming to the fore in the 1960s, the multi-camera situational comedy, or sitcom, has proven itself a genre that has been able to continually reinvent itself, and find relevancy with each new generation of TV audience.

But while it has proven it can stand through decades of change, it has also managed to maintain the conventions that make audiences instantly comfortable, as they recognize the format so well. This includes both specific content prerequisites, as well as script formatting.

The last few decades have been full of incredibly successful multi-camera sitcoms. They have made an impact on audiences worldwide and won multiple awards (and riches) for their casts and writers.

Some of these shows include:

• Friends
• Cheers
• Seinfeld
• Frasier
• The Golden Girls
• The Fresh Prince of Bel–Air
• Full House
• How I Met Your Mother
• The Big Bang Theory

There have also been a variety of successful shows for kids and teens that have utilized the multi-camera style such as:

• Boy Meets World
• Sabrina The Teenage Witch
• Sister Sister
• That’s So Raven
• The Wizards of Waverly Place
• Hannah Montana
• The Suite Life of Zack and Cody

In this article, we will cover both Script Format as well as Content Needs for a multi-camera script.

CONTENT NEEDS

1. Follow a Sitcom Act Structure
2. Characters Should Stress Over a Ridiculous Problem
3. Lead Characters Must Be Part of One Group
4. Limit Locations, Focus on Main Locations
5. Consider Laugh Track

SCRIPT FORMAT

1. Combine a Screenplay Format + Theatre Script Format
2. Capitalize Scene Descriptions
3. Underline Character’s Names in Their First Appearance
4. Underline All Character Entrances, Exits, and Major Movements
5. Double-Spaced the Dialogue

First, let’s examine the content needs.