The story happens on a phone. Or part of it does, a character watches a TikTok, an Instagram Live, or a story. Vertical format, comments, likes, and live elements have to be put on the page so the reader and production understand what we see. Here's how to format social media content in a script without turning the page into a storyboard.
Describe what we see and hear. Use a consistent convention. Production will interpret, your job is clarity.
Think about it this way. The audience will see a vertical frame (or a phone in hand), possibly on-screen text (comments, usernames, captions), and audio (dialogue, music, reaction). On the page you're not designing the app, you're specifying content and context: whose phone, what platform, what we see and hear. Our guide on formatting text messages covers SMS; social is a step further, full-screen video, often with meta-elements (likes, comments). This piece is about TikTok, Instagram Live, Stories, and similar. For on-screen text in general, see chyrons. For desktop cinema where the whole film is on screens, see desktop cinema.
What Production Needs to Know
Frame: Are we in a vertical (9:16) or square (1:1) or full-screen phone? Content: What is the video? Who is in it? What do they say or do? Meta: Do we see comments, likes, captions, usernames? Context: Is a character watching this? Where? Audio: Dialogue from the video, music, or the watcher's reaction? When you format, you're answering these so the reader can see the beat and production can build or source it. For chyrons and supers, see chyrons.
Formatting a TikTok (or Short-Form Video)
Option A: Insert-style. "INSERT - PHONE SCREEN - TIKTOK (VERTICAL)." Then describe the video: who's in it, what they do/say, duration feel (e.g. "15-second clip"). If we see captions, comments, or username, add them. Option B: Action-style. "On her phone, a TikTok plays. A teenager lip-syncs to [song]. Caption: Tell me I'm wrong. Comments scroll: @user1 this is so true..." Use one approach consistently. For emojis and on-screen text in those frames, see emojis and GIFs.
Formatting an Instagram Live (or Livestream)
Live means real-time feel: we might see viewer count, comments popping in, or the host reacting. On the page: "INSERT - INSTAGRAM LIVE (VERTICAL)" or action: "She's on Instagram Live. View count: 2.3K. Comments fly: omg where is he is that real? She reads one, pales." Specify the host, what they're doing/saying, and any comments or metrics that matter to the story. For multimedia (podcasts, news) in scripts, see multimedia.
Formatting Stories (Ephemeral)
Stories are short, vertical videos or images, often enhanced with text overlay or interactive stickers. Format them as a brief insert or action line: "His Instagram story: a shaky video clip capturing the party atmosphere. Text overlay reads: best night ever. Duration: ten seconds before vanishing from the feed." When the ephemeral nature or the precise timestamp becomes plot-relevant, make that explicit. For guidance on displaying time stamps and location information directly on screen, refer to chyrons.
Relatable Scenario: The Character Who Goes Viral
We witness the TikTok video as they upload it to the platform. Subsequently, we observe it gaining traction—views accumulating, comments flooding in. Structure it in two beats: First beat presents an insert or action describing the TikTok's actual content. Second beat may replay the same footage now overlaid with visible engagement metrics, or cut to a fresh angle showing the character monitoring the climbing numbers in real time. When narratively significant, specify details: "Comments include:" followed by representative examples, or note "Likes climb to X thousand" to convey virality. For broader strategies on conveying backstory through digital media, consult exposition dump.
Relatable Scenario: The Livestream That Goes Wrong
Someone is live. Something happens on camera. Format: Establish the live (platform, host, what we see). Then the event. Then the reaction (comments, host's face, cut to black). Keep the reader in the moment. For tension and pacing, see micro-pacing.
The Trench Warfare Section: What Beginners Get Wrong
Over-specifying the user interface. The tendency here is documenting every visual element and pixel layout of the application as if writing a technical spec. The fix: Communicating content and situational context proves sufficient. Example: "TikTok (vertical format). Teen performs a dance routine. Caption reads: POV. Comments visible include: [cite two or three concrete examples]." Let the production design team handle the remaining interface details and visual treatment.
Under-specifying the scene. A vague line like "She watches a video" leaves production guessing. Which video specifically? The solution: Describe exactly what the audience will see on screen and what audio they'll hear. Include one or two representative comment examples when those comments carry story weight or character insight. For maintaining screenplay clarity throughout, see screenplay format.
Mixing formatting approaches inconsistently. The script alternates between using insert sluglines in some scenes and burying the same information inside dense action paragraphs elsewhere. The remedy: Establish a single formatting convention early—for instance, INSERT sluglines for any full-screen social media content, standard action lines when a character is viewing their device—then maintain that system uniformly across the entire screenplay.
Forgetting the character. When we're buried deep in the screen, it's easy to lose sight of who's actually watching. The fix: Anchor the beat to the watcher whenever it's relevant—show their reaction, note their physical location, let their presence shape the moment. For deeper exploration of POV and subtext techniques, see subtext.
Unreadable comment blocks. When you stack twenty comments in a single block, the page becomes a wall of noise. The fix: Distill it down to one to three representative comments that capture the essence. Or use shorthand like "Comments flood: [summary]." For more on keeping your script breathable and scannable, see micro-pacing.
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Start FreeSocial Media in Scripts: What to Include
| Element | Include when |
|---|---|
| Platform (TikTok, IG Live, etc.) | Always |
| Vertical/square/full screen | When the aspect ratio or orientation directly affects how the audience experiences the moment |
| Video content (who, what, say/do) | Always |
| Caption, username | When story-relevant |
| Comments, likes, viewer count | When these social metrics carry weight for the plot or contribute to the emotional tone |
| Watcher and reaction | When we're with a character |
Step-by-Step: Formatting a Social Beat
First: Decide what we see (the video, the meta, the watcher). Second: Choose insert (full-screen) or action (character watching). Third: Write the content of the video, who, what, duration feel. Fourth: Add meta (caption, comments, likes) only if it matters. Fifth: Tie to character if someone is watching. For more on on-screen text, see chyrons and text messages.
[YOUTUBE VIDEO: Same story beat as TikTok vs. as Instagram Live, format comparison on the page.]
The Perspective
Format social media by specifying platform, frame (vertical etc.), content (who, what, say/do), and meta (comments, captions) when relevant. Don't over-design the UI. Don't under-specify the content. When the reader and production know what we see and hear, the format works. So describe the video. Add a few comments if they matter. And keep it clear.
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