Write screenplays in plain text
Fountain is the open markup language for screenwriters. Human-readable, software-agnostic, future-proof. Created by John August and Stu Maschwitz.
Try CoffeeDraft EditorExample
Plain text becomes formatted screenplay
Fountain source
INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY A quiet corner. Rain on glass. ANNA (hesitant) Is this seat taken? MARCUS It is now.
Rendered output
INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY
A quiet corner. Rain on glass.
ANNA
(hesitant)
Is this seat taken?
MARCUS
It is now.
Why Fountain
No lock-in. No special software. Just text.
Plain text
Write in any editor. Notepad, VS Code, iA Writer—anything.
Portable
Your scripts are .fountain files. Open them anywhere, forever.
Readable
Looks like a screenplay even as raw text. No cryptic markup.
Quick Reference
Core syntax at a glance
INT. LOCATIONScene headingCHARACTERAll caps, own line(parenthetical)Wrapped in parensDialogue textLines after characterAction linesRegular paragraphs> FADE OUT.Transitions*italic* **bold**Emphasis===Page breakOrigin
Built by screenwriters, for screenwriters
Fountain was created in 2011 by John August (Big Fish, Charlie's Angels) and Stu Maschwitz (visual effects artist and software developer). They merged two projects—Scrippets and Screenplay Markdown—into a single open standard.