How do you cite a screenplay in MLA format?
I wrote a paper on a few films (Kill Bill: Volume 1), and I quoted directly from the screenplay (i.e. things that could not be taken from the movie, director’s/writer’s notes type things), so I feel that I should cite the screenplay itself, not the movie, as the source, but I have been unable to find the MLA format of how to do so. I have found the way to cite movies, manuscripts, and stage plays, but nothing on screenplays or movie scripts. Does anyone know the proper format, or, if there isn’t one, what I should cite it as?
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7 Answers
“Begin with the title of the work performed. Then the name the author or composer of the work (preceded by the work “By”), followed by as much infofmation about the performance as is available: the director (“Dir.”), choreographer (“Chor.”), or conductor (“Cond.”); the major performers (“Perf.”); the theater, or ballet, or opera company; the theater and ts city; and the date pf the performance”
Exaple: (Art should be underlined, and all lines but the first should be indented)
Art. By Yasminea Reza. Dir. Matthew Warchus. Perf. Phillip Franks, Leigh Lawson
and Simon Sheppard. Whitehall Theatre, London. 3 Dec. 2001.
-(MLA) A Writer’s Reference
I think you just imput the information and they set it into the actual format…I take the easy way out though when it comes to citing stuff…
@Violet: There was no performance, though, that’s the problem. It’s not a stage play or a movie, it’s just the script with comments written by the writer and director that I quoted directly.
@chou199015: As far as I could see, there wasn’t anything on easybib – that’s my first go-to for bibliography stuff.
I thought a play would be the same thing as a manuscript and if not to me it’s a book…so yeah…if I didn’t help sorry.
Well, I’m supposed to be writing a paper right now, anyways, so I broke out the old MLA, you’ll have to settle for the 5th edition though, because that’s what I have.
Well, this has been a tough one. I think the best way to do it, would be to treat is as a “A book without stated publication information” and just put
Author’s last name, Author’s first name. Title of screenplay. City: Publisher, Year.
And for things that aren’t listed (or don’t exist), write:
n.p. = No publisher or no place
n.d. = No date
Or if you want to guess, you can put anything you guessed about in brackets [like this].
This is all from page 147 of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Reseach Papers, 5th Ed. :)
I went through my whole college MLA handbook, and there is no option for screenplay. I also couldn’t find anything on the Internet.
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