--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A screenplay is really an instruction…" description: "\"A screenplay is really an instruction manual, and it can be interpreted in any number of ways. The casting, the choice of location, the costumes and ma..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/david-nicholls-873_actor_a-screenplay-is-really-an-instruction-ma_89243.png" --- # A screenplay is really an instruction manual, and it can… ![“A screenplay is really an instruction manual, and it can be interpreted in any number of ways. The casting, the choice of location, the costumes and make-up, the actors' reading of a line or emphasis of a word, the choice of lens and the pace of the cutting - these are all part of the translation.” quote by David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/david-nicholls-873_actor_a-screenplay-is-really-an-instruction-ma_89243.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/david-nicholls-873_actor_a-screenplay-is-really-an-instruction-ma_89243.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/david-nicholls-873_actor_a-screenplay-is-really-an-instruction-ma_89243.png) > “A screenplay is really an instruction manual, and it can be interpreted in any number of ways. The casting, the choice of location, the costumes and make-up, the actors' reading of a line or emphasis of a word, the choice of lens and the pace of the cutting - these are all part of the translation.” [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A screenplay serves as a blueprint that guides every visual and performance choice, allowing countless interpretations through direction, acting, and technical decisions. **In simple terms:** Screenplay as a flexible instruction manual. Key Takeaway Interpretation depends on collaborative choices. Themes Creativity Collaboration Interpretation FilmProduction Storytelling Mood Curious Analytical Type Observational Educational When to use this quote - Directing a film - Designing a set - Casting actors - Choosing cinematography - Editing a scene Key Concepts NarrativeStructure VisualTranslation Performance TechnicalDesign Practical Applications - Film development - Screenplay workshops Questions to Reflect On - How does each production element reshape the original script? - What freedoms does a screenplay give to different creative teams? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Any](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/any/) [Casting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/casting/) [Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Costumes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/costumes/) [Cutting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cutting/) [Emphasis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emphasis/) [Instruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instruction/) [Interpreted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interpreted/) [Lens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lens/) [Lenses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lenses/) [Line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/line/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Location](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/location/) [Make up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-up/) [Manual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manual/) [Manual Interpreted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manual-interpreted-1113856/) [Manuals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manuals/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Number](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/number/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Pace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pace/) [Part](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/part/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really/) [Screenplay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screenplay/) [Screenplay Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screenplay-really-1113855/) [Screenplays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screenplays/) [Script](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/script/) [Translation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/translation/) [Translations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/translations/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Ways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ways/) [Word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word/) ## Related quotes > [A screenplay is really a blueprint for something that will be filmed. Therefore you must always keep in mind that whatever you write is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-j-machale-2/a-screenplay-is-really-a-blueprint-for-something-that-will-be-filmed/) [D. J. MacHale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-j-machale-2/) > [If we were a sex manual it'd be a best-seller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-carlisle/if-we-were-a-sex-manual-it-d-be-a-best-seller/) [Rick Carlisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-carlisle/) > [Every successful business, even Google, Facebook, Twitter, started with a combination of manual improvements and friends of the founders using the site.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/every-successful-business-even-google-facebook-twitter-started-with-a/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) > [To be an artist is first to be a manual laborer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/to-be-an-artist-is-first-to-be-a-manual-laborer/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [I've often thought there ought to be a manual to hand to little kids, telling them what kind of planet they're on, why they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-ve-often-thought-there-ought-to-be-a-manual-to-hand-to-little-kids/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Psychology, unlike chemistry, unlike algebra, unlike literature, is an owner's manual for your own mind. It's a guide to life. What could be more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goldstein/psychology-unlike-chemistry-unlike-algebra-unlike-literature-is-an/) [Daniel Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goldstein/) > [If you have to have a policy manual, publish the 'Ten Commandments.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-townsend/if-you-have-to-have-a-policy-manual-publish-the-ten-commandments/) [Robert Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-townsend/) > [I never play video games! I'm so bad at it. I have, like, no manual dexterity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-hu/i-never-play-video-games-i-m-so-bad-at-it-i-have-like-no-manual/) [Kelly Hu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-hu/) > [I want to speak directly to the audience, to say, 'I'm like you - I'm frustrated, I'm not an expert, I don't have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/i-want-to-speak-directly-to-the-audience-to-say-i-m-like-you-i-m/) [Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/) > [I never liked to work, I mean manual work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-t-barnum/i-never-liked-to-work-i-mean-manual-work/) [P. T. Barnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-t-barnum/) > [Every technology really needs to be shipped with a special manual - not how to use it but why, when and for what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-kay/every-technology-really-needs-to-be-shipped-with-a-special-manual-not/) [Alan Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-kay/) > [I have the manual, and the sad thing is that many of the techniques are exactly the same ones with a few enhancements by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mcgovern/i-have-the-manual-and-the-sad-thing-is-that-many-of-the-techniques/) [Ray McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mcgovern/) > [Writing a manual forces you to place your thoughts and ideas down on paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-vanderveer/writing-a-manual-forces-you-to-place-your-thoughts-and-ideas-down-on/) [Tara VanDerveer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-vanderveer/) > [The Icesave matter is complex and it is understandable that the issue has been oversimplified by many. Unfortunately some of the basic facts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-siguroardottir/the-icesave-matter-is-complex-and-it-is-understandable-that-the-issue/) [Johanna Siguroardottir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-siguroardottir/) > [There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-is-no-plausible-theory-under-which-the-record-of-the-pentagon/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## More by David Nicholls > [These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/these-days-grief-seems-like-walking-on-a-frozen-river-most-of-the/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“Good God, 'the elusive thing'. She had reached a turning point. She no longer believed that a situation could be made better by writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/good-god-the-elusive-thing-she-had-reached-a-turning-point-she-no/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Emma was a shocking driver, simultaneously sloppy and petrified, and for the first fifty miles had been absent-mindedly driving with her spectacles on top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/emma-was-a-shocking-driver-simultaneously-sloppy-and-petrified-and/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [I still find it absurdly difficult to concentrate on a novel if there's a phone or computer to hand; I have taken to locking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/i-still-find-it-absurdly-difficult-to-concentrate-on-a-novel-if-there/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [You've got to stop letting women slip drugs into your mouth, Dex, it's unhygienic. And dangerous. One day it'll be a cyanide capsule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/you-ve-got-to-stop-letting-women-slip-drugs-into-your-mouth-dex-it-s/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“He presses two fingers against each eye and attempts to account for this crippling melancholy, but is having trouble with rational thought. It feels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/he-presses-two-fingers-against-each-eye-and-attempts-to-account-for/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“Live each day as if it's our last', that was the conventional advice, but really who had the energy for that? What if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/live-each-day-as-if-it-s-our-last-that-was-the-conventional-advice/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [She was reaching the limits of how much its possible to change a man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/she-was-reaching-the-limits-of-how-much-its-possible-to-change-a-man/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“How would she fill the days? She had no idea. The trick of it, she told herself, is to be courageous and bold and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/how-would-she-fill-the-days-she-had-no-idea-the-trick-of-it-she-told/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“What if it rained or you felt a bit glandy? It just wasn't practical. Better by far to simply try and be good and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/what-if-it-rained-or-you-felt-a-bit-glandy-it-just-wasn-t-practical/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Sometimes, when it is going badly, she wonders if what she believes to be a love of the written word is really just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/sometimes-when-it-is-going-badly-she-wonders-if-what-she-believes-to/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [The city had defeated her, just like they said it would. Like some overcrowded party, no one had noticed her arrival, and would notice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/the-city-had-defeated-her-just-like-they-said-it-would-like-some/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Better by far to be good and courageous and bold and to make difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/better-by-far-to-be-good-and-courageous-and-bold-and-to-make/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Most of the books and films I love walk a knife edge between romance and cynicism, and I wanted 'One Day' to stay on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/most-of-the-books-and-films-i-love-walk-a-knife-edge-between-romance/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me. But, it is the same with any life. Imagine one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/that-was-a-memorable-day-to-me-for-it-made-great-changes-in-me-but-it/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) [Explore all 332 David Nicholls quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) ## More Actor quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [I never planned to do female roles. It just happened. I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) [Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A screenplay is really an instruction manual, and it can be interpreted in any number of ways. The casting, the choice of location, the costumes and make-up, the actors' reading of a line or emphasis of a word, the choice of lens and the pace of the cutting - these are all part of the translation.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Nicholls" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/a-screenplay-is-really-an-instruction-manual-and-it-can-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/a-screenplay-is-really-an-instruction-manual-and-it-can-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/david-nicholls-873_actor_a-screenplay-is-really-an-instruction-ma_89243.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/david-nicholls-873_actor_a-screenplay-is-really-an-instruction-ma_89243.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/david-nicholls-873_actor_a-screenplay-is-really-an-instruction-ma_89243.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A screenplay is really an instruction manual, and it can be interpreted in any number of ways. The casting…” — David Nicholls", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David Nicholls", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A screenplay is really an instruction...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/a-screenplay-is-really-an-instruction-manual-and-it-can-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/a-screenplay-is-really-an-instruction-manual-and-it-can-be/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```