How do you say script (for a movie or TV show) in German?

Before the cameras roll and the actors speak, there’s a Drehbuch. It’s the blueprint of a film or series - the written story that becomes a moving picture.

The noun Drehbuch means screenplay or script, and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. You’ll hear it in film production, media studies, writer’s rooms, and award shows.

It’s a neuter noun, so we say das Drehbuch.

Pronunciation

Drehbuch is pronounced [ˈdʁeːˌbuːx], roughly "DRAY-bookh."

• The “Dreh” rhymes with “gray,”
• The “buch” has a long u as in "boot," followed by the throaty ch [x], as in Bach.

It’s a smooth yet structured word - much like a well-written script.

Example sentences:

• Das Drehbuch wurde von einem berühmten Autor geschrieben.The screenplay was written by a famous author.
• Ohne ein gutes Drehbuch kann kein Film funktionieren.No film can work without a good script.

Nuance and usage tips

Drehbuch is a compound of:

• drehen - to film / shoot (literally: to turn or spin)
• Buch - book

So it literally means “shooting book” - a document designed for a shoot.

Use Drehbuch for:

1. Movie and TV scripts
   • Drehbuchautor(in) - screenwriter
   • Drehbuchfassung - script version
   • ein verfilmtes Drehbuch - a screenplay that has been made into a film
2. Scripted content (fictional)
   • For a stage play, use Stück or Theaterstück; the written text can be a Theatermanuskript or Stücktext.
   • Not used for speech scripts (that’s Rede or Manuskript)

Drehbuch and Improvisation can contrast in a creative setting: a written script versus making things up on the spot. They are not strict antonyms.