What is a chyron in a screenplay?

A chyron is text that appears on screen — a location label, a date, a name, or a caption. In screenwriting the terms CHYRON, SUPER (superimpose), TITLE, and SUBTITLE are used for on-screen text; they mean essentially the same thing on the page.

How do you format on-screen text in a script?

Write it on its own line with a cue and the text in quotes, for example CHYRON: "Berlin, 1989" or SUPER: "Six Months Earlier." Keep the same term throughout the script rather than switching between chyron, super, and title.

What is the difference between a chyron and a subtitle?

A subtitle typically translates spoken dialogue, while a chyron (or super/title) labels information like a place, time, or name. Both are on-screen text, but they serve different purposes.

The Screenwriter's Guide to Using 'Chyron' or 'Title on Screen'

What a chyron is and how to format on-screen text in a screenplay. When to use CHYRON, SUPER, TITLE, or SUBTITLE — and how to keep them consistent.

When you need the screen to tell the audience something — "Berlin, 1989," "Three Years Later," a character's name and title — you're reaching for on-screen text. Screenwriters call it a chyron, a super, or a title, and the terms cause needless confusion. Here's how to use them cleanly.

The terms, decoded

They largely mean the same thing — text superimposed on the picture — with slightly different flavors:

CHYRON — broadcast-derived term for on-screen text; common for locations, dates, names.
SUPER — short for "superimpose"; the classic screenwriting term.
TITLE / TITLE CARD — text on its own, often on black or over an image.
SUBTITLE — usually reserved for translating foreign-language dialogue.

For labeling a place or time, any of CHYRON / SUPER / TITLE works. Just don't switch between them at random — pick one and stay consistent.

How to format it

On its own line, with a cue and the text in quotes:

EXT. BRANDENBURG GATE - NIGHT

CHYRON: "Berlin — November 1989"

Crowds surge toward the wall, hammers in hand.

Or with SUPER:

SUPER: "Three Years Earlier"

Some writers put it in the action line; a dedicated cue line reads cleaner and is easier to spot in a breakdown.

When to use on-screen text

Establishing place and time — "Tokyo, 2004."
Identifying real people or roles — "Dr. Elena Ruiz, Lead Virologist."
Time jumps — "Six Months Later."
Framing devices — chapter titles, act cards.

Use them when the information is faster shown than dramatized — but don't lean on them to explain what the scene should convey on its own.

Keep it consistent and clean

On-screen text is a small element with an outsized ability to clutter a page when handled inconsistently. A screenwriting tool lets you drop in these cues cleanly and keep them uniform across the script. Scriptease handles chyrons, supers, and titles as first-class elements.