7/6/2023 0 Comments Slugline example(Unless you have a compelling reason to do break this rule.)Ģ) CUT TOs are kinda old-fashioned. (Remember Peter Jackson used 14 FADE OUTs in “Return of the King.”)ġ) Try to ONLY use FADE IN at the beginning of your script. And this is probably the area where you have the most leeway. So, what you’re talking about are transitions. A SHOTGUN PUMPS behind him.įAQ #6: How do I know when I should use a FADE OUT or a CUT TO or a DISSOLVE. Jane’s FAREWELL VOICE MAIL blares through the speaker of his APPLE IPHONE as he grips his Gin and Tonic.ģ) If the SOUND happens off-screen, then we NEED to CAP the sound AND the object that created it. Because this is one area I see screwed up all the time in scripts that I read.ġ) If the sound is organic and doesn’t require an effect – such as knocking, laughing, talking, cheering – then no need to do anything special.Ģ) If the SOUND happens onscreen AND requires a SOUND EFFECT then we capitalize BOTH the sound AND the object that created it.īob pulls out his smartphone. Popeye Doyle sees the Frenchman on the move. Then instead of writing EVERY single subway car as a separate slugline, we can simply do… shot then simply refer to the character in the description and the crew will get it.Īs for other camera movement, let’s say we’re following a character through a crowded subway. (Not just a medium shot, where the camera takes in the subject from the waist up.) Instead the better way to do a close up is something like: CLOSE ON DARTH MAUL or CLOSE – DARTH MAUL’S SPIKY HEAD. SPAIN – SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA – CATEHDRAL ENTRANCE – DAY.įAQ #4: How do I handle close ups? (Or any other camera movement?)įirst off, the way NOT to handle is to do something like WE PULL BACK TO REVEAL or WE MOVE IN. If there’s ONE PLACE where you can go really crazy with your slugline description it would be that opening, table-setting image of yoru script. (It bores script readers…and when they get bored they skip.) What you want to AVOID is needless slugline description. If your scene is set at Yankee Stadium, and your big action sequence takes place between shortstop and third base…then we’ll need more information than just EXT. (They get expensive.)įAQ #3: How specific do I have to get in the slugline? (Can I just put Starbucks in the slug, or do I need to be more detailed.) One additional thing to remember, if you’re writing a low-budget script – and as a newbie you probably should be – keep your number of locations to a minimum. It’s a matter of lighting – not so much geography. And a stadium or a restaurant patio is an EXT. This is why a car, even a convertible, is ALWAYS an INT. It lets the crew make a PLAN for which scenes will require indoor or outdoor lighting. So…it helps to remember what this screenwriting format direction is for. But what about things like cars or stadiums or patios? STARBUCKS – DAY.) Or how to properly format things like montages, flashbacks, phone calls…require a more deft hand.įAQ #2: I know INT. (Trust me, you don’t want to do this.)īut other more nuanced decisions like whether a scene is INT. Software WILL handle the mind-numbingly boring task of handling your margins and spacing. (Just remember the MOST important formatting strategy is a kick-ass screenplay.) What You Need to Know About Screenwriting FormatįAQ #1: Won’t screenwriting software, such as Final Draft, handle most of my script software needs? So with that, here are some answers to the TEN most FAQ around screenwriting format. (Especially that prickly form known as TV Script Format.) (Something Indiana Jones would use to find the Ark of the Convenant.)Īnd nothing SCREAMS “I’m an amateur” quicker than ill-advised screenplay format. I don’t think there’s any BIGGER source of stress for screenwriters – aside from having to watch a Michael Bay movie (again) – than screenwriting format.Īnd it’s understandable, script formatting looks like some foreign, arcane language.
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