Screenwriting : Writing in Camera Direction and Transitions by Semira Chan

Don't include them in spec scripts, they shouldn't be there.

Semira- I have been told that is the difference between a shooting script and a spec script. A shooting script is one the director uses when you are actually in production. A spec script is more when you are trying to get your script sold, optioned or get an agent. I have been told that readers at studios, generally do not like to go through the directions it distracts them from the core of the story. Again this is what the industry does. It is your script. You are the writer. We as fellow "Happy Writers" can only offer advice and suggestions. What you do with them is entirely your call. Best of luck.

Never put in camera directions or transitions, if at all possible. I realize it's tempting, especially if you're planning on directing the material yourself, but screenwriting really is a case of "less is more". Directors usually refuse to read anything with camera direction, specific angles or even anything more than he most basic details written in, simply because you are essentially "directing on paper" and prohibiting them from utilizing their own vision. This also extends to producers, as you're essentially writing out their shot lists and inflexible details that they will want to have the ability to change. Keep it as simple as possible. Scene heading, basic action, dialogue (and as little personal direction as you can get away with). If you have any questions, pick a recent movie you enjoyed watching, do a quick search online for the screenplay and read it. Obviously, there's a little more complexity to it than that, but for now, keep it basic.

Semira- Matthew offers a good suggestion that Aaron Sorkin(The West Wing) proposed in a post a few months back. "REVERSE ENGINEER" the script. Sit down with a hard copy script of a Movie you love and have seen many times and follow along how they got from script to screen. I have done it and it helped my 4th script I wrote immensely. I felt I was finally making some headway on honing my craft. We all here have talent. But it is the tools and suggestions that we get here on Stage 32 that move us forward.

Spec scripts benefit from being clean and lean. Unless you are writing a shooting script that you will direct, leave 'em out.

As a rule I would agree with leave them out, but if there is something that is important to your 'vision' and to the story, you should include it.The screenwriter might find it important at a certain moment, for example, that there be a close up of someone's face, etc. Every bit of action that is written, in a way, is a 'shot', just not a 'specific' shot, or angle.

Never use camera directions in a spec screenplay. A screenwriter is only responsible for telling their story and it's the director who is the person responsible for how it should appear on film.

If you are writing a feature for somebody else, never tell them how it should be shot, they will have their own ideas. If you are writing out something you will direct, by all means include them.

most wannabe/beginner Writers dont know how to direct. They have no experience or training. It is two different crafts, like asking a Sound Guy to be a Gaffer. Go write and direct a short movie and work in real production situations. 99.999 the direction on paper does not work in real production, on set with actors & Crew. Your spec script should be written in "master shots." Scripts change from development to table reads to actor notes to the on set production. Scripts get re-written until the day of the scene shoot. No one reading your script will pay any attention to your "page directing." The directing parallels locations and Time and $$$ to build sets. Of course, everything changes if you are a Writer/Director. Then u can go balls out directing on paper until the Oscar winning ASC union Director of Photography like Bob Richardson says where the camera goes.

Dan I have written and directed shorts and worked on professional productions over the past two years. One just played at a recent film fest. Beth - thank you for your in depth answer and links to those pages. I will check them out! Matthew and Steven thank you for explaining both sides of the coin! I appreciate everyone's comments and insights - It's all helped a lot :)

Semira Cool. Then u should know by the table read with the actors how awkward the camera direction interferes at the table. How are you directing on a page when the production team hasnt scouted locations or set builds.

That's what I didn't consider, I was so focussed on ensuring what I was visualizing came across - and I'm glad you all pointed out to me how disruptive that would be. I appreciate all the insights and perspectives :)

Put it in if it is an important part of the story telling, not just because that is what you see in your head. What the reader sees in their head may be different and even better than what you envisaged. For instance I have a junkie just passed out as the day goes by. I called a single transition in the entire script describing the shadows tracking across his face in high speed as the room went dark. It is a hard balance to find.

I agree with Craig D Griffiths. I personally try not to use camera movements because that's the director's job, but if it is really necessary to tell the story, then include it.

Find a way to write it without directly using camera direction. It's a challenge but very rewarding when a reader compliments you on it.

If you leave them in, you'll always be considered a newbie.

Spec scripts never have camera directions of any kind. Those are reserved for shooting scripts.

How you write your descriptions determines how the reader will visualize the images. You can describe things up close or far away and still accomplish what writing a camera angle would do, but more elegantly.

Hello Semira, Camera angles and mentions are always considered for the director. It is his job. Unless you are directing your script, like Quentin Tarantino, then never mention the camera. You might get away with a little here and there if you see a perfect scene in your head and you explain it greatly were the director of the script see's your vision, then bravo. For screenwriting, I believe it is most with the story and story structure and beat.

I think for the first draft, don't put them in there. Sometimes a director will read your script and they have a pretty good idea of how to do the camera angles. But if you are wanting to direct the film yourself, same thing. I will say keep the "Fade In/Fade Out" transitions in because this way it gives them (and you as well) a sense of when the scene will end.

No camera direction. FADE IN at beginning, FADE OUT at the end. POV or an important CLOSE ON an important element on a scene. That is it. SOUNDS, SUPER: of course, they are ok. Read lots of scripts. Write, write, write.

Semira, the thing you have to remember is that any director who takes on a movie will shoot the movie how they envision it. Camera directions are generally only in the shooting script (which is what you find often online and so can be misleading.) For a spec script especially, concentrate on the story and not how to shoot it. Most times if your script gets produced they're going to change it anyway. If how it's shot is important to you, the only real option is to produce the film yourself so that you can maintain that creative control.

I agree with Ronnie. It can't be the only way to paint an image into the reader's mind. Play with it, rewrite it until you find something that works.

Yes the camera directions happen later in the process, when the director decides the angles. If you like to share how you picture the film being shot I tell you what I was taught. Use visuals such as "she hold the apple tight in her grasp" the director will likely use a close up. I am a screenwriter as well. Feel free to contact me any time :)

@Beth: Though I actually wasn't going to add any additional commentary on this in the interest of amity and fostering legitimate discussion on the topic -- even after you passive-agressively cited my previous advice as wrong -- I feel compelled to comment on your last statement. And while I understand and even agree with some of your own advice (which, ironically, sort of backs up some what I said), your statement of "These blanket 'rules' seem to be more perpetuated and emphasized within amateur screenwriting circles" is not only erroneous, but also quite insulting and dismissive. While I'll grant you that I haven't won any awards (nor could I imagine any of my work doing so!), I have also been a professional screenwriter for twenty-six years, written 40 produced feature films and have worked for production companies both large and small. I was also recently invited by the editor of this site, Rosalind Winton, to contribute a guest blog based on my experience. With this in mind, when I say that producers and directors are generally "inflexible" in regards to proper screenplay formatting, this is neither a lie or an opinion. I have actually witnessed producers throwing away scripts unread simply for not having the proper number of fasteners on them, let alone improper formatting or the overuse of camera angles or descriptions that are unnecessary in a spec script. Sounds crazy? Yes. And why would a producer or director just throw out a potentially great script for not following the rules? Because, if you go to any producer's or director's office, one of the first things you'll notice is at least one very large stack of unread screenplays piled somewhere. If a screenwriter considers the basic rules of screenwriting more of a suggestion than an actual rule, regardless of the quality of content in their material, most producers and directors have at least dozens of others scripts they could be spending their time reading that did follow the rules. The process just to get a screenplay read by a studio, a producer, a director or even a bankable actor is already a stacked deck for any screenwriter … why would you want to stack that deck any higher? All of this, of course, could have been discussed in a much more pleasant and constructive manner, but you appear to be more interested in laying out your opinions and insights as absolutes while simultaneously insulting (without naming actual names) anyone who disagrees with you. It's also a bit destructive to dismiss others' takes on this subject, especially those with the actual experience to verify what they're saying, simply because you're giving bad (and misinformed) advice that could affect someone's writing career in a negative way. If you've chosen to write your material a certain way and that method has worked for you, great -- there's room for everyone to discuss how they work, and certainly without displaying any level of arrogance.

These blanket "rules" such as not using camera directions are more perpetuated and emphasized within amateur screenwriting circles but that is because they apply to spec screenplays and that is what amateurs are usually writing. The reason people tell new screenwriters they shouldn’t use camera directions in spec screenplays is because that is crossing the line from screenwriting to directing the film which is not the screenwriter’s job.

Beth, the question was not about general blanket rules, but specifically about camera directions (and transitions). I spent four years studying towards a Screenwriting MFA, and I've broken or altered most of the 'rules' that I was taught during that period. In the August article you refer to, he rightly cautions us to be suspicious of anyone who lays down hard-and-fast rules, but he also tells us that he almost never uses camera directions and gives a good example of how the writing can 'suggest' camera direction. Writers in the league of August can also pretty much get away with anything (as can most writer / directors), but new or emerging writers have to learn their craft and show that they can create images through their writing. Most screenwriters are writing for a director and that director will decide on camera movements. He/she will not appreciate being told where to put the camera or how to frame the shot - that's their job. As Jorge says, write, write, write. Every script, every draft and rewrite is another day at school. :)

Beth, I had no problem with your actual insights, or even disagreeing with mine -- it was more what I felt was an insulting tone towards any differing opinions (which I originally chose to ignore). I'd be happy to engage in some civilized discourse on this or any other topic!

My apologies to everyone, my good intentions are apparently being misunderstood. There was no intended "tone." Not at all. I know I drifted slightly off topic and into generalizations/ruminations/observations. Therefore I will delete all my previous comments. My best to you all. :)

As a "pro," I completely agree with John August's blog, posted by Jim Jackson. You can use "camera rises" or "we rise." No one cares. No one will put your script in the recycle bin because you typed "camera rises" or "we rise." The professional reader probably won't have even noticed; she'd just keep reading. In the simplest, most reductive terms, use tools well and don't overdo it. You're not the cinematographer; you're the writer - and writing a great story does include creating a visual story. Writing a great story does NOT mean putting a Shot List in the script. If you want to nitpick this advice, it's up to you. Here's a metaphor. Camera moves in a script are like salt in a meal. Some meals need salt; others don't. I don't put salt on salads, but I put a lot of salt in my potatoes. Overall, I frequently put a little salt into my meals. If you put 2 tablespoons of salt into a dish, that's way too much. You will notice all the salt, and it will detract from the eating experience. A pinch of salt might be just right depending on the meal. Or a pinch might even be too much. You have taste. You have eaten other meals (i.e. read other great scripts), so you must use your common sense and use your experience as a diner (as a reader) to make the best call you can make. If the meal needs salt (i.e. needs camera description), don't be afraid to use salt as long as you're not over-salting the dish.

Thanks, Matthew Jason Walsh. "what you can't do is write out every angle, camera move and edit, like a shooting draft," -- To clarify, shooting drafts do NOT contain Shot Lists, just like spec or development drafts do NOT contain Shot Lists. In the Hollywood studio system, shooting drafts look very, very similar to scripts in development or spec scripts. :-) In the "DIY" world, you can do whatever works for you as long as your crew is able to work with your draft. Who are we to dictate what you can do with your "DIY" film project? We should butt out! But we feel for all the A.D.s out there, and filmmakers should probably follow some general script formatting techniques so that A.D.s and crews can properly schedule the script and perform their jobs. :-)

In the Hollywood studio system, the chief difference between a shooting script (which we call Production draft or "moving to the White Pages") are Scene Numbers, scene headings, and other physical production updates. For example, in the non-Production draft, you wrote in Santa Monica Pier, but when you went on the pre-production tech scout, you discovered you can't shoot there. Now you must change that location to the Venice Boardwalk. The Production draft would reflect that change. The director and his department heads might story board and shot list, but those items are supplemental to the script and will not be written into the script.

Jim. There is nothing true in that article.

Beth. I didn't notice any tone and who cares if there was.

Second time we've heard about that jerk who won't read a script because of the broken prong! Jesus! (ha ha). Either the script puts your mind in the zone or it don't. If something is over done, or whatever, annoying, then it's going to take you out of the zone--and don't use too much salt! :)

There's been a lot of good advice given here and maybe I missed it but I thought I'd ad to it. Maybe there is another way you can convey the direction you're wanting without using shots. If you want a close up on a penny perhaps you could just give "and a penny lies on the ground" it's own paragraph of action. That's what I try and do.

Should anyone be interested, here's the transcript from the Scriptnotes podcast episode #186 with John August and Craig Mazin about "rules"—the list referenced by the reddit.com link Jim Jackson provided earlier within this thread. This transcript is of the entire podcast episode, so you have to scroll down to get to their discussion about "rules," including camera direction. It's better, I think, to see this "list" within the context of the whole discussion. Anyhoo... Take it. Leave it. Either way. It's all good. I found their discussion to be interesting, insightful and funny, so I thought I'd share: http://johnaugust.com/2015/scriptnotes-ep-186-the-rules-or-the-paradox-o.... :)

Semira- I think with (45) comments, you have a good sense on what to do now. Some of the above "Happy Writers" and other Stage 32 creatives really know from experience what to do. I wish you the best with your screenplay.

Thank you! This was all a bit overwhelming but nonetheless very useful! I appreciate all of you taking the time to help a gal out ;P

I got a lot out of all this too. but I still have one question. If you leave out the transitions, how do you separate the scenes in the script? This is a one time adventure for me, I am only doing it at the request of the books author who I know.

Tammy, the slugline (scene heading) is what separates the scenes.

Pierre, exactly. I think there was a point where writers actually put in "CUT TO:" between scenes on a regular basis (I was one of them!), but it's generally considered a waste of page-space, since it's arbitrarily assumed you'll be cutting to the next scene anyway. Should the material call for it, you can still (sparingly) use transitions like "DISSOLVE TO:", "MATCH DISSOLVE TO:" (this one's more of an artistic choice that should probably be left to the director), "SMASH CUT TO:", "FADE TO BLACK." and the ever-useful "INTERCUT:", which you'll be using any time you have a scene where a character calls someone in a different locale and you want to go back and forth (or intercut between) these two characters and locations during the conversation without having to write a new scene heading for every line of dialogue. Side note: it's also apparently considered bad form to put scene "CONTINUED"'s in scripts now, where you put a (CONTINUED) at the bottom of the page if the current scene goes on to the next page, and a "CONTINUED:" at the top of the next page, or a "CONTINUED (2):" if it continues to the page after that and so on. Not sure when that one went out of fashion, to be honest, but I guess it's another case of trying to conserve flow and page space. I still put in dialogue-break "(MORE)"s and "(CONT'D)"s, or the more-polite "(cont'd)"s if dialogue runs on to the next page -- it just seems like something that would confuse the reader if left out.

No Directions. Ever. Unless you direct. But then you know, so still no - directions.

That's right Matthew and I still see "CUT TOs" when I review scripts.

Back to the original question - I would point out that final draft has the format preset too add SHOT. That is a direction of sorts, and should be used sparingly when necessary. On another note why does everything online become a personal argument? When I find the online space where this doesn't happen I'll be very relieved. Till then I ignore the white noise. Join me

But it's just not true that you can't add directions and transitions. You don't want to write a shooting script, but the elements you're worrying about can be pretty important to keep the reader on the right track.

Mark. If you are reading this then you aren't taking your own advice.

Basically what I've taken from all of this is: either write the shots I'm envisioning as descriptively as possible to make it part of the storytelling (i.e penny on the ground) or leave them out completely. Of course, unless I'm directing myself.

Mark, you're right, and this is where things get a little complicated. I've seen (and written) it both ways. For example, you could write: "INT. SPACESHIP (scene heading in Final Draft) Some GUY is standing on the bridge of a spaceship. An ALIEN appears on the monitor screen behind him. The Guy turns, sees this, promptly soils himself" Or you could write: "INT. SPACESHIP (scene heading in Final Draft) Some GUY is standing on the bridge of a spaceship. Behind him … INSERT - MONITOR (shot) An ALIEN appears on the monitor screen. RETURN TO SCENE (another shot) The Guy turns, sees this, promptly soils himself."

Wow! This was a learning experience for all of us, or at least for me it was. Everyone came to put their little or not so little, MJW, input. This is what this community is all about guys, writers helping other writers, content sharing, encouragement... MJW, you get a special shout out. Semira, we owe it all to you. Now let's all get busy writing and my least favorite, rewriting.

Actually, you should thank Ms. Chan for asking intelligent questions … I was just here to stick my foot in my mouth for most of this thread.

Nothing wrong with that, MJW. At least you are here lending your voice and participating. That says alot about you. Trust me, you are not alone, I've stuck my foot in my mouth at least once. What can one do, we are human.

INT. WRITERS ROOM Room is abuzz with talk from all the great writers at Stage 32. Heated discussion about Sunday night's Game of Thrones can be heard. SEMIRA opens the door for the CATERER. CATERER "Pizza and Chipotle for all!" (posted format won't allow for right formatting)

LOL! I love it, girl!

Pepperoni on mine please.

Okay I'll say it .... Your first occurrence of Caterer should not be capped because we haven't seen them yet ;)

And there I learnt something new... something else I've been doing wrong. The learning continues!

Hey Semira, if it hasn't already been mentioned to you... a great reference book for all formatting and screenwriting questions that anyone might have is: "The Screenwriter's Bible" by David Trottier, 6th Edition. It's certainly worth the purchase as you will refer to it again and again. Lol! Also do utilize the Scriptnotes web site. John August and Craig Mazin, two erudite working screenwriters, offer lots of great advice on their podcast about screenwriting, the industry and sometimes about silly things too. They also make available much information and work examples (their own) of other supportive writing you may have to do for any given project, like a treatment, an outline, etc. I hope that helps! Best to you!

will definitely check them out :) thank you

I'll echo Beth about "The Screenwriter's Bible". It's the best book I bought (and I bought quite a few lol) and I still use it often as a reference to check things when I'm not sure. I keep it on my desk and handy.

What you may want to keep in mind when creating a spec script is: Who is your audience? By that I mean: Who is going to be reading your script first? In most cases it will be the front line of development, the lowly script reader. Not to generalize but most of these are English Lit majors with a penchant for masochism who grind through six to eight scripts a day while cursing that they actually thought reading would be the perfect career move. The last thing they want to see is camera direction. What they are looking for is something that really stands out from the crowd, telling a story that jumps off the page with razor sharp dialog and clever description, and makes them want to sacrifice a yes vote in a world where "pass" allows one not to have to take responsibility.

Has anyone read "what not to write" by Julian Hoxter. It was recommended to me by my professor and I bought it but yet to crack the cover. (not because I don't want to just haven't had a moment to as yet) Stevie - thank you for that. That's a lot of great insight. Sometimes I fear these script readers because they may not be even be paying full attention or like you said not wanting to take responsibility ...is that just me being paranoid?

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not doing it...

Yet, in reality, if you can inspire a reader with a compelling story they can be your most ardent supporter in pushing the project forward.

my 2cents. Read all the mentioned books and advice and then forget it. Do your own thing and develop your own personality/voice/style. Also, learn to take Notes. Master note taking- verbally, skype, or face to face. Amateur writers trip themselves over Notes. Many can't take Notes.

I try not to read too many screenwriting books in fear of losing my own personality/style as you said and being overwhelmed with the 1001 directions in them. I'll never say they aren't useful and aren't good tools to have though. I do want to tackle note taking - the only notes I've received were from friends not more professional writers.

listen to Notes from People writing $$checks or know the people who write checks$$$. 1 paycheck makes you 'pro' status. Hell, be a script consultant with 1 check.

Agreed. I'm on the hunt for those positions right now. Script Consultant, Coordinator and Writers Assistant. Fingers crossed I land one soon :)

I agree Semira. I have read quite a few of them screenwriting books and it caused me to become confused and affected my writing. I just read scripts and see what other writers did in their spec scripts. I find it much easier that way and you learn quite a lot reading a script and following a story, than reading a book that just has paragraphs and paragraphs of information.

Completely agree with you there! And it's easier to understand how to breakdown and progress the story in that way also. And, of course, formatting

Yes, agree about some screenwriting books (not all) and always be wary of "reductionists." Reading a wide variety of screenplays is a fantastic way to learn. But "The Screenwriter's Bible" is more of a straight-up technical reference book, like a dictionary or encyclopedia, it defines and it also gives "how to" instruction about a tool or a device; how to format something for your own purposes and creative intent. For example, you may wish to include a montage but you're not quite sure how to construct it on the page for clarity. So you just look it up and see how it's commonly handled or see various formatting options on how to handle it. That's it. The rest is up to you. It does not impose anything upon your creative vision. ;)

Semira- Congrats on waking up the entire Stage 32 community on a great subject. This thread now has enough education on the topic to start a Film School class. Very grateful to you for posting it. And I am very proud to be part of this vibrant, dynamic fellowship that really cares about excellence & creativity. And to all the "Happy Writers" who commented thanks as well. You guys are the best.

Beth - almost everyone has mentioned it - I think you being the first! Definitely ordering it asap. Thank you and to everyone else :) Steven - couldn't agree more. Very grateful to everyone for sharing their knowledge. I was just thinking about what a great community we are (and the film community in general also)

Semira, another excellent resource is the Wordplay columns written by Terry Rossio (Pirates of the Caribbean, Shrek, Mask of Zorro, Alladin, etc). They're basically a screenwriting course and industry insights broken up into (at this stage) 54 columns. I credit Terry's columns as showing me how to start writing screenplays. I've printed them and put them into binders and still go back to them every now and then and Terry also updates them whenever he has something new to add. http://www.wordplayer.com/columns/welcome.html

May follow your lead and print it out and save it also. This is a great resource - thanks for sharing! and also that zoetrope website on another post.