Screenwriting : Scene-heading correctly with CONTINUOUS by Lukas Flemming

Use continuous when it sequentially follows in the same "state" (meaning day/night, etc.) Meaning if you have a scene that states it happens in - DAY and then you move somewhere else sequentially or move indoors, outdoors, etc. then the follow up scene header could say - CONTINUOUS. If it's the same day and state then use - LATER. If it's a scene happening at the exact same time (like a phone conversation) then use - SAME.

However I've seen people just re-use the time of day in subsequent scenes replacing - LATER even if the "state" of things hasn't changed.

That's my understanding but it doesn't really clarify or definitively answer your question as it allows for both.

Some screenwriters use CONTINUOUS in a scene heading to indicate that action is ongoing despite changes of location. For clarity, one way you can indicate both time of day and continuous action is this: EXT. BACKYARD - DAY (CONTINUOUS). ;) Hope that helps!

When you do script breakdown the times in sluglines are day or night. This give an indication of what lighting requirements the scene needs. Continuous does not offer such information.

Personally, I like continuous. I used to use it. But I have read many a rant that continuous is not a proper indication of time, including one festival director, who runs a pretty dang good screenwriting competition.

Now I do not use it.

Thanks for all the swift replies! Though I’m of course open for further suggestions.

Is there a certain part you're having trouble with? Maybe give us an example of what you're working on, or if you've read a script with an excerpt that made you doubt your formatting?

OK, so it is like this:

EXT. SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA PRAZA DO OBRADOIRO- DAY

Freddy is walking through the streets of Santiago de Compostela, wearing her sunglasses and licking her ice cream. [...]

INT. SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA CATHEDRAL - CONTINUOUS

Freddy enters the cathedral. [...]

Now should that be CATHEDRAL - DAY both times, or should it be CATHEDRAL - DAY [CONTINUOUS] The second time or is it OK just to put CATHEDRAL - CONTINUOUS the way I did?

Thanks in advance!

P.S.: I presume, the rule not to put in transitions unless absolutely necessary still applies?

Take all of this with a grain of salt from myself haha, but this is what Pilar Alessandra taught me!

In your first slugline you could just write -

EXT. STREETS - DAY

"Freddy struts through the streets of Santiago de Compostela, wearing her sunglasses and licking her ice cream, barely denting it before entering the cathedral."

INT. CATHEDRAL - DAY

Whatever Freddy does at the Cathedral - Maybe wipes her hands free of Ice cream before shaking someone's hand?

Since I state a future action in the first slugline of her entering the cathedral, I won't have to waste time worrying on whether or not to use LATER or CONTINUOUS, since the reader knows where she is going. :)

Wow! Smart move. Thanks a lot. But I was told to include the City, if relevant, into the slugline, for production reasons. Is that wrong? I also have two scenes though with a change of perspective where it is continuous but the scenery only merges later...

Person A has a motorcycle crash and person B drives on the same road but only a minute later do they stumble across the accident...

Thanks again! Btw I don’t want to bother you...

Lukas, yeah, I too would suggest something along the lines of what Glen said. Simple. Few words. For your second header I would just say INT. CATHEDRAL - DAY. Then action: "Freddy enters. Her cone slips and splats on the floor." The thing you also need to keep an eye on are redundancies--in your example above you immediately repeat words in the scene header in the following action. No need to repeat information. ;)

Thank you very much!

Exactly Beth, and no problem man, I needed a break from writing myself as it took me 3 hours to write 10 pages today baha. Why do we do this.

I was just keeping it simple for my own selfish reasons. You want more detail in sluglines though especially if going somewhere, just makes for a smoother read/transition to the next scene. If production wants detailed headers then it's best to give it to them.

EXT. SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA PRAZA DO OBRADOIRO - DAY

Freddy struts through the streets of Santiago de Compostela, wearing her sunglasses and licking her ice cream, barely denting it before entering the cathedral.

I'll get back to you on the motorcycle bit. :)

Couldn't you just describe the whole sequence as one action sequence? Since it doesn't really change places...I need a bit more info on the scene and the 2 character's relationship..

Ok, person A (Freddy again) rides her motorcycle on a motorway, loses control in a bend in the road and flies out the corner into a meadow. Meanwhile, coming the other way is a farmer who shortly after turns that same said corner and is blinded by the headlights of the motorcycle lying in the meadow, thus stumbling across the accident.

I suppose I could say something along the lines of: meanwhile, around the corner... But that feels wrong.

I think Lukas has also brought up another related topic. Establishing and Transitional scenes.

We all know these scenes. It's the car driving to a place or driving up to a place or the trope of an airplane taking off or landing.

It's the MACRO that we then drill down to the MICRO in order to present the actual scene where the action/dialogue takes place.

These happen all the time in films where we visit multiple exotic or foreign locations (Like a Bond film).

It appears Lukas' first scene is such a scene. It's establishing the locale and then moving into the actual location.

For my part (again this is my opinion only) I generally will introduce the "state" or "time of day" in that establishing or transitional scene and then the subsequent scenes that happen in sequence I would just use - CONTINUOUS and then maybe if the time passes it would be - LATER (DAY) or - LATER (NIGHT) if it's now changed it's "state".

Another thing I read is to use sub-locations, if the plot is continuous. For example:

INT. FREDDY'S FLAT/BATHROOM - DAY

Freddy brushes her teeth. [...]

KITCHEN

Freddy prepares breakfast.

Is that a commonplace thing? In that case I could go:

E/I. SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA/PIAZA - DAY

Freddy licks her ice cream and walks towards the church

CATHEDRAL

Freddy looks at the windows.

You could totally do that, I was taught that as well. I use it a lot, almost over use it.

My opinion with sub-headings is to use them if you are remaining at one location or in one location. I wouldn't use them to bridge transitions (but that might work).

I personally like sub-headings when inside a building and moving to different rooms (like in a hotel going from LOBBY to BAR to ELEVATOR, etc. or in a home from DINING ROOM to KITCHEN to UPSTAIRS or in a bar AT THE BAR to DANCE-FLOOR to BACK BILLIARD ROOM or whatever) or maybe even EXT locations in different areas in that same location (Like a shipyard and around the STACKS OF SHIPPING CONTAINERS or NEAR THE CRANES or NEAR THE DOCK, etc.)

Good thread.

Using your example of EXT/INT - SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA/PIAZA - DAY

I don't think that would work because of a "technicality" which is you can't be INT in the PIAZZA but it would work for the church itself because you can be INSIDE and OUTSIDE the church (or a home or a car, etc.)

But I guess it COULD work depending on what is happening. Is the action happening in the PIAZZA and just temporarily the person is looking into the church, and other places (and you do actually intend to change the view to INSIDE those buildings) around the PIAZZA? If not and the action/view actually moves into the Church (the focus actually goes IN there) then I wouldn't use EXT/INT PIAZZA.

I'm confused if in your example when you use "CHURCH" is he now inside the church or outside looking IN through the windows?

Good point. in that case it doesn't work. Because the main location given is a city, but even in the city it's still EXT. so the switch between the EXT. PIAZZA and the INT. CHURCH doesn't work. It has to be either or. It only works if it's either all INT. or all EXT.

So it can either be multiple INT. locations or one E/I. location... that's really annoying!

thanks for raising that point!

Lukas, those are typically called "secondary scene headings." And it's not about plot, per se, it's about action moving in one location or in continuous action, especially in your example. Not as some "bridge."

In your example, the piazza and the cathedral are two different locations. So, no, I would not use a secondary heading. The cathedral needs its own heading. If say, Freddy is now in the cathedral and additional action is happening under that "main" or "master heading," then you could use secondary headings.

INT. CATHEDRAL - DAY

Freddy enters and walks up the nave.

She turns and heads down the stairs to the

BASEMENT

I suggest getting a copy of The Screenwriter's Bible by David Trottier. It's a great reference book that helps to clarify how to use various writing tools and script formatting. ;)

Also, look at produced scripts. See how others handle such things on the page. Secondary headings are great for fight scenes, or fast-moving action, say, a chase scene—i.e., Bourne films. It's also a way to "direct" or rather suggest, to "hint" without camera directions. ;)

Beth Fox Heisinger

Thanks for the book tip. I have read quite a few scripts, but I have the feeling that they are very idiosyncratic to the respective writer, especially if the writer is also directing and I find it difficult to find something resembling a norm for things like that.

Yeah stick with the original ext. Street yada yada then int.cathedral yada yada as we originally discussed but use the street titles you originally intended

As far as the motorcycle accident, after describing the accident you could use an "int.car" sequence to describe how the blinding lights catch the driver's attention, causing him to turn over and go to the scene of the accident (IE - the meadow)

The Social Network Script is awfully formatted. SO be careful, unless you already have a show like west wing under your belt, you can basically hand write a script and get it made.

Beth Fox Heisinger I was going to reference "The DaVinci Code" script as maybe an example as it moves all over Italy/Rome to see how it's done but couldn't find a version online.

I did find the Bond - "Casino Royale" script by Haggis:

http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/Casino-Royale.pdf

It does a lot of what we discussed right in the first 10-15 pages. And it's funny because it's not consistent. Sometimes he uses sub-scene headings (bottom of page 1 and 2) and other times he doesn't (Page 10 embassy).

Here's "Inferno" by Koepp. I

https://wikileaks.org/sony/docs/03_03/Mktrsch/Market%20Research/Scripts/...

It uses a mixture like on page 12 it's separate scenes for different rooms in the Hospital but then on page 13 as they move outside there's a sub-scene heading "ON THE STREET" but it's more used as an item of FOCUS than change of locale. Page 17 does the same.

Glen Bradley Hah! good tip, thanks! I must admit the format is giving me more trouble than dialogue, plot and all the rest combined!

Lukas, do get the book! LOL! I keep my copy on my desk. Again, it's a great reference. And, yes, do look at other scripts. There are several approaches. Learn from them all. There's no one way. ;)

Chad, thanks for those links! ;) And, Glen, yeah, so true, but yet it works. Aaron Sorkin knows his stuff. Lol! :)))

Yeah format drives everyone nuts, especially when you ask a ton of different people. This is a wonderful thread with excellent information that a lot of people look for but no one takes the time to help or answer.

Lukas, Often a scene does not take place all in one location. For example if you have a scene that takes place in a restaurant and there are characters at the bar, characters at a table and a character in the bathroom, it is not necessary to make a master heading for each location. You can use a sub-heading.

Example:

INT. GALLO RESTAURANT - NIGHT

Tim sips a beer at the bar. He eyes two ladies at a table across the room.

AT THE TABLE

Ann whispers to Jane and they giggle.

BATHROOM

Mike is still getting sick.

BACK AT THE BAR

Tim flags the bartender for another beer.

Beth Fox Heisinger he uses "CUT TO" way too much. It drove me nuts and made me question everything. Yes, I'm bashing Sorkin ;)

Then again, he's a writer, not a formatter haha

Beth Fox Heisinger Just got myself the E-Book! Thanks so much.

Lukas,

You would not do it this way.

E/I. SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA/PIAZA - DAY

Freddy licks her ice cream and walks towards the church

CATHEDRAL

Freddy looks at the windows.

You would only us E/I. if you were going back and forth which doesn’t sound like what you are doing. However, if you were you wouldn’t all cap cathedral and because that indicates sub-heading. Anytime you use E/I. you would just describe the action as it happens and start a new paragraph when the action suddenly changes. Example:

E/I. SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA CATHEDRAL - DAY

Freddy licks her ice cream. Enters the Cathedral.

Freddy looks at the stained-glass windows and decides to go back outside. Turns around and heads back inside…

Haha! Keep in mind, Glen... that Sorkin script is a shooting script. ;)

You're welcome, Lukas! It's been truly helpful to me, I hope it is for you as well (The Screenwriter's Bible). ;)))

Beth Fox Heisinger HAHA, what do you mean? Of course it was! So very much. I'm glad it was helpful for you, too.

Beth is right. It is good for newer screenwriters to read scripts but they have to know that transitions aren't used very often in a spec screenplay. Also keep in mind other people including a producer and a director will add crap that you wouldn't want to do in a spec screenplay. CUT TO is a transition but a new scene heading indicates there is a transition so I would never use CUT TO in a spec but that would be pretty rare.

I only have one DISSOLVE, the FADE IN, FADE OUT and two FLASHBACK TOs...

You mean they add crap pre shooting-script?

I think he means they add the transitional scenes that don't exist in the script. Like those images of a plane taking off or landing to indicate the character/story is moving somewhere else. Similarly those quick cut "getting setup" sequences. You know like in a movie where the previous scene just laid out the "plan" and then there's a sequence of quick cut images of them prepping. Unless it's a montage, many times those aren't in the script.

Like I don't think this is in the Shaun of the Dead script:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YY6mymW4oA

Bugger, idiot me. thanks for clearing that up, Chad Stroman .

FADE IN and FADE out are often used in a spec screenplay. However make sure FADE IN is written FADE IN: flush left and FADE OUT. is flush right. Using DISSOLVE is not going to hurt you if you only do it once or twice but you really are telling a director how the transition should appear on film which is not the screenwriters job. I do it when I am writing for hire but I seldom do it in a spec. However, unlike like most screenwriters here I am not that motivated and I get bored writing screenplays so I do things I know I shouldn't do because I'm just creenplays so I do things out of boredom,

Flashback goes in the scene heading.

INT. CLASSROOM - DAY - FLASHBACK

Blah, blah, blah....

U have a SCREENWRITER'S BIBLE, bro?

Dan Guardino Thanks for the advice. I was told to use FLASHBACK as both a transition and an addition to the Scene Heading... like this:

FLASHBACK TO: [flush right]

INT. FREDDY'S ROOM - NIGHT - FLASHBACK

yadayadayada

EXT. CITY CENTRE - DAY - FLASHBACK

blahblah

BACK TO SCENE

that's what I was told...

Shawn Speake I just got it, but haven't started reading yet...

Lukas. There different ways to show a flashback. Examples.

You can say

BEGIN FLASHBACK

INT. BAR – NIGHT

Blah, blah, blah…

END FLASHBACK.

INT. POLICE STATION – DAY

Blah, blah, blah…

But you wouldn’t flush right BEGIN FLASHBACK and END FLASHBACK.like you would a transition.

In some cases, it may be necessary to specify an actual date. In that case write:

INT. RECORD STORE - 1958 - DAY

EXT. BATTLEFIELD - AUGUST 5, 1931

Another way of setting a time and place is to write:

A TITLE CARD READS:

HAMBURGER HILL - AUGUST 17, 1945

I may be wrong but that is how I've done it in the past.

Thank you very much!

Dan Guardino the man. This thread is a bit of a goldmine, I was having trouble with transcendental transitions from the outside looking in (don't ask) and a simple bit of advice to someone else helped clarify immensely. :)

Glen. Good to hear.

I have discovered that different directors like different formats - for example, the director I'm working with now likes to have the city or town in each scene heading, e.g. INT. KITCHEN - DAN'S APARTMENT - NEW YORK CITY - DAY; and then INT. BEDROOM - DAN'S APARTMENT, NEW YORK CITY - CONTINUOUS. Other directors have told me to only list the city or town once, and if inside a specific house, apartment, etc., just name the room, e.g. INT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS. I prefer the latter, as the former seems redundant, but the director is in charge, right? :D

Here's another helpful resource and a guideline for FLASHBACK. It shows various format options, methods, and situational uses. It's from David Trottier's website: https://www.keepwriting.com/tsc/flashback.htm. ;)

Toby. Directors aren't necessary screenwriters and can format anyway the want. What the director you are working with who likes to have the city or town in each scene heading is not something a screenwriter should do. Anyone reading the script would make the person reading it think the screenwriter is an amateur. If someone is going to mention the name of the city or town you would only mention it once. Most of the time I use title over or an establishing shot or both to establish where the movie is supposed to take place. Normally I would use a name for the bedroom in a master scene heading because the odds are I will have more than one bedroom in my movie and every location must have a unique name. The Director is in charge of filming the movie and I am in charge of writing. I will work off notes and make changes but I would not change how I format a screenplay just because a director wants it formatted a certain way.

It’s like this thread - CONTINUOUS - LOL

Dan Guardino when you say every location must have a unique name... I have about seven scenes taking place on motorways in four different countries. Should I indicate the country? As technically they are all different locations?

Lukas. You would if the scenes have to be filmed in those countries.

.

Dan Guardino hmm but when is it important? Would people know the difference between a French and a Spanish motorway? Or an Italian, for that matter? In other words, when is the ideosynchrasy of a country big enough to warrant the country to be named? O.o

If we see license plates on cars or road signs. They obviously don't have go to each country but they want it to look like they are there.

Thanks a lot! I’ll put it as a special notation!

This is a good book to learn from: http://amzn.to/2IuCwyv - Complete Screenwriting Course: A complete guide to writing, developing and marketing a script for TV or film by Charles Harris.

Great thread going on here, folks. Glen, I think 3 hours for ten pages is speedy work! And Lucas, I would definitely know the difference between a French and Spanish motorway. Or a British one. Or a US highway v. interstate. I'm not sure it would be necessary to specify on the page, however. And a big yes to Beth on the Dave Trottier book tip (also his coverage service). You specifically mentioned his format rules for FLASHBACK, but can anyone help clarify FLASH or QUICK FLASH? I've just started using it recently and always follow it with a BACK TO: and it looks fine on the page to me, plenty of white space, but hey, what do I know?! Thanks in advance -- nice to meet you all!

Vic. A FLASHBACK plays out on screen for a longer period and could even last several scenes.

A FLASH or QUICK FLASH is much shorter. We go into the character’s head for a rapid-fire glimpse of a past moment or moments. They play out in a character’s mind as we see them.

I've also seen minislugs used. It's all about style choices.

Great thread. Addressing points brought up within it and at the risk of repeating some:

I believe Glen Bradley essentially suggested dropping the use of CONTINUOUS- I agree so long as the action/sluglines clearly indicate this to be the case.

EXT. STREETS - DAY

"Freddy struts through the streets of Santiago de Compostela, wearing her sunglasses and licking her ice cream, barely denting it before entering the cathedral."

INT. CATHEDRAL - DAY

Whatever Freddy does at the Cathedral - Maybe wipes her hands free of Ice cream before shaking someone's hand?

He suggested dropping LATER too. Again I agree so long as the action/slugline are indeed continuous.

If not:

EXT. STREETS - DAY

"Freddy struts through the streets of Santiago de Compostela, wearing her sunglasses and licking her ice cream, barely denting it before entering the cathedral."

INT. CATHEDRAL - DAY

Whatever Freddy does at the Cathedral - Maybe wipes her hands free of Ice cream before shaking someone's hand?

LATER - (A SUBHEADING)

Freddy seated in pew. (Ice cream long gone)

or

INT. CATHEDRAL - NIGHT (depending on elapsed time)

Freddy seated in pew. (Ice cream long gone)

Chad Stroman also makes mention of

LATER - DAY & LATER - NIGHT

And CHAD- this is from SHAUN of THE DEAD SCRIPT.

"

INT. BATHROOM -DAY

A TOILET is flushed...a SHOWER run...TEETH brushed...

SHAUN now wears a white short-sleeved shirt. He straightens

his tie in the mirrored door of the bathroom cabinet, which

is ajar. He shuts it.

"

As to discussions about SUBHEADINGS

INT. CATHEDRAL - DAY

ENTRANCE-

Freddy enters with ice cream.

ALTAR -

Freddy drops ice cream. Looks about for witnesses.

ENTRANCE/EXIT -

Freddy casually strolls out.

INT. BATHROOM -

IN THE TUB

ON THE TOILET

AT MIRROR

I would recommend this for your motorcycle accident.

EXT. MOTORWAY - DAY

AT BEND

FIELD

I would recommend AGAINST using it to transition from room to room within a building (unless an open concept)- BATHROOM, BEDROOM, LIVING ROOM - Though I have seen it in scripts, it is usually in those related to well known shows where the 'UNIVERSE' is well established (and form is thus more relaxed).

Dan Guardino proposed:

EXT/INT. SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA CATHEDRAL - DAY

Freddy licks her ice cream. Enters the Cathedral.

Freddy looks at the stained-glass windows and decides to go back outside. Turns around and heads back inside…

Naturally this functions for a quick transition to and from -

You CAN ALSO use it in LIEU of------------ INTERCUT

EXT/INT. SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA CATHEDRAL - DAY

Freddy licks her ice cream and enters the Cathedral.

Freddy looks at the stained-glass windows.

The menacing villain tweaks the hairs of his mustache outside the Cathedral doors.

Ice cream melts, unnoticed by Freddie, down her arm. She stares at----etc...

WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE with Dan Guardino about avoiding CUT TO, DISSOLVE TO -

(Though I have done it myself--- more as a stylistic hint at the TONE of work - which works better than inserting a NOTE: explaining it - blah blah blah)

Again slip it in once- IF YOU MUST (AND AT OWN PERIL)

For flashbacks

INT. SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA CATHEDRAL - DAY

Freddy looks at the stained-glass windows.

INT. SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA CATHEDRAL - DAY - FLASHBACK

A small Winifred stares at stained-glass windows.

END FLASHBACK

INT. SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA CATHEDRAL - DAY - (BACK TO SCENE)

Freddy.....

IF AT SAME LOCATION (SCENE HEADING) CAN ALSO FORMAT

INT. SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA CATHEDRAL - DAY

Freddy looks at the stained-glass windows.

FLASHBACK - (as a SUBHEADING)

A small Winifred stares at stained-glass windows.

END FLASHBACK

AND FINALLY----- as to the various roadways----- I suggest INCLUDING the COUNTRIES

BUT---- that is no gaurantee they will be filmed there- SO-

EXT. CORNWALL, ENGLAND - MOTORWAY -

A 'Cornish Hedge.'

EXT. SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA HIGHWAY -

Endless farmland.

EXT. CHINA - GUO LIANG CUN - ROAD

A precipitous, cliffside road.

Give them an idea of what specific quality you are attempting to highlight/illustrate.

I believe I addressed everything - Sorry about that. LOL.

Thanks everyone for the comments and ideas. Funnily enough, we ended up taking all the Flash moments out again. They kind of worked -- but they didn't really work, organically -- which leads me to think that's why it's not covered in style manuals!