Screenwriting : Visually showing a characters thoughts? by Hussni Mörsare

Hussni Mörsare

Visually showing a characters thoughts?

I'm trying to find good examples of screenplays where one show a characters thoughts as a scene, visually. For example - A guy sits in a bar, smile to the other guy but in his mind he jumps him and hits his head onto the bar counter.

How would one write that, clean and correctly formatted?

Ewan Dunbar

Onw way to do this would by to begin and end the character's fantacy with "______'S FANTACY" where a scene heading would go, write the action he's thinking about that will be shown on screen and end with "END OF _____'S FANTACY" or "RETURN TO SCENE" where the scene heading would go. The main thing is to keep it clear to the reader.

Eoin O'Sullivan

Hi Hussni Mörsare

It's easiest to format it as a dream/daydream within the current scene.

DREAM SEQUENCE

The action describes your protagonist jumping his target and hitting his head onto the bar counter.

END DREAM SEQUENCE

Hussni Mörsare

Amazing, thank you guys!

Dan MaxXx

read, read, read stacks of scripts. 1000s. You got to train your brain muscles to think and write in pictures. Figure out the descriptions and formatting yourself.

Thats how salary Gatekeepers/Execs/Bosses with Business degrees become expert script gurus. Everyone in this business, from writers to Bosses, read stacks.

Doug Nelson

Many/most of the readers of years gone by enjoyed their work. We'd take a couple of scripts home over the weekend to leisurely read out by the pool. There weren't masses of wannabe unskilled 'screenwriters' so the scripts were at least generally readable. Unfortunately now there are jillions of untrained/unskilled dreamers churning out garbage that has seriously polluted the pool. Most Agencies of today do not rely on Readers. They use Interns with little/no knowledge of story as pawns in the hopes of finding a worthy script. Few worthy scripts manage to break through the pond scum.

Peter Roach

Ouch Doug ouch! The truth HURTS !

Bill Costantini

Hi Hussni,

That's pretty easy, actually. You just use a "CUT TO FANTASY" heading; then write out the fantasy sequence; and then use a "CUT BACK TO REALITY" heading when the fantasy sequence ends.

You can see that in use in the classic High Fidelity screenplay, based on the great novel by Nick Hornby. When Ian enters the record store to clarify things with Rob...uh-oh! Here's a link to the script, and you can find those fantasy sequences on page 92 or 93.

Best fortunes in your creative endeavors, Hussni!

https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.96/p2z.144.myftpupload.com/pdf/Hi...

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