I want to show a plane flying above a forest.  Should I either write it like:

EXT. SKIES ABOVE FOREST - DAY

or

EXT. FOREST - DAY

????????

Depends on what you want us to "see".  Are we looking up, through the trees, or looking down at the plane and the forest below?  A jet or a bi-plane?  High amongst the clouds, or low, just above the treetops?

None of the "slug laws" are written in stone.  The important thing is clarity, and your own use of words will dictate the image that comes to mind.

If you do not have something specific in mind, try something like this:


AN AIRPLANE - DAY

High above a forest.

EXT. FOREST

Our character looks up through the branches at the passing jet.



You are suggesting angles, but the director still has a little freedom as to how this image is depicted, and they like it better that way anyways, you know?

It really depends on the focus of the scene. A slugline is extremely objective and where you place the scene depends entirely on what you want the audience to be focused on.

EXT. SKIES ABOVE FOREST has been done before. It's passable.

I would suggest either:

EXT. FOREST and mention the plane flying above, if we're seeing the plane from the ground level.

EXT. SKY and mention the plane flying if we're supposed to be looking at the plane from above. You would, of course, mention the forest in the description saying that the plane is flying over.

Something like this is akin to writing EXT. LIVING ROOM or EXT. HOUSE when you have someone outside the dwelling watching the goings on through a window. Similar to above, either way works. It's all in the perspective you want the audience to have.

I have a scene that occurs on one side of a room and another on the other end.  I dont want the reader to know it's in the same room until I (the writer) say so, for comedic purposes.  Is this possible?  And how do I do it?

Thanks

You can try using the character names as slug line, then reveal the entire scene with a new slug line later:


BILL

Sits at a table doing something.

SALLY

Sits at a different table doing something else.

INT. ROOM

Bill and Sally are in the same room.  They look up and flip each other off.



That's one way.

That's actually not bad.  But I'm going to be jumping between the two in the same room - and I actually dont want you to be able to tell that they're in the exact same room.  You need some crazy camera tricks to do that.  Or just really well worded scene headings - I dont know.

Go with what Bert said.  Spec scripts should not have camera angles.


Phil

Quoted from Stephen Wegmann I actually dont want you to be able to tell that they're in the exact same room.  You need some crazy camera tricks to do that.

Or you need a crazy room (if it fits the story), different colours in different walls, different decoration, etc, will help to trick the audience.

Phil´s advice about avoiding camera angles is a good one, and Bert´s example looks like a smart way of achieving that.

If you are trying to hide the fact that they are in the same room, using secondary headings will give it away since you only use them in same or continuous locations.

An alternative to this is to make the two parts of the room relatively dissimilar so the different slugs can be used to begin with and then just intercut.

INT. BAR

Bill says such and such.

INT. RESTAURANT

Sally says such and such.

INTERCUT BAR / RESTAURANT

Bill and Sally say various things to their people.

INT. DENNY'S

Bob turns around to find Sally sitting in a booth just behind him. They flip each other off.

Here's some questions that have been bothering me.

If you're in a cave, technically you aren't INdoors, so that would be EXT. but you say IN a cave, so that would be INT. Wich is it?

If you're on a canoe, is that INT. or EXT.?

If you're scooba diving in the ocean would that be INT. or EXT.?

INT. is inside a place : that should have four walls! For inside locations. Sewer, cave, house, room, ....

EXT. is all the rest. OUTSIDE locations. : Ocean, street, city,...

A canoa isn't INT. canoe since a canoe is not a location so to speak but an object.

So for exemple if you are in a canoe it should be.

****

EXT. RIVER - DAY

Braksnen is quietly going with the flow of the river on his canoe.

****

The canoe would be explained in the action.




hope this helps.

Pedro's points are good.  Another thing to keep in mind is that not every slug needs the INT or EXT designation.

Once you have established your locale, you can make them a little more specific, like:


EXT. LAKE - DAY

A canoe floats in the center of the lake.

IN THE CANOE

Braksnen holds a fishing pole.  He feels a tug on his hook.

BENEATH THE WATER

A scuba diver tugs on the line.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the INT. and EXT. are the only camera directions that a writer is allowed to give. Those tags indicate where the CAMERA is placed in relation to the action that is to follow. They follow what would basically be common sense in relation to objects, so with the cave example, how would you describe ourself in relation to this cave? If you're inside a cave, it's obviously INT.

Where the hiccup usually comes in is abiguous places like under water or driving. Again, this is whereever the camera is placed in relation to the action occurring. The scuba diver might be under water, but if the camera is supposed to stay out of the water, the action is constantly EXT. OCEAN and you would describe what the scuba diver is doing as it could be seen from a boat or over the water.

Cars are even more difficult. A lot of people like to use INT./EXT. for cars so it isn't specified whether the camera is inside or outside the vehicle. Some prefer to be specific and place the action completely inside the car. It's a matter of preference.

You know you're getting creative when you have a slug for EXT. HOUSE and yet describe the interior MOS action as seen through the plate glass living room window.

For those that do not know,

Writing Vertically in Spec scripts is what most producers/directors will look for. Why? Well it is a lot more easy to skim through the story than say having 3 paragraphs of 5 or so lines of writing all cluttered up into one.

Parenthetical in character speech should be avoided at all cost, rather than having the way a person says their line under their character name it should be placed in the description/action.

You do not under any circumstances place in the slug line, MORNING - NOON - MIDNIGHT and so on, only DAY or NIGHT and don't use a CONTINUOUS...

Although should the time pass then you can add (LATER)

Spec script is a hard format to master for the new screenwriter, but it can be mastered. Never over write descriptions, keep your action to a powerful minimum.

Transitions in Spec format have been dropped and are now out of fashion so do not use them. (CUT TO) is never used in a spec script anymore...

For those newbie writers, I hope this helps you all...

Quoted from Combichrist You do not under any circumstances place in the slug line, MORNING - NOON - MIDNIGHT and so on, only DAY or NIGHT and don't use a CONTINUOUS... Although should the time pass then you can add (LATER) Spec script is a hard format to master for the new screenwriter, but it can be mastered. Never over write descriptions, keep your action to a powerful minimum.

Oh okay, so if i want it to be continuous I... do nothing:

EXT. SHANTY TOWN - DAY

...

INT. SHANTY TOWN

....

Is that what your saying?