Hi guys,

I'm trying to write a flashback - instead of showing it as a complete scene I just want to have a series of fragments. I think that the technical term for it is a "Jump Cut" and I just want to make sure I'm using it right (or that there's not a better way of doing things).

The scene plays out roughly as follows:

INT. ROOM - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)

X and Y are in the middle of an argument



X lashes out at Y



Y lies on the floor, bleeding.

END FLASHBACK

Is that right?

You don't really need the to use the Jump Cut transition sequence. In a spec script it is okay to just write fragments as they are, perhaps separating them with a "-"

Example--

-Somedude is fighting with Anotherdude

-Somedude lashes out at him.

-Anotherdude lies on the floor, bleeding.

Or you could write it more vaguely, with ellipses:

They fight...they lash out at each other...one of them is now on the floor, bleeding.

Hey,

At least according to my instructor, a jump cut is a cut that appears to be an interruption of a single shot such that the characters instantly change against a constant background. I think the rule of thumb is having a new shot where there is less then a 30 degree difference in the position of the camera.

For example in documentary interviews where the interviewee has their head leaning one way then there is a cut and all of a sudden their head is leaning another way.

I'm not sure how this applies to screen writing though. Since it's an editing device I'm not even sure if you should touch on it in a spec script.

sheepwalker

Thanks guys.

I think I'll go with the alternative Gomez offered and use a "-" in front of each fragment. I always try to avoid anything that smacks of camera moves or editing in my scripts, I just didn't know the best way around it with this.

technically speaking, a jump cut is not a good thing. it's a term to identify a bad cut. you can use the basic but frowned upon "cut to" or "smash cut" but I think you're better off following Gomez's example