I've been making some last minute changes to my script and have found that using secondary headings helps my chase scene greatly, as it takes place in the one building. The story moves much faster and it makes the script so much better to read (in my opinion anyway). I know you can only use them in continious scenes, so I think it would be better to use them than put "CONTINIOUS" in the slugline, which I hear is best avoided according to a few blogs.

I've decided to try and use the secondary headings in other places where it would allow but have run into a few problems I hope someone will be able to help me out with. To start with, my characters are walking down a road which runs parallel with a forest. They then move into the forest looking for someone. Everything's alright up to now.

The problem. I have a character deep in the forest, the other two characters have just entered. I want to cut between the two scenes and I'm not sure if this would work with secondary headings. It would move so much better if it did. Right now, I've marked the scene with the characters who have just entered the forest, simply as "FOREST". The character deep in the forest, I have the scene named as "OUTSKIRTS OF FOREST"

What I had in mind, but did not know if it is allowed, is when I'm in the scene on the outskirts of the forest and cut back, use the heading "BACK TO FOREST", do the scene then go back to "OUTSKIRTS OF FOREST".

So to cut a long story short, I guess what I'm really asking is if it is OK to use "BACK TO" in my secondary heading when cutting back and forth between scenes. Sorry if this is confusing, I normally find simple things hard to explain.

Big thanks if anyone can help.

Brian

You should be able to use BACK TO in the case you mentioned without any problems. The most important thing to remember is not to completely lose your reader.  Your highest priority is to make your vision clear.

Thanks for the quick reply.

Using BACK TO makes it a lot clearer for me, I was just making sure it is considered within the rules before I went ahead and changed them.

Quick note - What is everybody's opinion on secondary headings? I hear it is best to use them wherever possible as long as it is clear.

There isn't one set of rules. Some people will probably complain about it, but if they understood what you are presenting then you've followed the most important rule of all.

Do not get too tied into what is "OK" to use -- the good news about the answer here is that you use whatever you think works best.

It is about clarity for the reader more than actual "rules".

You can use "DEEP FOREST" and "NEAR THE ROAD" or "UNDER THE LEMON TREE" or whatever it is that makes the picture best for your reader.

However, I would point out that once they are actually in the forest -- well, they are in the forest -- and your obsessive placement of these characters may come off as more silly than anything else if a simple "INT. FOREST" will do.

Make sure you have a compelling reason for your subheadings.

Another alternative -- you can also use their names as sluglines, like so:


TOM

Is deep in the forest.

JOE AND STEVE

Step into the forest.

TOM

Hears something.  He screams.

JOE AND STEVE

Rush towards Tom's cries.


Kind of like that.  It is perfectly acceptable.

I think your example might work much better, bert.  This is the part I'm having most trouble with. I think it is clear with the secondary headings but the reader might think differently. I think I will write up a few alternatives and decide which one gives the clearer picture of what's going on.