Hi everyone,

I've been trying to find the correct format for switching back and forth between locations.  Do I need to keep writing this:

EXT. VILLAGE - NIGHT

EXT. OUTSKIRTS - NIGHT

EXT. VILLAGE - NIGHT

EXT. OUTSKIRTS - NIGHT
etc...

Any ideas anyone?  I wondered if maybe this was more the rule:

EXT. VILLAGE - NIGHT

EXT. OUTSKIRTS - NIGHT

EXT. VILLAGE

EXT. OUTSKIRTS

Any help would be most grateful.

Alffy

Are you referring to quick switches back and forth?  Like you were doing a phone conversation?  If so, use INTERCUT.  See below:

INT.  FRANK MAYBRICK’S HOME.
Frank Maybrick paces his den, holding a phone to his ear.

MAYBRICK (V.O.)
About the local orchards.  That’s all he told me...

He steps up to his desk and scribbles onto a note pad.  He hands it to BILL CONWAY (25), who types onto a laptop.
It reads:  ‘GEORGE GREEN.’
Bill types GEORGE GREEN into his computer.

INTERCUT - MAYBRICK’S POLICE CAR/FRANK’S HOME.

FRANK
Did you ask him for ID?

MAYBRICK
I can’t if he isn’t doing anything.

FRANK
Did you get any vibe off him?

MAYBRICK
I don’t get vibes, remember?

Frank SIGHS and rolls his eyes..

FRANK
I don’t mean ‘vibe’ in a mystical way.  What did he look like?

MAYBRICK
Look like?  Caucasian.  About sixty-five years old.  Five foot ten--

Maybrick drives his car through the center of town.

MAYBRICK
Inches tall.  Hundred ninety pounds.  Shoulder-length grey hair.  Tan skin--

FRANK
Will you stop talking like a cop and just tell me what he looked like?

MAYBRICK
He looked like Rip Torn, Dad.  Rip Torn from that movie ‘Dodgeball.’

FRANK
Dodgeball?

MAYBRICK
Dad, I have to go.  The department’s got more calls about other strangers in town.  Maybe this Green character brought friends with him.  We’ll talk later.  

He hangs up and pulls his car in front of the town hall/police station.

Frank tosses his phone on the desk.


By using INTERCUT, you're pointing out that you're bouncing from one scene to another.  The director will read this and decide all the camera shots.


Phil

Wow thanks for the quick response dogglebe.

I'm switching between locations, back and forth, but there's a few minutes between the switching.

I'm just unsure if I need to keep writing the full Scene heading?

Using INTERCUT is pretty much for situations like phone calls and stuff.  

If time is lapsing, then you'll have to use the headings.  However, there's no reason to repeat that it is night time each time.  It's understood that it's the same night, unless you say otherwise.


Phil

So you're allowed to state whether it's night or day in the slugline for every scene, even if it's the same night and/or day?

Sean

You only need to refer to day or night when it changes or when you cut from one scene to another and you wouldn't know how much time passed.

If you were to write a scene where Bob leaves his home, drives in his car and arrives at the Burger Shack, then you's only have to mention 'night' in the first header.  It will be understood that he wasn't driving twelve hours.


Phil

I use CONTINUOUS in my slugline to show that its the same time.

INT. FORUM - DAY

...

EXT. FORUM - CONTINUOUS

....

You are being kind of ambiguous about exactly what you are trying to do, Alffy.  You should spell out the scenario explicitly so people can give you an answer in context.

That is why you are getting so many different answers -- including this one.

Once the scene is set, not every slug needs to be precise.  The INT/EXT designations and time of day become redundant, and short slug lines can help you move the story along quickly.

-------------------------

INT. OFFICE – DAY

Alffy types a question onto his computer and hits the send key.

EXT. BEACH – DAY

Dogglebe reclines on a beach chair and slugs a cold homebrew.  A laptop is perched precariously on his belly.

The laptop beeps.  It’s a message from Alffy.

Dogglebe types a quick response.

IN THE OFFICE

Alffy types another question.

AT THE BEACH

Dogglebe types yet another response.


-------------------------
And so on.  Not a brilliant scene, sure, but you get the point.

Those short slugs can continue until the scene is over.  But once a new scene begins, you need to establish the location and time of day.

The key here is clarity. The full slug would actually be the proper way to do it, but using secondary heading as Bert did once everything is established is not a bad way to move things a little quicker. Secondary headings are primarily used to convey different places in the same location or continuous action from one place to another or just a quick time change like LATER.

I think what we need to know is why these quick changes occur. If there are a multitude of locations changing, then the full slug would be the way to go. Don't take shortcuts; do it right.

If you're dealing with two locations, maybe the intercut would be better.

It's all about what you're doing and the best way to make it clear to the future filmmaker about what you want without controlling the director's chair.

Yeah, we need a little more clarity here. All the examples are correct, but if you are talking about a character walking through, let's say, a house, then you can do this:

INT. HOUSE - NIGHT

Bert walks into the house, takes off his Wonder Woman suit and enters the

KITCHEN

where sits down to enjoy a great big bowl of Cheerios.

Hey guys sorry if I was a little vague in my request.  I think Bert's suggestion best fits my scenario so I think I'll go with that.

Cheers everyone for there opinions.

Best get back to it...

So, I kinda have a similar question, so I thought why not just put it in the same thread.

My question is how should I format a scene heading when it takes place in the same set piece, but over a lapse of time.

Say...

INT. BEDROOM

then we jump an hour ahead. What I've been doing is...

INT. BEDROOM - DAY

Schtuff happens.

LATER

More schtuff happens


I think this looks simpler, but is the proper format...

INT. BEDROOM - DAY

Schtuff happens

INT. BEDROOM - LATER

More schtuff happens.


Thanks

Using LATER as a subheading is perfectly fine. It's the most economic way to do it, so your first example. This only works if you don't cross from day to night. If more schtuff happens at night, you need a new slug.

That is so weird, because at this very time i was going to ask this question o.O