If anyone has a better title for a thread, let me know.

Anyway, I'm writing a series of features set in a city where several locations make appearances in these individual scripts.

My question.

If I were to write an establishing shot of a motel

and in my second script the outside of the motel was included again

should I keep the same description of it (that appears in the previous script)?

[EDIT- Original thread title was 'Question - How to write reoccurring locations in other scripts' but it got cut off]

Just give the motel a "name".  Bates Motel, cockroach motel, Motel 6, etc.

Problem solved.

You can always use a mini slug after the introductory scene.  Just give it a name that the readers will remember if using more than one motel.


Phil

This is a complicated question ... one option would be to write the scripts as pretty much 'one script' broken into whatever number of feature you are dealing with - how many is that? As effectively one script, there would be no need for repetition ... but that assumes that whomever will produce it will take all three.

The question pivots on the production question -- if that is undertaken by the same company, then your problems are lessened - if you have different comps dealing with it, then each one will have to know what the location is ... that will require more than just repeats descriptions though; you will have to discuss it with the people doing it.

Hey R550,

I had a similar issue and after discussions with the director we agreed to modify the screenplay and create a director's version. This incorporated all his comments / director's notes / scene notes etc etc.

I also put these notes in a red font so it was clear.

Just a suggestion.

Reap, just write 1 script at a time, first of all, bro.

Secondly, you'll have to properly intro and set all your settings and Slugs all over again in each script.

As Sock Puppet said, give each unique location a name, so you know where you are when you come back to it, be in 1 script or 23.

Make sense?