Just finishing up my latest script. 80% of the action takes place in a chateau and surrounding area.  

I understand sub headings. - my question is

If I had a scene in the LOBBY
And there’s another scene in the kitchen with different people -

Is it
INT. LOBBY

(Subheading)
KITCHEN

Or because they are both in the Chateau - should it be
INT. Chateau - LOBBY -
(Subheading)
KITCHEN

I’ve used subheadings before comfortably but it has always been the same person going from one room to another. These are two different groups.

I could use separate headings but then I would have a ton of scenes - ensemble type script.

Also I end up with very long scenes - too long - because of these subheadings. Should I break them up and where?

Thanks ahead of time.

John

As long as you are in the same general locale and still at the relatively same time, I recommend the mini-slug (subheading) approach.

So if i have a scene in the lobby another in the kitchen and another upstairs. Should my main scene heading be

INT. Lobby
Or int. Chateau - lobby
As the second indicates the chateau is in the scene in it’s entirety

Thanks Dave

Quoted from JohnI So if i have a scene in the lobby another in the kitchen and another upstairs. Should my main scene heading be INT. Lobby Or int. Chateau - lobby As the second indicates the chateau is in the scene in it’s entirety Thanks Dave

I'll give you an example of how I do it since I'm not quite sure what you need.

INT. DAVE'S HOUSE/LIVING ROOM - DAY

Dave watches TV - he stands up an enters the --

KITCHEN

And grabs himself a beer. Meanwhile, in the --

BEDROOM

Laura dresses for dinner.

LAURA
That bastard better not be having a beer.

KITCHEN

Dave  tosses the beer bottle away,

That's what I thought

And in the scenes where they're no subscenes I can

INT. lobby

or should I stay Int. Chateau - Loby

Quoted from JohnI That's what I thought And in the scenes where they're no subscenes I can INT. lobby or should I stay Int. Chateau - Loby

The latter.

Agree with Dave.

Mini Slugs obviously do not have a time element attached to them - so, the assumption is that they are continuous (right after the prior Slug), or taking place at the same time (just in a different area/room).

If time passes, you need a full Slug to reset the time.

Agree with the advice you've gotten so far. Just in case you get a purist as one of your readers, the main slug location should "contain" all of the mini-slug locations.

INT. CHATEAU - DAY

Alice stands in the lobby, sniffs the air in the direction of the

KITCHEN

Bob desperately fans a smoking ruin of a pie. He looks sheepishly back at the

LOBBY

Alice shakes her head.

You do need to be clear about where you're starting so that the reader knows when you've returned with a later mini-slug.