A bunch of questions...

katatonic

Hey, I have a few questions that I would love to get some answers to. Some are pretty lame

1. Is fade in on a script written as a heading? So under scene heading in final draft?

2. Is a mini slug formatted on a scene heading line or is just a lone action line? And does a mini slug actually represent what the camera focuses on? For example: THE FACE OF A MAN

3. Is the use of Cut To acceptable when necessary? To show that a scene cuts to another quickly perhaps? Is that ok?

4. How would I format the contents of a newspaper article that is seen?

5. Is it ok to hide a persons identity? To say that his face is out of frame until its crucial to be revealed?

Just a few questions I had, thanks in advance
 
stuckupmyownera

stuckupmyownera

Mostly lurking
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 17, 2008
Messages
608
Reaction score
59
Location
UK
1) If I type FADE IN: in Final Draft it autoformats it for me. I checked and it's exactly the same as a scene heading line, so if it isn't doing it automatically for you, just switch it to scene heading.

2) Mini-slugs usually indicate a change in place or time (i.e. a different room of the house, or LATER). Every action line tells us what the camera is focussing on - no need to capitalise any particular shots.

3) I never ever use CUT TO. Some people use it all the time. I think the jury is out in many ways on that one, but I'd say as a general rule, as with many matters of screenwriting, if it NEEDS it, include it, if it works without, don't.

4) Vague question. Some people use INSERT: (contents of newspaper here) then BACK TO SCENE on the next line. I say it's utterly pointless and a dreadful waste of space. Nothing wrong with this:

Katatonic sips black coffee. Picks up the newspaper and reads:

TOYOTA CUTS WORKING HOURS AND PAY. Carmaker Toyota says that staff at its UK factories will have their pay and working hours cut by 10%.

He drops the paper, bored.

5) Yes. You want the reader to experience the screenplay's twists and surprises exactly the same as you want the audience to. But personally I'd avoid any reference to frame or screen if I could get away with it. If you want a person's presence to remain unknown, just don't mention them until you want the audience to see them. If you want someone to be visible but their identity secret, let them remain anonymous until the critical moment.

A dark figure listens from the shadows...

and then later:

Katatonic steps out of the shadows.

Or

A hooded figure sits at the next table.

and then later

The hooded figure turns and watches them go. It's Katatonic.



Hope that helped :)
 
icerose

icerose

Lost in School Work
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 23, 2005
Messages
11,549
Reaction score
1,647
Location
Middle of Nowhere, Utah
katatonic said:
Hey, I have a few questions that I would love to get some answers to. Some are pretty lame

1. Is fade in on a script written as a heading? So under scene heading in final draft?
Click to expand...

FD puts it as transition, at least in mine, I've seen it in the place of sluglines as well, so I don't think it's really crucial whether it goes to the left or right of the script.

2. Is a mini slug formatted on a scene heading line or is just a lone action line? And does a mini slug actually represent what the camera focuses on? For example: THE FACE OF A MAN
Click to expand...

I have seen some writers do that, I just leave that sort of stuff out, it teeters on director territory but it's not like you're going to have your script thrown out if you do it once or twice.

3. Is the use of Cut To acceptable when necessary? To show that a scene cuts to another quickly perhaps? Is that ok?
Click to expand...

Cut To is really implied whenever you change sluglines so it's really unneccesary.

4. How would I format the contents of a newspaper article that is seen?
Click to expand...

The way I always learned it was:

INSERT - NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

"Gunman was spotted fleeing the scene, he murdered eight people. If you have any information blah blah blah" (the quotation marks tell them it's written on screen.)

BACK TO SCENE

5. Is it ok to hide a persons identity? To say that his face is out of frame until its crucial to be revealed?

Just a few questions I had, thanks in advance
Click to expand...

Absolutely. Just mention him as masked man or hooded man, or unseen man, man in the shadows, something that is quick and tells us we aren't going to see his face.
 

nmstevens

What happened?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 25, 2006
Messages
1,452
Reaction score
207
stuckupmyownera said:
1) If I type FADE IN: in Final Draft it autoformats it for me. I checked and it's exactly the same as a scene heading line, so if it isn't doing it automatically for you, just switch it to scene heading.

2) Mini-slugs usually indicate a change in place or time (i.e. a different room of the house, or LATER). Every action line tells us what the camera is focussing on - no need to capitalise any particular shots.

3) I never ever use CUT TO. Some people use it all the time. I think the jury is out in many ways on that one, but I'd say as a general rule, as with many matters of screenwriting, if it NEEDS it, include it, if it works without, don't.

4) Vague question. Some people use INSERT: (contents of newspaper here) then BACK TO SCENE on the next line. I say it's utterly pointless and a dreadful waste of space. Nothing wrong with this:

Katatonic sips black coffee. Picks up the newspaper and reads:

TOYOTA CUTS WORKING HOURS AND PAY. Carmaker Toyota says that staff at its UK factories will have their pay and working hours cut by 10%.

He drops the paper, bored.

5) Yes. You want the reader to experience the screenplay's twists and surprises exactly the same as you want the audience to. But personally I'd avoid any reference to frame or screen if I could get away with it. If you want a person's presence to remain unknown, just don't mention them until you want the audience to see them. If you want someone to be visible but their identity secret, let them remain anonymous until the critical moment.

A dark figure listens from the shadows...

and then later:

Katatonic steps out of the shadows.

Or

A hooded figure sits at the next table.

and then later

The hooded figure turns and watches them go. It's Katatonic.



Hope that helped :)
Click to expand...

The only thing that I would add to the above is this.

One shouldn't presume -- as I sometimes have to my regret, that simply because you describe a scene as it's described above, that it's going to be shot as it's described above.

Directors not only tend to ignore the way writers describe scenes, they positively revel in ignoring the way writers describe scenes.

That means that, if it is important, in a *story sense* -- that something be seen at a particular time, or *not seen* at a particular time, you'd better make that as crystal clear as possible.

Even then, it may not survive the Director's Brilliant Visual Sense (and complete absense of story sense) -- but you need to give it your best shot.


A FIGURE listens from the corner, mostly lost in darkness.

The face of the mysterious person is NOT VISIBLE. We can't even be sure if it's a man or a woman.

That is -- hammer it home. Lost in darkness. NOT VISIBLE. Can't even be sure if it's a man or a woman.

Say it three times. Maybe it might just sink in that we aren't supposed to show who the hell it is in the corner.

And if you're really lucky -- when and if the time comes to shoot it -- the Director (having read ahead and found out who it was in the shadows) won't show who it is, lurking in the shadows -- in tight close-up.

NMS
 
You must log in or register to reply here.