spy holes and spying

Adhering to the KISS principle, how about just going with intercuts?

INT. BOB'S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Bob straightens a picture but knocks it off the wall, revealing a spy hole. He presses his eye to it.

INT. MARY'S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Mary sobs while scissoring photographs into confetti.

INT. BOB'S LIVING ROOM/MARY'S BEDROOM - NIGHT (INTERCUT)

Then you just go on with the back and forth of what Bob sees without having to repeat the sluglines each time he reacts. You can also use (INTERCUT AS NECESSARY) in place of (INTERCUT). When you go to a new scene that is not these two intercut scenes, you just put a new slugline.

Maryn, paraphrasing people who actually know what they're talking about

Maryn lays it out fairly well. You want to establish the characters in each location, perhaps how/where/why the spyhole is located where it is. The character puts their eye up to it - CUT TO

The other side, and everything that happens, that the watcher sees.

Intercutting as Maryn states is useful. Much as a phone conversation is done - or a conversation that takes place between one person in a vehicle, the other outside of the vehicle. You don't need a full scene slug for what's happening in each location.

If the watcher is alone - they are essentially doing nothing but watching - you don't even need to intercut.

BOB'S LIVING ROOM

Bob puts his eye to the crack in the wall. He watches closely as

MARY'S BEDROOM
Mary walks slowly over to the closet, removes the hat box from the top shelf and takes the money bag out. She goes through a lot more bizness... Until the necessary information is revealed CUT TO

BOB'S LIVING ROOM
Bob slides the picture back into place, and picks up his drink as if nothing had happened.


Now, if Bob is DOING something, in concert with or in oppostion to what he is seeing in the other room - then inter-cutting might be necessary. This can be done with SCENE SLUGS or CHARACTER SLUGS.

You've already established the essential location - Bob's house. You have established Mary is in the bedroom, while Bob is in the living room.

INT. LIVING ROOM
Bob removes the picture and looks through the spy hole.

INT. BEDROOM
Mary closes the door and puts her ear to it, listening for a moment.

INTERCUT BETWEEN LIVING ROOM AND BEDROOM.

MARY - Moves to the closet and opens the door.
BOB - Lifts the sofa cushion, and removes the gun.
MARY - Glances around - reaches for the hat box on the top shelf.
BOB - Watching closesly, even as he screws the silencer onto the gun.
MARY - Pulls the hatbox down, opens it, and removes the leather pouch. She opens the pouch to reveal the cash.
BOB - Silently chambers a round in the gun.
MARY - Places the money BACK in the box. Puts the box back on the shelf.
BOB - Places the gun with the silencer, behind the sofa. Moves to the chair and picks up his drink as if nothing had happened.

INT. BEDROOM - Mary stops to adjust her makeup in the vanity mirror, then opens the door to return to the living room.

It really depends on how long the scene is, what sort of action is being viewed, and whether or not the 'spy' is 'active'.

Ah. I see your problem. You weren't clear in the first post.

So, you establish the character who is being spied upon.

INT. BEDROOM

Mary goes about, unpacking her suitcase. Removing her clothes, placing them in drawers.

SPY HOLE POV.
Her actions are seen through a hole in the ceiling/wall/keyhole ... whatever. She finishes unpacking. And starts to remove her dress - take out the cash... whatever.

INT. BEDROOM

She places the money in a small box and puts it on the top shelf....



In that example - we know someone is watching from a particular angle - but we don't know WHO. And we don't find out who, we simply return to the action. By giving the angle of the view in the point of view "From a ceiling, through a keyhole, through a crack in the wall... whatever... we get a sense of the location of the SPY. The same thing could be achieved with a CAMERA instead of a spy hole. In which case instead of SPYHOLE POV -

INSERT VIDEO MONITOR - Her actions are seen on a small black and white video screen. The hidden camera is located above her head.



Again, we know someone is watching but we don't know who.

IF you want to reveal the person then you add that element.

INT. LIVING ROOM - SPYHOLE POV - Her actions are seen through a crack in the wall. She moves out of view as ROBERT takes his eyes away from the crack. He scratches his chin thoughtfully, then puts his eye back against the wall.

In which case you have revealed the location and the identity of the spy.