A few formatting questions...

alyssalynne

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I have a couple questions about formatting that I can't seem to find online, so I thought I'd ask here...

In the very first scene where my main character appears on screen, it's just one really quick moment when a security guard shines a flashlight on their face. We basically just see a flash of their face and that's it. There's also one short line of dialogue between the main character and the guard exchanged in that scene, but they're not seen when that happens. In the next scene, we see the character fully in daylight.

Should I save the full main character intro & description for the second scene where we fully see them on camera? That's my guess, but I wanted to be sure it didn't belong in Scene 1.

Also, in the first time the main character is introduced, it is okay to add a couple short tidbits about them or where they are life if those things aren't obvious by looking at them or what they're doing in the scene?
 

Maryn

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I don't know the answer for the first question, but I do the second.

Also, in the first time the main character is introduced, it is okay to add a couple short tidbits about them or where they are life if those things aren't obvious by looking at them or what they're doing in the scene?
Don't do it. There's no way this information can be known by the audience. You can only use what can be seen and heard about the character.

So you cannot write JOE, a recovering alcoholic who's had a recent setback which left him homeless... But you can write JOE, filthy but buttoned up and combed, rolls a sobriety chip across his knuckles.
 

alyssalynne

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I don't know the answer for the first question, but I do the second.

Don't do it. There's no way this information can be known by the audience. You can only use what can be seen and heard about the character.

So you cannot write JOE, a recovering alcoholic who's had a recent setback which left him homeless... But you can write JOE, filthy but buttoned up and combed, rolls a sobriety chip across his knuckles.

That makes sense. Thanks :)