Acting : Inner cuts and inserts by John Watson

Hi John. I admit you stumped me completely on the term 'inner cuts' and at least partially on 'inserts'. Then again, I'm not an actor. You may already what follows. If so, please ignore. For me as a writer, 'insert' implies text which could not be readable in the shot and so you let the director and others know they'll need an extra shot to pick up that precise text because it's essential to the story. 'John looks at his cell phone'. INSERT a message from Mary 'etc.' (The reader/audience has to know this particular message to advance the story.) If by 'inner cuts' you meant 'intercuts', that to me means moving back and forth in the same scene between two actors who are physically in different locations. For example, two ends of a phone conversation in which the dialogue for both is necessary for the scene to work. If you had something else in mind, you might clarify.

Thanks. I plan on doing the scripts myself but I know it will matter to the actors who read it. But I plan on sending some out to agents who I am sure will expect me to know the mechanics of script writing.