Screenwriting : Brief format question by Bill Albert

OK, thank you.

Barry is right - every scene heading should have a time. From an AD's standpoint, anything other than DAY or NIGHT (CONTINUOUS, MORNING, SUNSET, and so on) makes breaking down the script that much more difficult. If a script I'm breaking down uses any of those others, first thing I do is change them all to DAY or NIGHT. The exact time any scene is shot is a Director/DP decision; for scheduling/call sheets, anything other than DAY or NIGHT simply makes things more confusing for the cast/crew.

The answer to your question is no. You can only leave it off if the next scene heading is a sub-scene heading that takes place in the same location during the same time period. Keep in mind they will not schedule scenes to be filmed in the same order that are in your screenplay.

Bill, the real answer to your question is 'maybe'. It sounds like a simple yes/no question but not all answers fit all occasions.

You want DAY or NIGHT on every slugline.

Someone is going to run it through scheduling software. Usually that is the first AD, but often it is someone who is making a decision on buying the script, to get an idea of budget. The software collects all of the DAYs and all of the NIGHTs, and all of the INTs and all of the EXTs. They can look at the print out and get an idea of budget. And use that information to make a decision.

The problem with CONTINUOUS is that all of those are collected as the same time period, when some are NIGHT and others are DAY, requiring a ton of extra work. This is also a problem with INT/EXT - which is it? The INT is probably one place and the EXT is usually a completely different place!

There is a reason for all of this stuff.

Scene headings should end with DAY or NIGHT. In some cases, DAWN or DUSK or TWILIGHT, but only if absolutely necessary to the story. Things like CONTINUOUS and LATER are often used in screenplays but will get changed before someone imports the script into their scheduling software program. I have done it and I can’t remember it taking more than an hour.

In some cases, it may be necessary to specify al date. For example:

INT. RECORD STORE - 1965 - DAY

EXT. BATTLEFIELD – JULY 4, 1969

Scene headings can also show a passage of time. For example:

INT. NINA’S BEDROOM - LATER

INT. POLICE CAR - SPEEDING

INT. CLASSROOM - DAY – FLASHBACK

You can use SUB-SCENE HEADINGS when a scene takes place in multiple location within the same scene and time. For example:

INT. JOE’S BAR - NIGHT

Tom sips a beer at the bar. Eyes two ladies at a table.

AT THE TABLE

Sue whispers to Mary and they giggle.

INT. BATHROOM

Bill washes his hands.

BACK AT THE BAR

Tim flags the bartender for another beer.

William, thanks for that cogent explanation.

Continuous should only be used if a scene is one continuous shot, such as someone at the door to a house on the outside and the camera follows them inside. This is rarely actually done without a cut due to lighting set ups. Even if you are not providing a shooting script, it would behoove writers to understand what happens to the script when it becomes one. Scenes are very rarely shot in chronologically so things like "later" mean nothing if the scene that is shot before it is actually 10 pages earlier in the script.

DAY or NIGHT is your best (and preferred) bet 9 times out of 10 and to answer the OP; whatever you do, be consistent in your scene headings. If you indicate time day, do so in all. There are the occasional break out specs where the writer doesn't have traditional scene headings, most often in horror scripts -- to keep the pace uninterrupted, if you are one of those writers, just be consistent.

Laurie, makes sense with "continuous." I cut it out on rewrite. Right now, I do have scenes numbered, just so I can keep track, and scenes that go together are numbered 30a, 30b. This is not "correct," but I find it practical.

I seldom use CONTINUOUS but there is nothing wrong with using it in a screenplay instead of DAY or NIGHT if the action moves from one location to another location without any interruptions in time.

For example, if someone ran from inside a building into the parking garage. If script goes into development someone will have to change CONTINUOUS to DAY or NIGHT. They would have to do the same with things for LATER and MOMENTS LATER in a slug line. That's must be done before importing the script into a scheduling software program. It doesn’t take that long to do.

Also, when doing a breakdown someone has to fix multiple names for the same character and multiple names for the same location.I've done breakdowns before and those two things are pretty common to see in screenplays.

The closer to "production ready" a script is, the less chance of it getting changed in the process, why open that door? Why not write a script as an actual blueprint to production?

A producer that I work with from Bellevue did a twitter thread on this a while back. He has since put all of his threads into a pdf. This topic is covered on page 51 of this link: https://www.scriptsandscribes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/@johnzaozir...

In THE SCREENWRITERS BIBLE (6th Edition), both CONTINUOUS and SAME also SAME TIME are acceptable for occasional use in Spec scripts. MOMENTS LATER and LATER as well.

Neutral Trottier speaks in terms of industry norms rather than from a perspective of personal preference.

Here to help not sell books. DT has one credit to his name from 20 years ago. I'd go with what those working day-to-day prefer. Just sayin.'

Congrats. Neither am I. Listen to whom you like.

Should Specs have scene numbers?

How about (CONTINUED) CONTINUED: at the bottom and top of pages when scenes span pages?

Okay. Very helpful. How about Revision Marks, the asterisks on the right.

Jack. You have to check people out sometimes before answering their questions.

Thanks for your contributions, Jack. You have more patience than I.

Yes, very helpful. Now Spec usage and sources is well defined.

Jack. You didn’t get what I was trying to tell you. .

Jack, from one old retired Line Producer (Field Producer & EP); it's nice to hear that things have remained relatively consistent over the years. But remember too that the industry is rapidly morphing into something radically different so we must make allowances as we evolve. Thank you for your input/observations.

Thanks, Jack.

What a valuable Q&A thread. Thank you so much!

working on anything now?

Thanks. That was worth the read. Damn you - pounding the table - Now I have to reread a couple scripts

This has been an interesting discussion. The reason you often see CONTINUOUS, LATER, MOMENTS LATER and SAME in scene heading is because how to books which people learn from say to do it. The reason some say it's incorrect is because those things must be changed to DAY, NIGHT, DUSK or DAWN if the script reaches the development stage. I am not trying to tell anyone what to do when writing their spec screenplays but that is the reason people are thinking differently. I've done a few breakdowns before. I just go into the scene view in Final Draft and make the changes. Takes me less than a half an hour so personally I don't see this as a big deal. I say if you want to make it easier on someone working on the script later on then why not just use jsut DAY or NIGHT, and DUSK and DAWN but only if it is necessary to the story because it doesn't take very long for the sun to rise and set so a shot could take extra days.

It's a fair assessment, Dan. There are some books out there I wish people didn't count as actual gospel.

I contend that the big deal is that the gatekeepers who have the power to advance your script in the process, be it a competition or an actual sale/option/signing, tend to agree with the non-use or "production ready" use. So why open your material up for one more way to be rejected?

My understanding is that if you are writing a spec, the current trend is to do a complete slug line for separate locations, especially if moving from EXT to INT, but if you are changing scenes within the same location, you could do something like this:

-------------------------------------------------------------------

INT. AMANDA'S APARTMENT - DAY

They enter the apartment and go to the

KITCHEN

More stage directions & dialogue

-------------------------------------------------------------------

You're helping to make it more readable that way. Once the script is going into production, the scenes need to be numbered and completely slugged with INT/EXT and time of day, that way production can break the script down for scheduling.

But for a spec, you want it to flow. A lot of screenwriting books are out of date when it comes to formatting. If you get the opportunity to meet someone who works as a reader for the studios, they'd be a valuable resource to tap as they know what's coming through the pipeline right now.

There are gatekeepers who bang scripts for trivial formatting issues. Usually because they're lazy, haven't delved into story, find the first excuse they can and move on. It's a fairly common practice, and it's a disservice.

Why listen to some random person with slavish devotion when there are learned and accepted neutral resources available to everyone. There are also noteworthy scripts to read to assess the industry's temperature.

OP thanked the first respondent. If the 30 plus responses past that proves anything, beside what farce looks like, is everyone has an opinion, and it can be confusing to separate wheat from chaff: Yes. No! Maybe. Only on Tuesday. Death penalty!

Therefore many constantly updated books tie it together with common guidelines. The information is fingertip available. It behooves the Spec writer to do their own homework and apply common elements from reliable sources as they see fit. They are the writer. It's their choice. A recent post found an amateur writer determined to use, INT.HOUSE.DAY. They know the standard and rail against it. Maybe it'll work, maybe it won't. Their choice.

The bottom line is the amount of contentious energy that goes into these discussions circumvents what truly should be the focus - story. It's an inverse relationship: scripts that fail story in the first ten pages can also have formatting held against them; scripts that sing in the first ten... who cares about formatting.

Since nobody pays someone to write a spec screenplays screenwriters can do whatever they want or believe will give them the best shot at a career if that's what their goal is.

Amen!

INT. WTC NORTH TOWER STAIRWELL - DAY

Those that go their own way often lose.

Jack, yes, I was curious because the entire story takes place in a 2 and 1/2 hour time span beginning at 8:00am. That was what had me curious about needing DAY or NIGHT at every scene.