Hey gang, I just caught myself using a slugline APARTMENT and then having the characters move through a number of different rooms. Normally I would break it up and have a new slugline for each room (as they are new locations that have to be dressed/lit/etc). But as I went back and introducing new sluglines, I found it interrupted the flow of the read. Any problem with having a broad slugline location (like APARTMENT) and then moving through the different rooms in the action? E.g. Pushes open the door INTO THE BEDROOM-- Thoughts? How hard and fast are the "rules" these days?
Screenwriting : Craft/format question on locations and sluglines by Chas Franko Fisher
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I only break it up if there are actual doors separating the locations. If it can be an open space then I use the broader slugline. For instance if it's a restaurant I won't use two sluglines for the hostess area and dining room, but I'd add one for the kitchen
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No issue at all. If it's all "Int. Apartment" then your Director/Cinematographer will break it down from there as per the prose. Even if there's a little back and forth it's essentially the same scene.
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Interesting conversation I was not sure what a slugline was until I Googled it. #somethingnew
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For a spec script your focus should be on readability, IMHO. As long as it doesn't mark you as unprofessional (and neither approach will) go with whatever flows. (A producer will never say, "love the concept, razor sharp characters, crackling dialogue... but way too hard to break down. I'll produce something with more finely delineated locations instead.")