Formatting two intercutted scenes with different timespawn?
Espen Ruud Schultz
The other have a bigger timespan and start a few hours before the main one.
It can also look a bit like a flashback. These scenes will meet up after a
few cuts.
I don't have any problems writing it like this:
INT. SCENE 1 -- NIGHT
INT. SCENE 2 -- CONTINOUS
INT. SCENE 1 -- CONTINOUS
INT. SCENE 2 -- CONTINOUS
The problem is that the CONTINOUS isn't really continuing. The scenes
almost explain themself so the reader won't have any problems understanding
how they releate to each other. But I'm stuck, and I can't figure out how
to explain this in the scene heading...
, Espen
Ron
"Espen Ruud Schultz" <def...@nospam.invalid> wrote:
> The scenes
> almost explain themself so the reader won't have any problems understanding
> how they releate to each other. But I'm stuck, and I can't figure out how
> to explain this in the scene heading...
That's really the least of your problems. People often don't even pay
that much attention to scene headings.
Use standard slugs, INT. BLAH -- DAY, and make it clear from the action
of each scene that it takes place continuous from the last time you were
in that location. It shouldn't be hard if the actions are logically
connected (e.g. the first time your in one location you leave someone
picking a lock. The next time you come back to them they're opening the
door. The audience will put the two together.)
"Continuous" is really never /neccesary/ as a scene heading, although
some like to use it to indicate that this scene follows directly from
that one, nobody will ever be even the slightest bit irked if you never
used it. (In fact, once they start breaking the script down they're
going to have to go back to DAYs and NIGHTs anyway.)
The larger issue to be concerned about is to make sure you're not giving
the impression that the two scenes are simultaneous. There's a very
strong tendency, on the audience's part, to if you do this sort of thing
to assume that scene 1 is happening while scene 2 is happening. Since
you're very explicit about the fact that you're NOT doing this, you need
to think about how the audience is going to know where they are in time.
Because you don't want them (or your readers) to be disoriented. If they
have to stop and mentally readjust they'll be pulled out of the story.
-Ron
Espen Ruud Schultz
how it works. But I'm afraid that if I think too much about what to write
here, I loose where I am in the script. The intercutted scenes where just
one of a few beginnings, and I think I'll use another and more
straightforward one witch explains enough in a simpler matter. This has
nothing to do with formatting, just storywise...
, Espen