is two guys collaborating to write on writing and collaboration.
Thursday
Jul 13, 2006
CUT TO: posted by Martin
We usually write screenplays formatted with a close approximation of the Cole & Haag style. Slugline, action, etc., but we skip the transitions unless they are absolutely necessary to the story, following the more modern method of using sluglines to break scenes. But, there is a problem with sluglines, and that is that they really can break up narrative action.
After reading some William Goldman screenplays, though, we became enamored with his simple method of getting rid of the sluglines altogether, and simply using a left-aligned CUT TO:
This may not be a good idea for making a script sellable, and obviously sluglines will need to be added for production, but the more I experiment with the technique, the more I like it. I’m writing all of my first drafts this way now.
It keeps you focused in the present tense. I have a tendency to slip into past tense when writing (a holdover from learning writing based on fiction and short stories), but the CUT TO: method snaps you into place, since you read the CUT TO: as part of the action, as opposed to a slugline which always reads as a distinct aside.
So, traditionally I might say:
INT. AMANDA’S DRAWING ROOM - NIGHT
Amanda lounges on her chaise while Esmerelda polishes her nails.
Now, I say:
CUT TO:
Amanda on her chaise offering her nails to Esmerelda for polishing.
It’s a small change in the large scheme of things, but makes a huge difference in my mind and the way I write and keeping the script sounding active.
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