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script abbreviations? (1 Viewer)

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M

mikeabnooy

Member
http://www.oscars.org/nicholl/format_a.txt

i went to the website recommended and have some questions about abbreviations.

what is

int.
ext. <--exit i'm guessing
o.s.


yeah. help please.
working on a my first script for a 5 minute short and i want to post it up here but not until it's in the right format, that way i can't get butchered for that! =] written a couple drafts already but it's just not the right format. drafting again.
 
M

mikeabnooy

Member
i was also hoping someone could suggest how you would include titles into your script. Like you wanted to start off with a quote or something. thanks
 
O

Ozmandius

Senior Member
Close, but not quite right, lisajane. It's interior and exterior, not inside and outside.

As for using titles, I believe that you would use insert. For example:

INSERT: "Had his chest been a cannon, he would have shot his hot heart's shell upon it." H. Mellville

Fade Out:

Keep in mind that I'm basing this off of memory from my screenwriting classes, as I've never actually had reason to use this technique myself.

Oz
 
mammamaia

mammamaia

Senior Member
...yr right on int/ext of course, oz... but on the titles question, an 'INSERT' would only be used if the object/piece of writing was to be shown in close-up... and, in such a case, you'd have to say what it's written on... such as:

INSERT - SCRAP OF PAPER

"Had his chest been a cannon,
he would have shot his hot heart's
shell upon it. H. Mellville "

BACK TO SCENE

...but, if the poster only wants the quote seen on an otherwise blank screen, it's done like this:

ON BLACK

"Had his chest been a cannon, he would have shot his hot heart's shell upon it. H. Mellville"

...and, if he wants it to be read over a scene, it goes in like this:

SUPER the quote: "Had his chest been a cannon, he would have shot his hot heart's shell upon it. H. Mellville"

...hope this covers what was being asked... if not, give me a bit more detail and i'll give it another shot...

hugs, maia
 
O

Ozmandius

Senior Member
Thanks for the correction Maia. Like I said, having never had to use one of these I was only taking a stab at it and was just too lazy to walk over to the book shelf and look it up. :oops:

But I figured that you would catch it if I flubbed.

Oz
 
mammamaia

mammamaia

Senior Member
you're never that far off in your 'guesses'... and always there ready to help... one of the truly 'nice guys' on the boards... it's always a pleasure to set you straight, cookie!

hugs, m
 
mammamaia

mammamaia

Senior Member
hey, even i laughed!... i really had no gender-preference issues in mind with that common expression for 'correcting someone' but i'm still chuckling a bit...

no, i didn't get the script yet, but have replied to your latest email... can't wait to see what you've got in the works... hugs, m
 
W

wackeychan

Member
Angle on- suggest another view of previous shot
C.U. Close up
CONT'D- when a speech is interrupted by a page break, type MORE in parentheses at end of last line on first page, then CONT'D after the characters name on the second page.
O.S.- Off screen
V.O.- Voice over
POV- Point of view, being viewed from characters perspective.
REVERSE POV- If POV alternates between characters in a scene.

theres more but i dont feel like writing a how to manuel.
 
mammamaia

mammamaia

Senior Member
...don't know why you posted these, but for beginners' sake, i have to note:

Angle on- suggest another view of previous shot
C.U. Close up

...those are camera directions and should NOT be used in a spec script... it's stepping on the director's toes to specify any transitions or camera directions... only exception is if you're planning to produce and direct your own script...

CONT'D- when a speech is interrupted by a page break, type MORE in parentheses at end of last line on first page, then CONT'D after the characters name on the second page.

... seasoned writers arrange their pages/dialog so there won't be any dialog breaks...

POV- Point of view, being viewed from characters perspective.
REVERSE POV- If POV alternates between characters in a scene.

...these are also more in the province of the director than the writer and should be used as rarely as possible and only if absolutely vital to the plot...

theres more but i dont feel like writing a how to manuel.

...or a how-to pancho? [j/k ;-) ]

hugs, maia
 
lisajane

lisajane

Senior Member
Thanks Oz for the correction :D. Now that I remember from my screen class correctly, yes, it is interior and exterior, but they pretty much mean the same thing to me as inside and outside, which is why I refer to those as them... but in a script I'd say INT or EXT.

INSERT is as Maia says. However, for text on the screen, I was taught to, to put it on black screen:

FADE OUT (from previous scene)

SUPERTITLE: "Had his chest been a cannon, he would have shot his hot heart's shell upon it." - H. Mellville

FADE IN (to following scene)

And to put it over the scene:

INT/EXT LOCATION TIME

Blah blah blah blah blah scene description/dialogue

SUPERTITLE: "Had his chest been a cannon, he would have shot his hot heart's shell upon it." - H. Mellville

Blah blah blah blah blah scene description/dialogue

Not say this is right or wrong, just what I've been taught.
 
mammamaia

mammamaia

Senior Member
sorry, but since beginners may be paying attention to this thread, i have to beg to differ with whoever taught you, lj:

'FADE OUT' is used ONLY at the end of the screenplay and never within it... it's used to end scenes only in TV work [which may be what you were studying?]...

'FADE IN' is used ONLY at the beginning of the screenplay, never within it... when an 'INSERT' or other 'outscene' effect ends, one types, 'BACK TO SCENE' or simply goes straight to the slug line [scene heading]...

'SUPER' is short for 'superimpose' not 'supertitle'... it means to literally 'impose [add] the text over/on top of [super]' the scene... if a 'title' is wanted to be shown, one can type:

SUPER the title: "Boston, 1979"

or, whatever the 'title' may be...
 
L

LostCause

Senior Member
How 'bout "CUT TO" ... when can that be used? In my scripts I use it between every scene because I want them to snap from one to the other. Is this the correct usage?
 
mammamaia

mammamaia

Senior Member
not unless you are also going to direct the film... as a writer, you have to leave decisions on how to 'style' the film up to the director... that's what s/he's paid the big bucks for...

besides which, every slug line IS a 'cut to'... so, when you add that, you're just being redundant and showing how little you know about the art of making movies...

the director may prefer a 'DISSOLVE' or any of several other ways to segue from one scene to the next... your job is to only write the story, describe the scenes and characters, and put dialog in their mouths... all the rest is the director's province and you step on her/his toes at your own peril...

where you may see all that stuff is in directors' or shooting scripts... or in scripts written by well-known writer/directors... not in spec scripts by unknown newbies...
 
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