Formatting Transitions to Enhance Your Screenplay's Narrative Flow

Transitions can be a sign of an amateur overwriting their script, but when you knows how to use them correctly, they can efficiently add subtle meaning to the moments between your scenes.
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Chapters:
0:00 The Space Between Scenes
0:18 The Format
1:50 A Thousand Cuts
4:06 Fades Are Special
5:55 There and Back Again
Full Script Formatting Series Playlist
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Note: some scripts used in this video were edited from their original form for educational purposes.
kzbin.info/www/bejne/kH25eHxnnaqJY68 by Regina Dias is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
“Film Strip” (www.videvo.net/video/film-strip/3083/)by Beachfront is licensed under CC BY 3.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)
kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJfIoot_g8aKZ8k by Sounds of Changes is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

[@markslovik4115]

Yey! Another video! What I missed the last video is how to write two intercutting scenes that aren’t connected. Like an a-story and b-story moments, jumping from one to the other

[@allenwroteon]

Unless I'm misunderstanding your comment, I wouldn't generally recommend using intercut on disconnected scenes like that as it's likely to create an awkward/confusing reading experience as we juggle two independent scenes within the same description and dialogue. Instead, I would personally just use standard primary scene headings every time we cut between them. Is there a reason you are leaning toward/feeling like an intercut might be more appropriate?

[@toblerusseta]

You make great vids. It's a bit fast for me as a beginner but I guess that's what pause and rewind are for 😂👍

[@allenwroteon]

Glad the videos are helpful! You can always slow the playback speed down to 0.75 in the video settings (the little gear icon) or even lower if needed. I know that's not ideal, but it's always tough to strike a pace balance for everyone in the audience.

[@kawanglover]

Love this video series. Brushing up on the basics!

[@greglyon1402]

The writer should only get involved in editing when it is necessary to the story, otherwise, as you noted, let the editor do the transitions. A good example that you gave is Social Network and the intercutting of the frat house women with Zuck busy typing away on his computer. This could have been two separate scenes, but Sorkin intercuts them to note Zack's motivation by real events. My first script I tried to transition every scene. Once you sold a script, you will see that all this directions, editing, etc. gets thrown out the window by production. They are going to film it their way. Granted that TV writing is different for various reasons. But if you are writing a spec script it should read more like a book than a screenplay. Here is an example. At one point we had a chance to land Robin Williams to play the dad, but at that point he was in his sixties. So if we had landed Williams, we would have changed the role to a grandfather. In American Pie, they wanted a blonde for the roll of Nadia, but Shannon Elizabeth was far and above the best candidate. So she was a brunette. In a recent script, I listed my main character as a Gen Zer young adult. A reader said I should be specific. I did not change it as it was irrelevant to the story. It could be filled by a 21 year old or a 25 year old. In Casablanca, Ingrid Bergman was cast opposite of Humphrey Bogart despite the wide gap in age (26). So the message is not to get hung up on non-essential details and focus on writing a great story.

[@AScreenwritersJourney]

Thank you for this!

[@MoonFuStudio]

✅️ nice. Thank you 🔥

[@cdearden1]

Wow amazing video. Thank you

[@nickcampanella6350]

Good info!

[@MihailoPetrovic-k1d]

thank you man :)

[@TiagoCavalcanti-ji6hu]

I see what you did at 5:10 :)

[@hrishijain3813]

Hey, could you please explain how to integrate "quick flashes" in a screenplay. Like, an instant flashback to a dream. For example: Harry Potter's horrifying flashes of Voldemort in the films.

[@allenwroteon]

Could you tell me which film in the series has the quick flashes? My guess would be that they handle them like a cutaway (which they technically are), probably using a "FLASH TO" note or similar. But every once in a while you'll see a quick flash written as just a paragraph of description with a technical direction (something well cover later in this series).

[@hrishijain3813]

@@allenwroteon Hey! Thank you so much for responding. To answer your question about Harry Potter, they used quick flashes a lot specifically in Order of The Phoenix. But just to give you another example, flashes have been used a LOT in stranger things season 4. I have read the script of an episode from s4 and mostly quick flashes are described as: We see flashes of Dr. Brenner getting ready in the morning, from the beginning of the show. BACK TO SCENE. Is that a good way to do it?

[@allenwroteon]

Yes, that's perfectly fine. This is actually what I meant by writing it as a paragraph of description. In this case, "we see flashes" functions as the technical direction. Flashes could also be all-capped here to make it super clear what's going on. As with many things in screenwriting, the most important thing is that its easy for the reader to understand within the flow of the script.

[@hrishijain3813]

@@allenwroteon Thank you so much! Your KZbin channel is extremely helpful. Please keep making content. Love from India 🇮🇳

[@cooper5566]

is we need to write all transitions like smash to pass by CUT TO: CUT TO BLACK. MATCH CUT TO: FADE IN: JUMP CUT TO: FADE TO: FADE OUT. DISSOLVE TO: BACK TO: FADE TO BLACK. SLAM TO: SLAM TO BLACK. INTERCUT WITH: CUT TO SMASH CUT: WIPE TO: PASS BY: J CUT CUT TOELLEN LOOK BACK : WHIP PAN BLACKOUT do we need to use these all while write the screen play as a writers view or just simply go with cut to fade in fade out like simple transition, do we need to think like the editor and director that's what I'm asking do we need to

[@allenwroteon]

I'm not sure I understand your question completely, but no, you do not need to write in all the transitions. In fact, you should try to write as few as possible and most scripts don't have a single transition in them. The director and editor will ultimately decide on the transitions, so any included in the script are often ignored. Filling your script with transitions is also very likely to make your reader assume you are new/an amateur. Basically, you should only write in the transition if it is especially important to the storytelling.

[@cooper5566]

Yes, I realize how ridiculous my inquiry is. I don't know exactly what I wanted to say, but your response was spot on. That's what I want

[@cooper5566]

@@allenwroteon Yes, I realize how ridiculous my inquiry is. I don't know exactly what I wanted to say, but your response was spot on. That's what I want