Catalogue of Posts

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Screenplay Format #11 - Scenes / Locations List

 
There are two lists that I have used for Scenes together with Locations –
 
 
3.  SCENES / LOCATIONS    -    Scenes in chronological order, with their related locations
4.  LOCATIONS / SCENES    -    Locations in order, with their related scenes
 
 
 
SCENES / LOCATIONS LIST
 
 
I have set up the Scenes / Locations List in this way –
 
 
 Top of page__________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                Khaki Town – White Draft – 18 Nov 2019

                             

                  3.  SCENES / LOCATIONS

                                                                                                                                              Book               Screen

                                                                                                                                              Page                Play

                                                                                                                                                                      Page

 

      1.1      The Office of The US President, LBJ, The Oval Office                                         1                      1

                 (INT. AFTERNOON) – 1964

                 See book pages 1 – 2, The Oval Office

   1.1.1      The Oval Office                                                                                                     2                      2

                 (INT. DAY or NIGHT, A COUPLE OF YEARS EARLIER) – 1961 - 63

   1.1.2      The Oval Office                                                                                                     4                      4

                 (INT. DAY or NIGHT, A COUPLE OF YEARS EARLIER) – 1961 - 63

   1.1.3      The Oval Office (INT. DAY or NIGHT, 22 YEARS EARLIER)                                6                      6

                 – 1942, May/Jun

1.1.3.1      The Oval Office (INT. AFTERNOON, TO THE PRESENT) - 1964                        6                      6

 

                 etc.

 

____________________________________________________________________________________

 
 

 
SCENE / SECTION / SUB-SECTION / SUB-SUB-SECTION NUMBER
 
To do this –
 
            -  Move the Page up
               so that the line
     where the Scene etc. Number is to go,
     is just under the Top Ruler
            -  On this line,
     Place the cursor at the Left Margin of the page
            -  Make sure it is in this shape,
 I
               not as a single headed arrow
            -  Left click on it, to make it a flashing line









            Place the cursor
            on the top triangle
            on the top ruler
            at the top left
            of the page,
            until it becomes
            a single headed arrow,
            with a box
            saying, “First Line Indent”









            Continue to hold
            the cursor
            on the triangle
            and at the same time,
            hold down
            the left mouse key,
            then, with the cursor,
            move the triangle only,
            to the far-left edge
            of the page
            The flashing line
            will move with the triangle
            Then release both,
            cursor and left mouse key
 

Note -  This arrangement can be left in place for the whole list
 
 
            -  Type in the –
 
                        Scene.Section.Sub-Section.Sub-Sub-Section    Number
 
                        Note – The Full Stops 

eg.










-  Press the Space Bar and count how many times,    X,     it takes
   to put the flashing line from the end of the number,
   to directly under the Left Margin
-  Take    6    from that number
   This is the size of the space
   that I have put between
   the end of each Number and the Left Margin
-  Move the cursor back to the front of the Number
-  Make sure it is in this shape,
 I
              not as the single headed arrow
-  Left click on it, to make it a flashing line
-  Press the Space Bar
   X – 6    times
   This moves the Scene etc. Number into position










-  Move the cursor to the end of the Scene etc. Number
-  Left click on it, to make it a flashing line
-  Press the Tab Key
              This will move the cursor to the Left Margin
              You could go directly to the Left Margin,
              but then you have to estimate exactly where it is,
              and with the Tab Key you do not have to,
              which saves stress in the long run
 

This is now ready to type the Scene Information
  

Consecutive Scene Numbers
 
I used        6 spaces        for all Scene etc. Numbers
between the end of the number and the Left Margin.
 
I found that this makes it easy for the eye to track down the page.
 
eg.            1.1
                           1.1.1
                           1.1.2
                           1.1.3
                        1.1.3.1
 

 
SCENE INFORMATION
 
I have copied the Scene Tags with all their information -
 
 
Either -
 
Sc        .Section  [TYPE OF SCENE – RELATIONSHIP IN TIME TO THE PREVIOUS SCENE]
– DAY No MONTH YEAR of this scene
[INT. &/or EXT. LOCATION OF SCENE – TIME OF DAY]
 
Or –
 
Sc        .Section  [INT. &/or EXT. LOCATION OF SCENE – TIME OF DAY, RELATIONSHIP IN TIME TO THE PREVIOUS SCENE] – DAY No MONTH YEAR
 
 
And just reformatted it for the Scene / Location List, in this form -
 
 
Sc         Specific location, General location (INT. &/or EXT. TIME OF DAY, RELATIONSHIP TO PREVIOUS SCENE ETC) – YEAR, Day, No Month
 
 
eg.
 
48.1     Right hand sitting room, Hayden House (INT. DAY, A DAY LATER) – 1942, Sun 27 Apr
 
 
 
  
So, the comparison in typesetting, is –
 
Scene Tag information                                               Scene information
 
Scene No                                                                      Scene No
.Section No                                                                   .Section No
.Sub-Section No                                                           .Sub-Section No
.Sub-Sub-Section No                                                   .Sub-Sub-Section No
DAY                                                                              Day
No                                                                                 No
MONTH                                                                        Month
YEAR                                                                           YEAR
TYPE OF SCENE
RELATIONSHIP                                                           RELATIONSHIP
INT. &/or EXT.                                                              INT. &/or EXT.
LOCATION OF SCENE ETC.                                      Location of Scene etc.
TIME OF DAY                                                              TIME OF DAY
 
[    ]    -    Square Brackets                                           (    )    -     Curved Brackets
 
 
  
LOCATION INFORMATION
 
When writing a screenplay from a book, the book will often describe scenes in detail.
When this occurs, I have included a note to refer to the book page/s that contain them, in this form –
 
 
See book page No, Location
See book pages No, No, No – No, Location
 
 
This line should immediately follow the associated scene information.
 
 
eg.
 
 
16.1       Local Lands & Title Office (INT. DAY, A FEW WEEKS LATER) – 1935, Jan
 
 
 
Other interesting descriptions can also be added, on the line immediately after the Scene Information.
 
 
eg.
 
 
 
(copper – old style clothes hand-washing tub made of copper, heated underneath by a wood fire)
 
 
 
BOOK AND SCREENPLAY PAGES
 
I have included the book and screenplay page numbers here again,
for the beginning of each scene, for handy reference.
 
These numbers, I have aligned across the page with the Scene etc. Number, for easy visual tracking.
 
 
 
 
© Katherine Stuart 2022
Dochas Books Film

No comments:

Post a Comment