SCENE HEADINGS

INT. FRED’S APARTMENT – KITCHEN – DAY

Note – there is ONE SPACE between each hyphen.

Note: Scene headings are in ALL CAPS

EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREET - DAY

EXT. MARKET IN INDIA – DAYEXT. MARKET – DAY (INDIA)

INT. RENTAL CAR - DAY – (TRAVELING)

EXT/INT. LTHS LIBRARY - DAY

INT. DALLAS ZOO – GORILLA CAGE – DAY

AVOID THIS

EXT. ALASKA – MORNING

INSTEAD

EXT. ALASKAN TUNDRA - DAY

The sun rises over mountains of snow and ice.

AVOID THIS

INT. ALASKA – IGLOO - DAY

INSTEAD

INT. ALASKAN IGLOO – DAY

FREDDY, 15, a pudgy penguin works on his Algebra homework.

MINI SLUGLINES

INT. LAKE TRAVIS HS – HALLWAY – DAY

LARRY, 16, stomps down the hall.

AT THE WATER FOUNTAIN

Larry attempts a sip. There’s no water. He kicks the fountain. Then punches it until his knuckles bleed.

Guidelines for writing scene description

Always write in the present tense

 

CORRECT: Lydia leaps off the cliff.

WRONG: Lydia leapt off the cliff.

Use active, specific verbs• WEAK - Jack goes to reach for his trench coat and

goes towards the door.• STRONG - Jack grabs his trench coat and charges

towards the door.• WEAK - Jack is inside the car. Shelly is coming out of

the house. • STRONG - Jack pouts inside the car. Shelly struts out

of the house.• WEAK - Jack is singing at the top of his lungs in the

shower.• STRONG - Jack croons at the top of his lungs in the

shower.