Ask Dr. Format

By David Trottier

Bold and Courageous Headings

QUESTION
What do you think of the new bold-and-underline format for scene headings?

ANSWER
I think it's perfectly okay, but completely unnecessary, at least for now. The standard is still ordinary, unadorned scene headings. You'll know when that changes when Movie Magic Screenwriter incorporates the bold-and-underline style (or bold style, or underline style, or other style) into its application.

In the meantime, I suggest you stick with the regular scene heading style unless a different style is specifically requested, or you have fallen in love with it and feel courageous.

There is a second issue at play here; if you bold master scene headings; what do you do with secondary scene headings? For example:

INT. JOE'S HOUSE - DAY

Joe strides into the house and hurries into the

KITCHEN

where he opens the fridge and grabs a beer. He moves quickly into

THE HALLWAY

where he stumbles over a body on the floor.

Do you bold and underline KITCHEN and HALLWAY, too? Why complicate things? Unless a new style takes the industry by storm, focus on what you are writing.

MORPHING MORTIMER

QUESTION
In a number of transitions in my screenplay, we are going to see a person in the middle of an action morph into a younger version of himself without a break in the action, but indeed a change of scenery and time. How do I handle that?

ANSWER
There are many possibilities. Here is one.

INT. THEATER - NIGHT

The theater is packed with fans.

MORTIMER struts across the stage playing his harmonica. He MORPHS into....

EXT. KANSAS CITY BACK ALLEY - DAY

... YOUNG MORTIMER (15) playing the same tune on his harmonica.

SUPER: "KANSAS CITY 1983"