ALL CAPS -- what is currently in vogue?

Randall_Oelerich

Randall_Oelerich

Veteran
What is the current practice for deciding what goes in UPPERCASE (besides of course FADE IN, FADE OUT, slug lines and character names in dialogue, and character names the first time a character is introduced)? CLOSE ON? SOUNDS? OTHER?
randall
 
I would not do "CLOSE ON" but that's me because that's camera direction, instead if you want a close up of someone's face just go with minislug:

JANE'S FACE

as she crunches her nose.

LIVING ROOM

as she walks to her husband and gives him a hug.

***

Okay, so not brilliant writing, but you went from the close-up to the face then back to the living room to show all of her plus who else was in the room. So MINISLUGS should be in all caps.

SOUNDS if they are important should be in all caps as well.

SHOTS FIRED.

Door SLAMMED.

Just make sure you don't over cap.
 
Capping sounds is an old holdover from when scripts were rushed into production. It's not necessary on a spec unless to make the sound particularly emphatic, but the shooting script will usually sort out production issues like this. Generally speaking, older writers cap sounds; younger writers don't. It doesn't really matter.
 
I never cap anything but the first use of names. A spec script is meant to be read as a story, not as a blueprint for production. A shooting script is a blueprint for production.

It's easy enough to achieve the close-up effect without caps. For instance...

John's hand. Holding a gun at his side.

John raises the gun and points it at Delilah. He fires.
 
I second that. No caps except for character names and scene headings. It just don't make any sense to me.

Also I never do camera direction in scripts.
 
Tell the story. Focus on that. Worry about your formatting once you have something decent to format. I see so much nicely formatted crap and its getting worse. Rip out all technical directions regarding camera operations. Its useless noise. "John's hand. Holding a gun at his side. John raises the gun and points it at Delilah." - Stage directions can also be their own version of noise when they don't flow. If you want to hint at information a director can use as well as a reader, you can be mildly descriptive and still stay concise. "John levels his gun on Delilah".

If you can write dialogue, you're already 90% there.
 
craigbowman said:
Tell the story. Focus on that. Worry about your formatting once you have something decent to format. I see so much nicely formatted crap and its getting worse. Rip out all technical directions regarding camera operations. Its useless noise. "John's hand. Holding a gun at his side. John raises the gun and points it at Delilah." - Stage directions can also be their own version of noise when they don't flow. If you want to hint at information a director can use as well as a reader, you can be mildly descriptive and still stay concise. "John levels his gun on Delilah".

If you can write dialogue, you're already 90% there.
Click to expand...

Except that there's a huge difference in the way those two versions of John pulling a gun on Delilah read. The first version, the reader imagines a close-up on John's hand, hanging at his side with a gun in it. Then a cut to a wider shot wherein John raises the gun and points it at Delilah.

In the second version, we just get the information. John points a gun at Delilah.

In the first, there's a pace to it, a tension, a flow. It's visual. The second is informative.

The point is to be concise and still use good writing and wordplay to make your scene stand out. I know there's the whole "don't direct from the script" argument, but in reality, whoever reads the script will be thinking in terms of the different shots that will bring it onto the screen. The way you write determines whether they see a flat, conventional and rather boring film or the film you really want them to see.

Michael
 
arroway said:
Is the perfect answer for the OP's question.
Click to expand...

Yeah, from my experience as a reader and speaking with other readers, I can offer that capping sound effects isn't held against the writer. It's typically understood that it can go either way. Actually, you'd be surprised by how many formatting issues you can get away with if you have a compelling and saleable story. It's strange to me that hairs should be split over this.
 
There are certain levels of specificity, intentionality and paranoia that are required to be truly great. Dumb luck might get you on top, but it won't keep you there. "It doesn't matter" just doesn't cut it.
 
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