Scene headings are the general location headings that detail where we are in the script - outside or inside (EXT. Contrary to what floats around as a supposed screenwriting ‘rule’ about sluglines, you are free to approach them however you’d like as long as you are servicing the story, being clear to the reader, and making the look of your page as easy on the eye as possible.īe consistent and everything will be fine. That source also mentions the same thing that you've been told on : "slugline" is a term from journalism, while "scene heading" is a term from screenwriting.įirst, there is the Primary or Master Slugline (aka Scene Heading) which generally denotes the beginning of a scene and include three parts: INT or EXT, LOCATION, DAY or NIGHT.Īs you can see "Slugline" and "Scene Heading" are used synonimously here.Īgain a reminder: Screenplay format and style is not etched in stone, it is always evolving. This shows that the author thinks they are just different names for the same thing. ![]() which is why I prefer the term scene heading over slug. So, let's have a look at some other sources that may clear up this confusion: You also mentioned that a lot of your confusion comes from this guide on that mentions a difference between sluglines and scenes, where sluglines can only be used to direct attention and not to change the setting and has only one blank line as opposed to scene headers having two. I've also found your question on, but sadly there isn't any useful information in that thread as of writing this answer here. Primary and secondary scene headings are the same, so if one is formatted with two blank lines you should format the other one the same way to be consistent. To be more precise, the origins of Scene Heading is purely within screenplays whereas the origins of Slugline (Slug Line) is from journalism, but regardless, your question was regarding scene headings and secondary scene headings. I have never used Story Sense as a reference point so I suggest you do a bit more research and you'll find they are referred to as one and the same. Primary or master scene headings and secondary scene headings are both commonly referred to as sluglines. My answer remains the same, they are the same element except secondary scene headings contain less detail/information. Your question was asking for the difference in formatting between primary scene headings and secondary scene headings. ![]() I can't find a way to directly link to that answer, but here it is in case anyone is interested and something happens to the information on the other site: You can call it "secondary scene headings" or "sluglines" according to the answer given by Pierre Langenegger. The consensus there seems to be that you should use two blank lines because that is simply the standard. I've found that you posted your question also on : Screenwriting : How many blank lines before scene headings (and secondary scene headings) using Amazon Storywriter? by Andy Alexander Let’s take a look at this slugline example to see how the opening scene with multiple rooms in the same location is written in the screenplay.You asked the same question on some other, more specialised, sites, so I am looking through them and some others to consolidate the knowledge here for future readers on Writing.SE or others that may come across your question and want to see whether one of the three sites has additional information at a later point. ![]() This is frequently used when characters move room to room within a house as done in the opening scene of Parasite. No matter what type of subheader it is, they should be formatted the same.Įach subheader slug line should be written on their own line in the screenplay in all uppercase letters. Subheader sluglines can be used for a location change within a master location, visual directions such as a specific shot, or character names during action descriptions and sequences. Once the master scene heading is established, screenwriters often use subheader sluglines to draw attention to a specific scene element, important detail, or simply to break up a longer scene in parts of a script. What is a slug line in a screenplay? Mid-scene location changes What might a screenwriter want to draw attention to? Let’s take a look at a few of the most common ways sluglines are used mid scene. Within a scene, sluglines can also be used as subheadings to draw a reader's attention to different story elements.
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