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CONTINUED is no longer used?
- Thread starter gto
- Start date
"CONTINUED" is only used on the final shooting draft when the
scenes are numbered. There is no need to use it in a reading
draft where there are no scene numbers.
There is a very good reason for this:
At the top of every page of the shooting draft - this is the copy
each department head will get - you will see something like:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------64
16. CONTINUED ------------------------------------------------------------16.
(without the dashes, of course)
When the department head gets their script to do the breakdowns,
they set everything up based on the scene numbers. As an example
I’ll use the Prop Master. She will go through the script finding props
that are mentioned and looking for items that may be needed in a
scene. Each prop will be assigned the scene number.
So she is flipping through the script and sees a gun in a holster is
needed. She glances at the top of the page and sees it's page 64 and
Scene 16. Easy! No need to flip back a page or two looking for the
slugline and scene number.
Since the reading (or spec) script isn't final, there will be no scene
numbers. If there are no scene numbers there is no need to let the
reader know that scene 16 is continued from page 63.
scenes are numbered. There is no need to use it in a reading
draft where there are no scene numbers.
There is a very good reason for this:
At the top of every page of the shooting draft - this is the copy
each department head will get - you will see something like:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------64
16. CONTINUED ------------------------------------------------------------16.
(without the dashes, of course)
When the department head gets their script to do the breakdowns,
they set everything up based on the scene numbers. As an example
I’ll use the Prop Master. She will go through the script finding props
that are mentioned and looking for items that may be needed in a
scene. Each prop will be assigned the scene number.
So she is flipping through the script and sees a gun in a holster is
needed. She glances at the top of the page and sees it's page 64 and
Scene 16. Easy! No need to flip back a page or two looking for the
slugline and scene number.
Since the reading (or spec) script isn't final, there will be no scene
numbers. If there are no scene numbers there is no need to let the
reader know that scene 16 is continued from page 63.
Final Draft plugs these in automatically for both action and dialogue unless you turn them off in the preferences. I turn them off for action in spec writing. I did turn a short script into a shooting draft and added everything back in there just as an exercise.
Not needed in a spec script. Now dialogue separated by action, I still use them. It's a mechanism for showing that the action is occurring simultaneously with the character's continuing monologue.
Although I am seeing more and more scripts that use direction in parentheticals rather than in action, implying essentially the same thing. But I learned early on to avoid parentheticals unless crucial, so I rarely use them. It's a style preference.
Not needed in a spec script. Now dialogue separated by action, I still use them. It's a mechanism for showing that the action is occurring simultaneously with the character's continuing monologue.
Although I am seeing more and more scripts that use direction in parentheticals rather than in action, implying essentially the same thing. But I learned early on to avoid parentheticals unless crucial, so I rarely use them. It's a style preference.
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