I am writing a screenplay .... If i don't know the exact place of where the scene should be happening in, what should i do? Should i just write something like ... INT. House
Please reply back! Thanks
The purpose of the 'slugline' is three-fold. It identifies the location of a scene, whether shot inside (INT.) or outside (EXT.), and the time of day. For the showrunner and others in the production of the film, they rely on consistency. Shooting can occur asynchronously to take advantage a given location and time. So the actors who will be using the same locale can all be shot on the same day. This is more cost effective than shooting the film sequentially. If you have a studio lot, you have more flexibility.
So to answer your question. The writer's obligation is to create a unique, consistent identifier. After the slugline, provide relevant description of the location. However, don't go overboard an specify every detail. Just those that are necessary for the set designer to get a sense of layout. As the writer, you should have a good idea where the action is happening. I've seen this described in many ways that were particular to the script.
INT. JACK'S HOUSE, KITCHEN - NIGHT
INT. KITCHEN - DAY
INT. NURSING HOME KITCHEN - DAY (STORMY)
However, as the writer you need to know where the scene is taking place so you can convey that to the reader. If you don't know, then how can your reader (and viewer) makes sense of it?
EXT. SOMEWHERE IN THE US - DAY
That doesn't help much for the production staff.
EXT. RURAL FARM, MIDDLE OF CORNFIELD - DAY
This allows the reader and production crew to get a sense of where you imagine this happening.
INT. CONTEMPORARY HOME, FAMILY ROOM - DAY (UNDERGROUND)
This gives me a sense of the type of house, where in the house, and in this case I included 'underground' as a descriptor but it would be better to use it in a description to make it clear this is during the day but there are no windows to indicate that.
When the spec script is changed to a production script, some dedicated soul will assign numbers to each of the scenes. Celtx is nice in that it will keep a running list of your locations. It is very important that scenes in the same location have the same slugline. The time may change which translates to another scene.
14 INT. CONTEMPORARY HOME, FAMILY ROOM - NIGHT 14
rather than
14 INT. HOUSE - NIGHT 14
So, yes you need to know in your own mind the descriptive location, enough to orient the reader/viewer/production staff and convey that in your slugline.
"INT. SLEAZY MOTEL, ROOM #237 - NIGHT
The air shimmers and he appears in a sleazy motel room. He looks about, runs to the door and opens it."
You don't have to describe it in detail as most of us have stayed in a motel and have a sense of the layout. If I just wrote: "INT. ROOM #237 - NIGHT", I'd be uncertain if this was a dorm, apartment, etc.
The dialogue and actions will convey that your character has no clue where he is but the reader needs to have a visual reference. You can see it in your mind as the writer, so you need to convey that.
Hope that helps.
