# Slugline: acceptable location?



## jjshell (Oct 1, 2007)

Hello,
Would that sound like an acceptable location to you?

Previous scene took place in an unnamed art gallery. A character leaves the place. Another character runs after her. Then starts a scene in which they explain each other about what happened.


> EXT. STREET NEAR ART GALLERY - DAY


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## Linton Robinson (Oct 1, 2007)

I don't see anything wrong with it.  or  OUTSIDE ART GALLERY


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## mammamaia (Oct 2, 2007)

...if it's EXT. then 'OUTSIDE' is redundant and superfluous... all you really need there for location is:

EXT. ART GALLERY

...obviously, there will be a street, so you don't have to mention that... if the action takes place _in_ the street and not on the sidewalk, which would be assumed by the above slug line, then just tell us that in the action description... 



> EXT. ART GALLERY
> 
> Joan runs out of the gallery, Pete hard on her heels.  She dashes into the street and he pulls her back as she's about to be hit by a speeding bike messenger.


 
...or whatever...


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## jjshell (Oct 3, 2007)

Thanks for your help


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## Linton Robinson (Oct 4, 2007)

EXT. ART GALLERY

No.  If you are exterior, then you're not in the art gallery.    Duh.

The EXT. is not to tell where you are....it's a silly artifact of shooting scripts that just tell whether it's an outside or inside location.

Give it a rest.   You don't write scripts, quit telling other people how to.


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## Screenplay Readers (Oct 7, 2007)

EXT. ART GALLERY - DAY 

is perfectly legit.  Especially if you're coming from 

INT. ART GALLERY - DAY

It keeps the flow going!  My general rule of thumb is that if it causes a "bump" for the reader, lose it.

B.


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## Wallmaker (Oct 26, 2007)

Ext. Art Gallery and Ext. Street are two different things... If they just came from the art gallery and it's behind them, that let's us know the continuity of the story.  The exterior of the building might give us just as much info as the interior. 

Keep it clear, simple, and easy to follow with the locations... you don't want a reader wondering what happened between the art gallery and this street they're now walking on.


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## Linton Robinson (Oct 26, 2007)

I see what you're saying, but I don't think there's all that much confusion tieing together the art gallery the ran out of and the street they ran into.


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## Wallmaker (Oct 27, 2007)

Then think of a producer securing a location later on, who hasn't read the script thoroughly and just got you a street on another day in another part of town.


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## Linton Robinson (Oct 27, 2007)

????????????????????????????????????

OK, now think about your screenplay is seen by martians monitoriing wireles internet and they don't know what an art gallery is, but still want to make the picture...


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## Wallmaker (Oct 27, 2007)

A screenplay is a blue print for others to follow--a director, actors, and a producer (esp for location).  It has to be clear and the more clear you are, the more professional you come across. 

My lengthy, but hopefully clarifying explination to why it's important:

When it comes to filmmaking, scenes and locations will be filmed in different places and different times based on a shooting schedule a producer puts together.  All of the shots in one location (even though they are different scenes) can be filmed together to save time and money by setting up the location just once and filming all of those scenes together.

Now, imagine if you are producer who is lumping together all of the scenes that are EXT. STREET - DAY to shoot or if he/she thinks they can save time and money by shooting on a street somewhere at a different location.  Well, now your scene doesn't have the implication it's outside of the art gallery as it would with EXT. ART GALLERY - DAY.  It could be filmed on any street anywhere according to the script.


If you prefer not to, Lin, go ahead and write your sluglines however you choose. I'm just answering the question and explaining why it's done the way it is done. And yeah, if a martian bought my script, I would add some more specifications.


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## Linton Robinson (Oct 27, 2007)

Actually, locations are chosen by scouts that specialize in that, not producers.   It doesn't have to be particularly clear because it doesn't matter how much you spec it out, they will shoot it where and how they want to.

I write sluglines according to pro standards, and win contests with scripts that include them.
I am answering the question, I would say. 
I don't see ANY explanation in your last post.  In fact, I can't make heads or tails of it.


By the way, the ONLY reason they still keep those stupid EXT/INT tags around is to differentiate inside shots from outside location shots.   You can't be EXT an art gallery.   You can be IN FRONT OF GALLERY, but your tag makes no sense.


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## Wallmaker (Oct 27, 2007)

Guess who scouts work for? Producers. 

EXT/INT is for many reasons, again I'm emphasizing a script is like a blue print. It's to know what type of film to use for cinematographers. It's to know where the location is for producers. It's to know if sound designers should bring equiptment to account for wind... the list goes on. 

I'm sorry you don't understand the filmmaking process, but my explination goes into how a script and the slugline works when it goes into production. If you are unfamiliar with it, I'd be happy to talk about it. We could start a new thread.

I didn't ask for your credentials and nor do I care. I'm here to answer the question asked in this thread.


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## Linton Robinson (Oct 28, 2007)

And you're doing a fabulous job of muddling up the better answers that were already her.

Your comments on the use of EXT/INT  apply to shooting scripts, not spec scripts.  Duh.   

I can tell from you comments that you are in school, probably film school.  Your "familiarity" is not an issue, and doubtful.


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## Wallmaker (Oct 28, 2007)

Yes, my reasons for EXT/INT are production based, but they still appear in spec scripts from the early stages.  

Shooting scripts are even more specific.  Each shot is numbered.  Camera movement might be added.  But EXT/INT shots are not added here, they're already in a spec script.  So, yes, my answer was relating to production and shooting script blur becuase some specifications are expected even in a spec script.

I'm not muddling anything Lin, I'm just not agreeing with you.  My answer I have backed up with the process the script will go through to clarify why it's done the way it's done.  You, as I stated before, may do whatever you wish.  This info is for jjshell and jjshell can decided what is better.

I am in film school.  You're correct.  But I'm also a script reader.  And you know what I get to do with crappily formated and unclear scripts?  I toss 'em.


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## lazerbeak (Oct 28, 2007)

Diverting as the techie jostles of scriptwriting/writers can be, personally I'd worry more about the content of the scene than what it's called, jj.

As far as I can see, all the suggested headings, including your own, are fine. I might go for Ext. Art Gallery if the building features heavily in the scene, but it doesn't really matter. As long as you use the same clear description for the same location whenever it appears, don't worry too much about it.


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## Linton Robinson (Oct 28, 2007)

Yes they still appear in spec scripts...that's why I said they were useless vestiges.

I think we all know what shooting scripts are and waht they look like.

Yeah, I know...readers are always people who never sold any writing in their life and think their particular way is the only way to do things and love to find out ways they can exercise their power by shitcanning scripts.

This is SOOOOO sophomore.   Students learn a little something, then flaunt it around and tell everybody else how ignorant they are.

Thing is...it's not really a big deal either way to a script.  Which you'd know if you'd read many.

If you wanted to communicate with jjshell privately without anybody else having an opinion, you should have sent a PM.  You posted in a public forum that had been ongoing...and pretty much resolved before you jumped in and started telling us how hip you are.

You are an amateur.  You're new on this site.   And....you're a student.   Learn.


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## Linton Robinson (Oct 28, 2007)

By the way, what happened to ol' jj, anyway?


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## Wallmaker (Oct 29, 2007)

Lin,

JJ isn't here anymore and lazerbeak has given a simplified answer. (Thank you, Lazerbeak.)

I'm not here to make you sound ignorant and I'm not here to be petty. You're right, I'm new here to this particular forum, I didn't expect to be challenged and accused of a bandwith of ???? marks when I tried to simply explain myself. All of this doesn't matter exteremely much, but the reason I was specific is because a specific question was asked and there were several different answers... infact the one you quite rudely discredited from Mammamia happened to be (in my opinion) the better answer.

Perhaps I should have PMed him, or maybe I foolishly thought it would be helpful for the next person who had a similar question. By saying this is for JJshell, not you Lin, it was for any guy or gal who had such a question. Since you already have your answer, it's not really oriented to you.

I don't understand what being a student or an "amatuer" has to do with anything or why you have labelled me such. Being a contest winner, the last time I checked, doesn't boost a person into professional status. I realize I know nothing about your actual body of work, but you don't know about mine either. I certainly don't condescend to you for being a writer/criminal, nor do I whip out my "creds" to prove my authority over trivial matters.

But maybe that will make you treat me as a member of the forum? Not just a sophomoric know it all? Is that what it takes? Proof I have earned my right to be an asshole? Sure, I can do that if you PM me. 

Micheal Arndt was a script reader for years and said it was an incredible education. And now he has little Miss Sunshine. You seem to make a great deal of assumptions and hope that perhaps I don't know enough so I can't counter you. I don't shitcan a lot of scripts, you go to each one with hope in your heart that you aren't wasting your time. What I said early was just the bottom line: a script is poorly formatted and hard to read, I have to toss it. I'm not even talking content here, but often it follows.

It's probably best if you have any more personal attacks to send my way, to just PM me to let this post die. I probably should PM you this, but the chances of you reading it might be nil. Since it seems you like to have the last words on a post, my chances increase by posting it in this thread.

Cheers,
Kay


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## Linton Robinson (Oct 29, 2007)

I've been a professional writer for decades.
I have a TV series in development by two fairly well known producers.

Read back...the insults pretty well started when you decided to start throwing the word "ignorant" around because you didn't agree.   So don't whine.

Like I said...you're an amateur, and a student.   If you try to come off as a know-it-all you're going to look bad and people are going to chafe you.  That's not just true on this forum:   there are lots of very high-level forums devoted mostly to screenwriting.  If you don't know they are, ask.   But if you go into them telling everybody they don't know anything about film because they're not still in school, they will give you a hard time.


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## jjshell (Nov 1, 2007)

I'm not gone, just following the interesting discussion.


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## Linton Robinson (Nov 1, 2007)

See what you started


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## Linton Robinson (Nov 1, 2007)

I think you can see some rationales here, and that there is some wiggle room on format, not cast in stone.  
Keep reading scripts, writing scripts and you reach a point where you don't have to worry about it anymore.


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## jjshell (Nov 4, 2007)

It's a great thread, thanks to all the parties


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