Ask Dr. Format: GEOGRAPHY AND PARENTHESES

DAVE TROTTIER has sold or optioned ten screenplays (three produced) and helped hundreds of writers break into the writing business.  He is an award-winning teacher and script consultant, author of The Screenwriter’s Bible, and friendly host of keepwriting.com.  Read more tips on the Ask Dr. Format page.

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GEOGRAPHY AND PARENTHESES

QUESTION

The locales for most of my script are two cities. I've designated them appropriately, such as the following:

EXT. CITY STREET - DAY (BOSTON)

And

INT. THEATER - DAY (LOS ANGELES)

Is it necessary to label each scene following the initial designation as either Boston or Los Angeles with these parentheticals: (BOSTON) / (LOS ANGELES)? Or is it assumed that the following scenes are still in the designated city until it switches to the other city?

ANSWER

It’s not necessary to label every scene.

Just establish Boston and Los Angeles. You don't need to continually remind the reader. The exception is at those moments or scenes where you think the reader could get lost.

In your first example above, you have an exterior location, so you could write this:

EXT. BOSTON – CITY STREET – DAY

You don't need the parenthetical because Boston is an exterior location. Here's another way to write the same scene heading:

EXT. BOSTON STREETS – DAY

The second example should be written like this:

INT. THEATER (LOS ANGELES) – DAY

Keep the location in the location section of the scene heading.

As an alternative, you could establish the city before going to a smaller location. For example:

EXT. LOS ANGELES – DAY

The City of Angles glistens in the sun.

INT. THEATER - DAY

That’s an "establishing shot," and it’s not necessary to write ESTABLISHING as part of the scene heading.

Good luck and keep writing!

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