I think the main thing to watch out for with "is" is the temptation to embed non-visual information in the action. For example, if you have a scene with a guy in a suit walking down the street, you wouldn't want to say he "is a lawyer." The camera can't see that he "is a lawyer." You need to think of a way to get it across that this man is a lawyer either visually or through dialogue.

Personally, I think the best way to learn screenplay style (distinct from format) is to read screenplays. There are a number of folks who publish their screenplays, and they are worth reading over and over.

Waitin' patiiently for an olive branch to be extended

Are you planning to direct and film the feature yourself? If so, I'd recommend leaving it as it is. As the director, you'll be able to film each scene the way you envision it.

If you're not planning to make the film yourself, it's a tough call. I'm of the opinion that you should never pad a script with unnecessary scenes, and you should never drag out the description if something can be described in a concise way while still conveying vivid imagery.

On the other hand, some readers will see a 60-page script and think it can't possibly be any good since it's so short, so you're left with a dilemma. You could try incorporating a subplot and tying it into the main storyline, or try to find new angles to explore in the original storyline. If it's done right, it will enhance the story instead of acting as padding. The most important thing is to make sure every new scene is necessary and serves a purpose (or preferably more than one purpose).

~ Kris

I have a similar problem to Kiki.

I am an experineced short film maker and I am trying to make the leap to writing a feature. The time has come to think about timing.

I am writing a really slow, quiet, dark drama. And I have pretty much finished the first draft and I'm only at 60 pages.

I am positive that translated into film through prior experience of the kind of filmmaker I am that these 60 pages will be about a 2 hour film.

In this case, should I be more descriptive to pad out the script to the right length?

I've seen it done two different ways. With the first method, you would use a normal slugline for the first room, like this:

INT. MANSION DINING ROOM - NIGHT

and then you would use a similar slugline for each consecutive room as the characters run through, but replace "NIGHT" with "CONTINUOUS" to indicate the action flows continuously from one room into the next.

With the second method, you would use a normal slugline for the first scene, but you would use an abbreviated slugline for each subsequent room and blend it into the action, so the final result would look like this:

INT. MANSION DINING ROOM - NIGHT

Here's some action. Stuff happens. You'd describe it as you normally would.

And then the group runs into the

KITCHEN

And some more action happens in the kitchen. You'd describe the action, describe any important features the characters see, include dialogue as usual, etc.

Desperate to escape the kitchen, they frantically race into the

LIVING ROOM

In most cases, you should use a full slugline any time the location changes, even if you're only moving from one room to the next in the same house. (Technically, a new scene occurs any time the lighting equipment has to be moved, which means each new room is considered a new scene.) But, I've seen it done successfully the second way too, and sometimes using the abbreviated sluglines gives the reader the illusion of a faster-paced scene.

When you're describing the action, you can refer to the characters as "the group", "everyone", "the crowd", "the celebrities", etc., if they're all doing the same thing.

~ Kris

I was wondering if I could bother you with one more question. In the same script I'm writing, I have a sequence where about seven different characters run through six different rooms of a mansion, with something specific entering each room.

What I was wondering is if I had to slug every room (like could I put VARIOUS ROOMS or something). If I do, is it OK to refer to the characters as a group rather than by each name?

For example, the characters are all celebrities. So could I refer to them as "The Celebrities" rather than typing our each name?

The sluglines will vary depending on whether the scene starts off in the character's POV or instead starts off in the standard format and then switches to the character's POV in mid-scene.

If the scene starts off in the character's POV and the whole scene will play out that way, you would use a slugline like this:

INT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT - JOSHUA'S POV

If the scene starts off in the standard format and then switches to the character's POV in the middle of the scene, you would use a normal slugline like this at the beginning of the scene:

INT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT

and you would add a slugline like this at the point where the switch to the character's POV occurs:

JOSHUA'S POV

I hope this helps! Thanks for checking out the blog!

~ Kris