SLUGS!

Getting closer

We’re almost there! It’s almost time to start actually writing something that looks like a script. The note card stage is the last thing I do before writing something that is formatted like a script.

Words you should know

I should probably tell you what a slug line is. You can click the link for a perfect description on wikipedia. A slug line looks like this.

INT. COUNTY JAIL – NIGHT

It’s the basic heading of the scene. It starts with INT. or EXT. for interior or exterior. This is followed by the name of the location and the time of day. Keep it simple. The location name should be just enough information to identify the location. It is not a place to use descriptive language.

INT. HARLAN’S HOUSE – DAY is good.

INT: HARLAN’S LIVING ROOM BESIDE THE TELEVISION LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW – AROUND 3 PM is bad.

These are MANDATORY pieces of the screenplay format for many reasons. It tells the reader that it’s a new scene, where the scene takes place, and what time of day. Later, when they start planning to shoot the movie they’ll be able to look at the slug lines and know how many scenes take place at that location, if they need to be there at night, during the day, or both, and if they’ll be inside or outside. Lastly, the whole thing is written in CAPITOL LETTERS because it makes it easy to identify at a glance. Since slug lines are something you will be writing in your script you might as well get used to them and write your note cards with slug lines. It makes life easier.

Outlining an outline

Note cards are my favorite way to outline a script. The process is simple. Take a stack of 3x5 note cards. On each card you write the slug line followed by a brief description of the scene. Keep the description simple. It doesn’t require complete sentences or correct grammar; it’s just a note that will remind you of what the scene is about. I make one note card for every scene in the movie and keep them stacked up in sequence from start to finish. Once they’re done you could read them like flash cards and you would get the entire (summarized) story.

It’s how I do

I write my note cards with a sharpie marker for two reasons. First, this makes the note stand out as a big bold reminder of what I’m about to write. Second, and more importantly, the marker forces me to write bigger. In turn this forces me to keep the scene description simple. If my note is only one or two quick thoughts it makes it easier to write. I only have to keep one or two ideas in mind as I write the scene. I’ll make it more complex but I only have to keep the core idea of the scene in mind. Anything to make tackling the scene less daunting is good. I keep the note cards in two piles: the unwritten scene pile and the written scene pile. When I've written a scene I move it from the unwritten pile to the written pile.

??

You might be wondering why, after laying things out in beats, would I go through the trouble of writing note cards that essentially cover the same information. That’s a great question. I often skip doing beat sheets and go straight to note cards. Since I didn’t have a solid idea for this story to begin with the beats helped get my thoughts in order enough to do note cards. But, even with the beats laid out, I still want the note cards.

Quick

Note cards are easy to write, you don’t get bogged down staring at a big blank page. It’s way easier to write a quick note and go to the next card than it is to write a quick note among many other quick notes on a big blank page. It’s purely perception but it feels faster and easier to tackle.

Flexible

Note cards are easy to rearrange. If you decide a scene should be earlier or later in the story or discarded altogether you simply move the note card.

You already started that scene

They also help you get started on the scene. Remember how they have a slug line at the top to identify the scene? Well, that’s the first thing you’re going to write when you start the scene so that work is already done for you. It helps you start typing. You might say it primes the pump or gets the snowball rolling. It’s far easier to continue writing than it is to start.

Every single scene

I write every single scene as a note card. Not just the scenes with dialog but every single scene. If there is a scene with Harlan walking from his car and into a grocery store but nothing else happens I will still write that note card. It would look like this:

EXT. GROCERY STORE PARKING LOT – DAY
Harlan exits his car and walks into the grocery store.

The scene in the script would probably look like this:

EXT. GROCERY STORE PARKING LOT – DAY
Harlan exits his car and walks into the grocery store.

Why write a note card for that? There’s no difference between the note card and the scene. Motivation. It’s gratifying to move a card from the unwritten scene pile to the written scene pile. Anything to keep up momentum and keep writing.

A shrinking stack is fun

They help you track of your progress and motivate yourself to write. When I look at a page full of notes it feels daunting. There’s so much information that I have to take in and deal with. Note cards let me see one scene at a time. I only have to write that one scene and I can move on to the next note card. Or, if I don't have a lot of time but need to get some writing done it's far easier to look at the one card and know that's all I have to do. It’s like checking things off a list. They also let me see at a glance how much I’ve completed and how much is left to do. It’s great when the written scenes stack is taller than the unwritten scenes stack.

Fake it til you make it

It’s all smoke and mirrors really. One style of outline is no better or worse than any other as long as it helps you get your story written. I just like the psychological motivation that interacting with a physical object provides. Find a technique that works for you.

Next time we’ll either look at screenplay format or taking a field trip to a side project.