## Introduction: Whose Job Is It Anyway?

As a screenwriter, you might wonder: "Should I really be concerned about scene transitions? Isn't that the director's job?" After all, cuts happen in the editing room, and the director ultimately decides how scenes flow together.

The answer might surprise you.

**Scene transitions ARE part of the screenplay.** They're one of the six essential formatting elements you select when writing your script:

- Scene headings

- Description

- Character names

- Dialogue

- Parentheticals

- **Transitions**

Transitions are those "CUT TO:" instructions that flush to the right of the page, introducing the next scene. While it used to be customary to always write "CUT TO:" in screenplays, this practice is rapidly going out of fashion.

## Why Screenwriters Should Care About Transitions

So what's left for you as a screenwriter to worry about?

### Two Expert Perspectives

**Ken Miyamoto**, a respected voice in screenwriting, puts it bluntly:

> "Pundits and gurus will argue that the eventual director won't appreciate them and would likely utilize their own technical and artistic choices anyway. They're missing the point. Writing cinematically is very important for the spec screenwriter. Most readers are just looking for a great read, plain and simple."

**Craig Mason** adds:

> "I find that directors tend to appreciate that you've written with transitions in mind because it's really important to them. And frankly, if you don't write with transitions in mind, some directors aren't going to notice and they're just going to shoot what you wrote—and then it won't connect."

### The Real Reason: It's a Visual Medium

Here are the key reasons you should care about transitions:

1. **Film is visual storytelling** - You need to think visually about how you move from one scene to the next

2. **It's critical on the page** - Transitions affect the reading experience of your screenplay

3. **It might actually get shot that way** - Not all directors will reimagine your transitions

4. **Readers are looking for a great read** - Smooth, cinematic transitions make your script more engaging

## What Should You Focus On?

Your first role is to think about **subject** rather than technique:

- What are you going to show as the last element of the previous scene?

- What will be the first element of the next scene?

- How do these images work when juxtaposed?

This is how stories are told—by placing images next to each other and creating meaning through their relationship.

## Modern Transition Formatting

Looking at the Oscar-nominated screenplay for *The Disaster Artist* (2017), we see interesting approaches to transitions.

### The Traditional Method

The screenplay sometimes uses the traditional "CUT TO:" at the end of a scene, flush right on the page, introducing the next scene.

### The Modern Integrated Method

More elegantly, the screenplay sometimes incorporates the transition directly into the description itself. Instead of:

```

Greg smiles at Tommy.

CUT TO:

INT. ACTING STUDIO - NIGHT

```

You might write:

```

Greg smiles at Tommy. We cut to the acting studio that night, where...

```

This makes for a more elegant read. Your eyes don't have to jump to the right side of the page, and it looks less cluttered.

**Important note:** The Disaster Artist screenplay could take these liberties because it was written by established screenwriters. As an emerging writer, you may want to be more conservative with formatting experiments, as some readers might frown upon it.

## The Spectrum: Writer vs. Director Responsibility

Understanding who controls what in transitions is crucial:

**Clearly the writer's job:**

- What subject matter appears in each scene

- The narrative logic connecting scenes

- Question-and-answer setups

- Thematic connections between scenes

**Often the director's job:**

- Specific camera movements

- Shot sizes (wide, medium, close-up)

- Technical effects (dissolves, fades, wipes)

- Music and sound design

**Shared territory:**

- Visual continuity

- Pacing and rhythm

- Emotional flow

- When to create breaks vs. seamless connections

## Two Approaches to Transitions

When writing transitions, you need to know which approach you're taking:

### 1. Fluid Transitions (Most Common)

The viewer shouldn't even notice the transition. The reader shouldn't even notice. You should be engaged in the story, moving elegantly and smoothly from one scene to the next. There shouldn't be a sense of rupture or break.

### 2. Emphasized Transitions (Strategic)

However, there are instances when you want to deliberately tell the reader to take a breather, to take a step back. "We're now going to enter into a new territory, a new stage of the script." In those cases, you might want to emphasize the transition and draw attention to it.

These are two very different approaches, and you need to know which one you're tackling when you write your transition.

## Examples in Professional Screenplays

*The Disaster Artist* provides excellent examples of both approaches:

**Interview-style cuts:** The screenplay shows multiple cartoon headshots in a row, each representing a different character speaking directly to camera. Normally you'd never see this many "CUT TO" indicators, but the reader understands this is a different character speaking each time with a cut in between.

**Traditional transitions:** The screenplay also uses conventional "CUT TO:" formatting when moving between standard dramatic scenes.

**Integrated transitions:** Most elegantly, it sometimes weaves the transition into the description itself, maintaining narrative flow without formal transition indicators.

## The Bottom Line

Yes, transitions are partially the director's territory. But as a screenwriter, you're creating the blueprint. When you write with transitions in mind, you:

- Create a better reading experience

- Demonstrate visual thinking

- Help ensure your story flows properly

- Make it easier for directors to see your vision

- Avoid confusion that could derail your narrative

Think of it this way: **You're not dictating camera angles, you're choreographing the reader's experience.** And since most scripts are rejected at the reading stage, not the filming stage, this matters enormously.

In the posts that follow, we'll explore specific techniques, principles, and examples that will transform how you think about moving from one scene to the next.