Since I have a LOT to say about screenplay formatting, I thought I'd start a weekly series called Writing Advice Wednesday!
Every Wednesday, I'll talk about anything from the most common aspects of screenplay formatting to more complex concepts, like how to format a montage inside a flashback sequence! 😱
But don't worry. Today we'll go for something more in the middle: intercutting (or cross-cutting!)
What is intercutting / cross-cutting?
In it simplest terms: it's cutting between two separate locations, characters, or time periods within the same scene / sequence.
Intercutting is typically a director and/or editor's choice, but there are times where this filmmaking technique can and should appear in a screenplay.
Intercutting can look like this:
or like this:
So how should you format this in your script?
Let's get into it!
What's the Context?
The first step to formatting intercuts is to determine if you actually need to intercut.
Phone / Text Conversations
Usually you'll see intercutting when a character is speaking to someone on the phone, like the Mean Girls example.
If the conversation is long (in a necessary way!), you probably will need to intercut.
However, there are times where intercutting during a phone call would actually ruin the comedy, drama, or tension of the scene.
For example, this scene from TAKEN:
If we'd cut to the man on the other line, it wouldn't have done much for the scene aside from reveal who he was speaking to. Which we weren't supposed to know in that moment.
This would have immediately killed the tension for the remainder of the movie.
Another example is this scene from SCARY MOVIE:
Had we seen the girls Cindy was speaking to on the phone, it wouldn't have added any comedy or tension to the scene.
The joke is that the masked killer is waiting on the other line -- which is why we DO cut back to him throughout the scene.
Consider things like this when determining if you need to intercut during a phone conversation.
Characters Speaking About the Same Thing, Separately
Another common use of intercutting is when characters in separate locations are speaking about the same thing.
What intercutting helps with in this context is showing how the characters are either thinking / feeling the exact same or completely opposite thing.
The most famous example is probably this scene from GREASE:
Now, this scene could have played out by first showing Sandy talking to her friends about Danny, then showing Danny talking to his friends about Sandy...
But the comedy would have been completely lost. Therefore, intercutting was necessary.
Actions Occurring Simultaneously, Separately
This is most common during the climax of a movie.
You'll typically see what the protagonist and antagonist are doing at the same time.
Most frequently, this will be done in action films, like MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: DEAD RECKONING
We could have just stayed with the antagonist until Tom Cruise came crashing through the window, but cutting to him as he's falling provides a sense of dramatic irony that otherwise could not be achieved.
Once we see him, we're immediately more on edge -- will he make it in time to prevent the key from being stolen?!
Intercutting in this case improves the tension of the scene, therefore, it's a great choice.
Alternatively, this technique can be used to make it appear like two things are happening simultaneously, when they're actually not.
But be careful when using this technique this way, and make sure you have a really strong reason for the misdirect.
Your audience is trusting you to guide them through the story, and you don't want to leave them feeling like they've been tricked for no reason.
Similar Actions / Circumstances, Different Times
This is more of a flashback / intercut combo, which sounds complicated but is used more frequently than you may think.
It's simply intercutting between a character in similar situations / contexts in the present and the past.
Intercutting is used here show how much (or how little) a character has changed over time, or to show them remembering something from the past that can help them (or the audience) in the present.
Take for example this scene from the ending of TITANIC, which kind of does both (although, technically, this isn't intercutting, it's more of a quick flash to the past, it still serves as a solid example):
if you're an easy cry like me, don't watch this clip all the way through. seeing Jack on the stairs DESTROYS ME every time. literally wiping tears away as i write this 🥲
Rose thinks back to when she first realized she had the necklace, and now after everything she went through, she's finally ready to let it (Jack) go.
She's both in a similar circumstance (standing near the ocean, necklace in hand), and recalling a memory that helps the audience contextualize the present.
Which again makes intercutting (or, in this case, a quick flash) a strong choice.
Thematically Similar (or Opposite) Scenes
Otherwise known as the Kuleshov Effect (can you tell i went to 5 different film schools? 😏), this is where seemingly unrelated scenes are cut together in a way that clearly expresses underlying themes.
Why don't we take it back to where it all began with this montage -- aka THE war flashback for all film school students:
Intercutting is used here to bring out a different emotional response from the audience.
Even though the man's expression is exactly the same each time we cut to him, our interpretation of his expression changes based on what's shown to us beforehand.
Another famous example of this technique is the baptism scene from THE GODFATHER:
Showing the baptism and the murders separately wouldn't have nearly the same emotional and thematic impact as seeing them play out side by side.
How to Format, Based on Context
If you've gone through all that and decided your intercutting is necessary (or, if you discovered you should include intercutting where you previously didn't think to), then CONGRATULATIONS!!!! 🎉
You are now ready.............. To format the scene 💅
The basics of formatting intercuts are:
Establish all locations / characters you'll be cutting between first
Make it easily understandable for the reader
The main and only reason you should use INTERCUT: in your script is if the scene would otherwise be clunky with all the cuts.
If the scene would be easier for the reader to comprehend by switching between scene headers, use that approach instead.
Phone Call Intercutting
This one really is just the basics.
Establish all locations and characters first, then use "INTERCUT: CHARACTER & CHARACTER" or "INTERCUT: LOCTION & LOCATION"
If it's a splitscreen, simply change "INTERCUT:" to "SPLITSCREEN:"
For example:
Once it's established where the characters are, you can intercut from there.
To indicate the intercutting is over, simply move to the next scene.
If you're staying with a character after the call ends, continue writing the action description / dialogue that takes place once the call is done.
For example, to continue the above scene with Alicia:
This formatting style can also apply to:
Characters Speaking About the Same Thing, Separately + Actions Occurring Simultaneously, Separately
For a shorter / less complex intercutting sequence, I'd lean towards this style:
For something a bit longer, or where more characters speak more frequently, I'd go for this style instead:
This way, there's no confusion as to who's in what location / who's speaking to who.
Look at how this scene would read without the scene headers to separate the locations:
While still readable in a shorter scene, if this were to continue much longer, it would become more difficult to follow on the page.
That's why, for something more complex than a phone call, you'll typically want to lean towards the style where each location is clearly labeled with a scene header.
Similar Actions / Circumstances, Different Times
Because this sort of intercutting is typically more complex, I'd again lean towards separate scene headers to indicate different timelines each time you cut between them.
However, if it's short and simple, you could get away with the phone call intercut style.
For example:
If these beats in both the past and present were to be a bit longer, I'd opt for changing the scene header each time the time period changes.
To indicate this when the location is the same, I'd format the scene headers like:
PAST: INT. MOVIE THEATRE - DAY
and
PRESENT: INT. MOVIE THEATRE - DAY
Since labelling it simply as "FLASHBACK:" could become confusing when cutting between the same location a few times.
The reader could easily lose track of what's past and present.
Thematically Similar (or Opposite) Scenes
Can be formatted either way depending on how long we're stating in each scene, and if there's a lot of dialogue.
If there's not much or no dialogue, a MONTAGE approach would be ideal.
Something like:
If the scenes are longer or more complex than this....
You know what I'm gonna say.
Use a separate scene header to indicate different scenes.
Can you believe that's everything you'd ever need to know about intercutting?!
I'm serious, it's that simple!
Intercutting is an incredibly versatile technique that can create tension, emphasize themes, or deepen character development.
Understanding when and how to use intercutting, and how to best format it, will elevate your screenplay!
Tune in next Wednesday for more tips and tricks you can implement into your own writing!
What do YOU want to learn next?
Let me know in the comments!
good examples
Great post! Why are things like shot shush and buzzes capitalized?