Questions and confusion surrounding the correct form of screenplay sluglines have always been in the air, so I thought I’d share a few examples, good and bad, from actual screenplays I covered as a story analyst and a few that you’ve seen on the big screen.

Let’s jump right in with a basic slugline …

EXT. STREET – DAY

The first thing you should notice about this slugline is that it’s written in all caps. This is one of the only places in a screenplay where I feel all caps are necessary — but that’s just me.

The second thing you should notice about the slug is that it has three parts: EXT, STREET, and DAY. While it’s common to consider a slug in three parts, you need to realize that a slug is made of only two parts to understand it fully.

Let’s break it down.

1. EXT. — This part of the slug represents whether or not the location is inside or outside. In a screenplay inside and outside are written as either “INT.” OR “EXT,” which stand for “Interior” and “Extra-Terrestrial” — Oh! I mean “Exterior.”

2. STREET – This is the actual location of the setting. Whether your story takes place in the Sahara Desert, Los Angeles, or in the Raptor Reef 20,000 leagues under the sea, you need to use this portion of the slug to let your reader know. A quick tip — the best locations, in my opinion, are vivid, specific, relevant to the story, and help bring out character. For example, can you image what the first sword fight between Jack and Will in Pirates of the Caribbean might have been like if it took place on the sidewalk instead of in Mr. Brown’s Blacksmith shop.

3. DAY – “What times is it?” I asked the passing screenwriter. “Day.”

While this exchange might seem strange at first, it’s the exact answer the reader is looking for … while reading a script that is. This portion of the slug is designed to reveal the time of day. Whether it’s evening, night, twilight, morning, dawn, sunset, or other general description of times we experience throughout the day, it belongs right here.

It’s generally accepted to keep the time of day broad, but don’t let this keep you from writing the exact time down to the minute just so long as the detail is relevant to your story.

So, in essence, now you know how a three-part slugline is really only two parts.

The following sluglines are from real screenplays I covered as a reader for various companies around Los Angeles.

EXT. EAST AUSTIN STREET — DAY

This example pretty much follows the standard slugline we talked about above, however, you’ll notice there are two hyphens between the location and time, suggesting a dash — this is simply the screenwriter’s style. Perfectly acceptable.

INT. CONCORD CARGO HOLD – NIGHT

Notice the hyphen.

EXT. SPACE

This is something I’ve come across a few times … though, only this version captures the true timeless nature of space. Compare it to …

EXT. SPACE – NIGHT

Um … So what you’re suggesting is that our characters happen to be in the shadow of a planet? Consider leaving out the time limitation and exploring the creative possibilities you might encounter should your characters pass behind a planet momentarily. How dark would it get? How bright? If you haven’t seen J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek yet, definitely check it out for ideas on how to describe sudden glints of pure starlight.

EXT. NARROW STREET, THE GHETTO, ROME. MORNING.

Here’s a slugline from The Talented Mr. Ripley. As this example proves, there are no rules when it comes to sluglines. Again, it’s all about style. This particular slugline lets the reader know where they are immediately thereby doing its job.

Notice how the slugline reveals the location — by revealing the more specific location description first, being the narrow street in the ghetto of Rome, the reader is able to build a picture in the mind’s eye starting with specific detail.

EXT. MOUNTAINS – HEAVILY WOODED AREA — NIGHT

Again, notice the style shining through the slugline with the use of both a hyphen and a dash. Another point to consider here is that the writer chooses to be more specific about the location. As a story that takes place in the mountains, the writer was talented enough to help the reader visualize the difference between the locations in the scenes.

This technique is pretty common, even for the stories that take place is wildly diverse settings. To put it to work for your screenplay, consider articulating your sluglines and scenes so that you start broad and grow more specific with each change of location within the general area … savvy? See the example below …

EXT.  DESERT – DAY – 1875

A masked man slowly rides his tired horse through a violent sandstorm. A thick cloud of sand clears just enough to see an abandoned hotel in the distance.

He turns and signals the others with a single wave and whistle.

EXT. DESERT – ABANDONED STREET – MOMENTS LATER

The man continues down the deserted street, searching for the town’s people … no sign. He turns again to reveal an entire brigade of men, women, and children following his lead. He simply shakes his head.

EXT. DESERT – WATER WELL – LATER

The brigade rushes to a water well. They pull the rope frantically. The crowd cheering with relief!

But the bucket surfaces with nothing but sand. One of the men takes a handful of sand and squeezes it. The sand spills from the center of his fist, turning red with his own blood as he looks at the masked man,

MAN
Time’s up.

Anyway, back to the article, notice how the three scenes above gradually become more specific. I just presented the reader with a large location, the desert, a smaller location within the desert, the abandoned street, and an even smaller location on that abandoned street. This lets the reader build the world as they read. If I were to introduce the water well first, the reader would most likely have a harder time seeing where it was all taking place.

One last type of slugline a lot of screenwriters debate, chat, and fight about is the minimal slugline — something I call the slug for obvious size difference reasons.

The slug can be used when you’re moving from location to location, usually on the smaller, more specific side, and don’t want to interrupt the momentum of the scene. Check it out …

INT. CHAD’S APARTMENT – NOON

A tempered young woman named ANNABELLE VILLA storms into the messy bachelor pad. With no sign of anyone, she kicks beer bottles from her way and bursts into the

KITCHEN

A small donkey passes Annabelle. She slows to a stroll in utter disbelief. CHAD CASE, the leader of the mayhem, greets Annabelle wearing a stained toga made of toilet paper.

You can imagine a scene like the one above playing out without interruption right? Now compare it with the bulky version below:

INT. CHAD’S APARTMENT – NOON

A tempered young woman named ANNABELLE VILLA storms into the messy bachelor pad. With no sign of anyone, she kicks beer bottles from her way and storms off.

INT. CHAD’S APARTMENT – KITCHEN – NOON

She enters the kitchen, where a small donkey passes Annabelle. She slows to a stroll in utter disbelief. CHAD CASE, the leader of the mayhem, greets Annabelle wearing a stained toga made of toilet paper.

Using slugs, or sluglines cut down to the bare essential, the location, enables the screenwriter to create a non-stop scene full of momentum even though it might take place in dozens of locations — especially when writing comedy.

The important thing to notice here is that while each slugline is different, they’re all correct. When it comes to sluglines, it doesn’t matter how you do it just so long as you deliver what the reader needs to know to make sense of the scene. I’ve written about the only rule in screenwriting before, The Rule of Page One, but … this isn’t it. Turns out sluglines, a major part of screenplay formatting has turned out to be just a matter of style! Don’t let anyone tell you different.

What type of slugline do you prefer?

Help make this article even better by providing your opinion, style, or samples.