When To Use Transitions In Screenwriting

Screenplay transitions will guide the director, film crew and editor on your cinematic vision.

Written by

Amii Freeman

Published on

BlogScreenwriting

For many aspiring screenwriters, transitions can seem like an afterthought. Just a few quick words slapped on the page between scenes. But transitions are so much more than that. When used thoughtfully and sparingly, the right transitions can elevate your script from good to great.

Transitions serve a crucial purpose in screenwriting. They are your opportunity to control the passage of time and location for the reader. Without transitions, the action will seem abrupt and disorienting. With the perfect transitions, you guide the reader seamlessly through your story. Whilst parentheticals in screenwriting will guide the actors, your screenplay transitions will guide the director, film crew and editor on your cinematic vision. Let’s cover when to use transitions in screenwriting and how to format them.

What are screenplay transitions?

Transitions are used in screenwriting to indicate a scene change and describe visual cues. You may use them for different locations, a pass in time or to change to the next shot. The ideal transitions enhance the story without calling attention to themselves. They guide the director, crew, editors and actors through the story and give them the scaffolding to make your visual story.

Why Do We Need Transitions In A Script?

The primary purpose of transitions is to establish critical context changes between scenes. That context provides clues about when and where the next scene occurs, giving the reader a smooth, linear narrative flow. Transitions indicate changes in time and location or camera perspective and allow writers to move the story forward or backward in the timeline easily.

Great transitions also act as visual cues that match the relationship between scenes. A harsh smash cut can have a jarring effect to convey shock or violence. A serene fade to black from one scene to the next may signal a sombre or contemplative tone. When transitions mirror the scene content, they enhance the overall tone and emotive impact.

In the end, elegant, intentional transitions separate professional, polished scripts from disjointed amateur drafts. They bind everything together into an immersive reading experience. To practice, collaborate with someone looking to start making short films and test if your screenplay transitions have the desired outcome you were hoping for.

12 Types of Transitions and when to use them

Oceans 11 Cut To Screenplay Transition

Cut to

Cut to is the most common transition as it briefly tells the reader, film crew and editor that it is time for the next scene. It can be an abrupt transition to move the story to a new scene in the same timeframe.

Use cut-tos to link two immediately related scenes together. They can be used liberally to jump between connected actions and locations without disorienting the reader.

Fade in

Fade in is a gradual transition to the start of a new scene, indicating a passage of time. Use fade-in at the opening of key scenes to orient the reader to where and when the next sequence is occurring. Fade in establishes a new setting, mood, or timeframe in a seamless transition.

Fade out

Slowly transition out of a completed scene over some time with fade out. Use this transition to provide closure to pivotal scenes and create separation before moving to the next moment. Fade out gives a scenic sequence a distinct beginning and ending, allowing the reader to process important narrative beats.

Dissolve to

Dissolve to seamlessly blends one scene into the next, indicating the passage of a significant amount of time. Use dissolve when you want to gradually progress the story over days, weeks, or longer between scenes. The dissolving visual provides a smooth, continuous flow between two disconnected scenes, allowing major ellipses in time to feel natural.

In Toy Story 2, many scene transitions are used to show the passage of time over Jessie and her owner’s life together. The dissolve adds a nostalgic tone and smoothly takes the audience through multiple timeframes.

Jump cut

A jump cut abruptly moves the narrative forward with no continuity between scenes. Use jump cuts to create a jarring, disorienting shift for the reader. Jump cuts can convey a character’s fractured psychology or an intense, surreal tone. When used judiciously, Jump cuts provide an intense, stylised transition between two scenes.

The jump cut is cleverly used in The Shining to create a chilling scene with the Grady twins. In the example below, one shot shows them alive saying “Come and play with us” and then the jump cut shows one image of them dead. The cinematic experience is terrifying.

Freeze Frame

A freeze frame captures and extends a single moment in time for dramatic effect. Use freeze frame to highlight an impactful story beat, emphasise a character’s emotional state, or create a cliffhanger. Freeze-frame transitions build tension, allow the audience to linger and draw intense focus to its significance. Freeze-frame screenplay transitions can centre the reader on critical revelations in the script.

The Wolf of Wall Street is a great example of the freeze-frame transition used for dramatic effect. Jordan Belfort throws a kid in the office and as this one shot freezes and voiceover starts with “My name is Jordan Belfort”. You instantly get an impression of the type of character he is.

Flashback:

Flashback abruptly shifts the story to a previous time, interrupting the present narrative. Use flashbacks to reveal backstory, provide character context, or build mystery. As a well-placed transition, flashbacks allow writers to incorporate exposition seamlessly into scenes, rather than in static narration. They can deepen the plot and relationships and adjust the tone of the final film.

Avoid overusing flashbacks, as they can fracture chronology and distract from the central conflict. Flashbacks should enhance, not obstruct, the narrative flow.

In the movie Old Boy, the two shots brought together with a flashback transition is incredibly clever. We see Lee Woo-Jin holding the arm of one character and then the next shot is him as a child, again holding the arm of another person in a different location.

Time cut

Time cut conveys a major transition in time between one scene and its previous scene without a disruptive visual effect. Use time cut when you want to progress the narrative days, weeks, months or years ahead seamlessly. Time cuts allow writers to move the story forward or backward fluidly without jarring the reader. Time cuts are a subtle but clear indicator that time has shifted between scenes. Unlike dissolve tos, time cuts omit transitional visuals, keeping the time shift seamless yet distinct.

Smash cut

Smash cut instantly transitions between two scenes with a visceral, abrupt visual and auditory impact to highlight the difference between the two. Use a Smash cut when you want to shock the audience with an intense blow, conveying violence, surprise or fear. The jarring nature of the Smash cut adds dramatic emphasis to significant story moments. They can also be used to highlight a comedic moment and juxtapose two conflicting scenes together.

In this Friends scene, Rachel is scene celebrating that she has quit her job and will never have to make another cup of coffee again. The smash cut instantly shows the next scene in which she is making coffee at her new job.

Match cut

Match cut seamlessly joins two scenes together visually or thematically. This transition directly matches an object, action, sound or tone across consecutive scenes. Use match cuts when you want to emphasise the relationship between scenes with a fluid camera technique. Match cut maintains continuity amid changes in time and place. It links narrative elements, smoothing scene transitions logically and stylishly. Match cuts heighten flow and alignment from beat to beat.

One of the most common transitions example for a match cut is 2001: A Space Odyssey in which a bone is match cut with a satellite:

Iris in and iris out

An iris transition gives the camera directions to focus in or out from a small circular shape, resembling a camera iris. Use iris in to gradually reveal a new scene, emphasising the significance of the location and action. Use iris out to zoom out of one scene to the next. Iris In draws intrigue while iris out provides closure. These creative transitions add dramatic flair and visual interest, guiding the reader’s eye to critical story elements.

Wipe To

A wipe transition is a sweeping effect across the frame in various directions. Use wipe to inject visual energy and dynamism between scenes, often to transition between locations or indicate a passage of time. Wipe tos suggest motion, change and action. Choose left/right wipes for characters exiting/entering, vertical wipes for scene changes, and clock wipes to show time progression.

Star Wars used a lot of wipe cuts to move from one scene to another:

How to format and write transitions

When to use transitions in screenwriting

Choosing when to use transitions in screenwriting is an advanced skill to master and one to highlight in your screenplay portfolio. However, writing transitions are incredibly easy to format once you know the rules:

  1. Script transitions are always aligned to the right margin. Unlike scene headings and descriptions which are always aligned to the left margin.
  2. They appear on their own line between scene headings.
  3. Scene transitions should be written in all capital letters
  4. They should be followed by TO, such as: CUT TO: DISSOLVE TO:
  5. Write transitions in the present tense: CUT TO: NOT CUTS TO:
  6. Insert time-related transitions like LATER that day when needed to orient the reader.
  7. Use single transitional phrases. Avoid flowery transitions like “The scene softly fades away into nothingness…”

Rules to remember for screenplay transitions

When writing a screenplay, think of transitions as tools to enhance the storytelling rather than flashy camera techniques. The core purpose is guiding the reader scene to scene, not showing off directing skills you don’t yet have.

  • Avoid too many transitions. Keep in mind that industry readers want a clean, engaging script that focuses on character and plot. Overdoing transitions feels gimmicky and amateurish. Use simple CUT TOs whenever possible to keep the flow smooth.
  • Have a purpose. Approach transitions as deliberate dramatic choices rather than obligatory scene links. Ask yourself: What emotion do I want the audience to feel between these scenes? How much time needs to pass? Then choose the transition that enhances that purpose.
  • Use consistently. Set up the overall style early so readers know what to expect. Spotlight key moments with distinctive transitions like DISSOLVES but don’t force them upon every scene change.

With practice, transitions become an intuitive way to control pacing and POV. But when starting, keep it simple. Focus on storytelling power over directorial flair. How much the director participates in screenwriting will depend on the production, but the final cuts should be down to them. Tell a compelling story first, then refine the transitions in rewrites and edits.

Frequently asked questions

How do transitions affect the pacing of a screenplay

Transitions directly control the pace and rhythm of a screenplay. Quick CUT TOs pick up the speed, while DISSOLVES and FADES slow it down. FAST PACED scripts utilise more CUTS, keeping scenes brief. SLOWER stories incorporate more gradual transitions between long scenes. Removing transitions completely creates DISJOINTED, JARRING jumps. Skilful transition use modulates pace, guiding the reader from scene to scene at the right tempo to create a dramatic impact.

Can screenwriting software help with transitions?

Yes, screenwriting software can assist with transitions. Programs like Final Draft and WriterDuet provide drop-down menus to quickly insert properly formatted transitions with a click. Software can also analyse scripts and highlight overused transitions. Some programs even suggest alternate transitions to vary pacing and style. While transitions require creative thought, screenwriting software offers useful tools to implement transitions seamlessly and reinforce proper formatting. The right software helps writers work transition seamlessly into their visual storytelling.