Intercut or not?

Question

I've got a three scenes where the heroine talks to her friend on the phone. I'm not sure when it's best to use an Intercut and when it's not.
I'm guessing it might depend on the length of the conversation, or whether there is needed information to show from the "other end."

So far I've used no intercuts and there is nothing that needs to "shown" from the other end, but the last one-sided conversation seems unwieldy (a bit longer than the others). I should also mention that, by the time of this scene, we've been introduced to the friend and have seen her in her office.
Should intercuts ever be used in spec scripts, or does this border on too much directing?
Thanks.

RonB
"There's a story there...somewhere"

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]I've got a three scenes where the heroine talks to her friend on the phone. I'm not sure when it's best to use an Intercut and when it's not.[/nq]
What kinds of phones?
Oranse

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]I've got a three scenes where the heroine talks to ... it's best to use an Intercut and when it's not.[/nq]
[nq:1]What kinds of phones?[/nq]
The first call originates from a cell phone a blue Nokia 3585i, using Sprint PCS service. The phone in the office, where the calls terminate, is an ash colored Norstar M7310, hooked up to Norstar Compact ICS Key System, upgraded to release 4.1 software, with DS (disconnect supervision) trunk cartridges. Subsequent calls originate from a 50s era Western Electric, Model 233 (three slot) pay phone. (I'm waffling between the black and the chrome models.)

RonB
"There's a story there...somewhere"

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I've got a three scenes where the heroine talks to her friend on the phone. I'm not sure when it's ... in her office. Should intercuts ever be used in spec scripts, or does this border on too much directing? Thanks.[/nq]
Use the **** intercut if you want to. That's what it's there for. Now, no more delays finish it!

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Use the **** intercut if you want to. That's what it's there for. Now, no more delays finish it![/nq]
Oh, no... no... no... A script needs time to simmer, so the juices come to top. This is not the sort of thing that can be completed by *****- nilly running about. One must respect the process. I'll be respecting this process for a good... long... time.

RonB
"There's a story there...somewhere"

Usenet · Answer

(snip)
[nq:1]Should intercuts ever be used in spec scripts, or does this border on too much directing?[/nq]
I subscribe to the less-is-more philosophy in matters like this.

Cinematically, a phone conversation is simply two talking heads. If I can get them into the same room and avoid the phone altogether, I'll do it. It's too easy to turn a phone conversation into an information dump. Your character is on the phone and has to describe stuff, might as well throw in a few plot points. Bad idea.
Some phone conversations are unavoidable, though. It should be clear to you why a director would want to intercut. Where are the parties when they're talking? How do those locations push the story ahead? If we hear only one side of the conversation can we make out the gist of the other side without stuff like, "What?! You say you're at Purple Kitten? And there's been a shooting? And they've arrested Horksel Monclipitus?"

Joe Myers
"And whatever you do, don't
let them say 'good-bye.'"

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Should intercuts ever be used in spec scripts, or does this border on too much directing?[/nq]
[nq:1]I subscribe to the less-is-more philosophy in matters like this. Cinematically, a phone conversation is simply two talking heads. If ... there's been a shooting? And they've arrested Horksel Monclipitus?" Joe Myers "And whatever you do, don't let them say 'good-bye.'"[/nq]
Good advice. I've filed it away. Thanks.

RonB
"There's a story there...somewhere"

Usenet · Answer

Agree with the previous advice, although in visual terms I'd slant any conversation to one POV. Which character is leading or controlling the scene? Whose reactions is it most important to see? What does being on the telephone and not face to face mean for these characters? (is it a metaphor of any kind?) If it's just a plot mechanism, then I'd advise dumping it and cut to the scene when they meet and have one say "Hi! I got your call!"

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Agree with the previous advice, although in visual terms I'd slant any conversation to one POV. Which character is leading ... advise dumping it and cut to the scene when they meet and have one say "Hi! I got your call!"[/nq]
I'll have to rethink these conversations. The problem is, all this story, except for two scenes, takes place in a small town. These calls to "home" are kind of necessary (the way the script is written now) because that's how the heroine finds out a few important facts. And they're "natural" in that they are "business" calls. I don't want the intercuts at all, but I don't think I can get rid of all four phone conversations either. Maybe one or two can go though. I should mention that these are very short calls but that probably doesn't change your points.
Thanks for writing.

RonB
"There's a story there...somewhere(92)"

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I've got a three scenes where the heroine talks to her friend on the phone. I'm not sure when it's ... be used in spec scripts, or does this border on too much directing? Thanks. RonB "There's a story there...somewhere"[/nq]
What I generally do unless there's some very specific reason not to show one end of the conversation is that you start in the location where the call commences, then have a new slug line to indicate where the call picks up, and just do something like this:

INT., DAY, BOB'S KITCHEN (CUT BACK AND FORTH AS NEEDED)

Bob picks up the phone.
That way, you avoid a lot of slug lines specifying where you are. You avoid a lot of parentheticals and (O.S.)'s which you sometimes use, when you imagine that somebody is off screen, and then don't use when you imagine that they're on screen.
Basically, just write the dialogue don't use any more slug lines than the two establishing the initial locations and obviously, when some text describes what one or the other individual is doing - that means that you should showing that particular side of the conversation.

I mean let's face it, when the time comes to shoot it, they're not going to break it up and shoot this little piece, then that little piece, then the next little piece, as if it were fourteen separate scenes they're going to shoot the entire phone conversation at one location, then the entire phone conversation at the other location and then they'll decide, ultimately, where the cuts go in the editing room.
So, in a way, having two slug lines is, in a production sense, closest to reality because it really is just two scenes - scene one a guy at one location talking on a phone scene two, the guy at the other location talking on a phone. Everything else is an editorial decision.

NMS

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]What I generally do unless there's some very specific reason not to show one end of the conversation is ... one or the other individual is doing - that means that you should showing that particular side of the conversation.[/nq]
Thanks. A simple and clean way to handle intercuts in a spec script. For short telephone conversations, is it preferable to show just one side of the exchange? Or does this too often degenerate into idiot dialogue?

RonB
"There's a story there...somewhere"

Intercut or not?

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