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Formatting an interview montage

June 27, 2011 Formatting, QandA, Words on the page

questionmarkI’m writing a scene where my character is going on a series of interviews, but instead of writing out each individual interview, I want to do a montage of sorts, where different questions come from different interviewers.

The problem is I don’t know how to format it. Do I clearly mark it as a montage and just give each interviewer a different name, or do I have to go through and put each interview question under a different slug line?

— Trent
Iowa

answer iconYour instinct is correct. This is a classic montage, and is simple to do on the page. If you’re staying in one location — or a series of similar locations — you don’t need individual sluglines.

INT. CONFERENCE ROOM / A IS A INDUSTRIES – DAY [EARLIER]

MONTAGE: Randy meets with a series of INTERVIEWERS, beginning with WALTHAM GROEPNIK (50).

GROEPNIK

Consider an anthill.

RANDY

Okay.

GROEPNIK

Is it rational for the ants to work only for the benefit of the collective? Can an ant even be considered rational?

A beat. Randy blinks. Concentrates.

RANDY

What color are the ants?

CUT TO:

VIVIAN LAKELAND (25) is darkly seductive, but icy.

LAKELAND

What is your greatest weakness?

RANDY

I guess I’m late sometimes. I oversleep.

LAKELAND

Why would you admit to weakness?

CUT TO:

TREVOR KNIGHT (30) was probably a high school football star until he left the field mid-game, never to return.

KNIGHT

Would you say you’re a team player?

RANDY

Sure.

Knight makes a note on his form.

RANDY

Wait, no. No.

But Knight keeps writing.

RANDY

Yes?

QUICK CUTS:

GROEPNIK

If knowledge is the awareness of reality, how could you be aware of something unreal?

LAKELAND

(lighting cigarette)

Why do you bore me?

KNIGHT

What is the largest criminal organization in the world?

Randy thinks for a long moment.

RANDY

The Girl Scouts?

Knight smiles. Nods.

For production, the AD would likely break these out as a series of scenes (e.g. A24, B24, C24) on the board, but it can stay the same on the page.

If your character is going out for a series of interviews in different locations — Company A, Company B and Company C — you’re generally better off using sluglines the first time each of these is introduced. Once you’ve set up all of them, use INTERCUT (just once) to signal the reader that you’ll be cutting back and forth.

Related Posts

  1. Formatting a montage sequence
  2. Macworld review of Montage
  3. Various locations

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