Script Speak

Creator Speak that has to do specifically with TV scripts, script-writing, and production. Compare and contrast Fan Speak and Creativity Leash.

Script Speak:

See also:

Fade In - Dissolve from black
Fade Out - Dissolve to black
Fade to Black (see also Smash to Black) - Slow dissolve to black
Fade to White - Slow dissolve to white instead of black
Flyaway Shot - Slow zoom out
Harpo Does Something Funny - Space in the script for performers to improvise.
Hat-and-Coat Shot - Closing shot of the movie
An Insert - Close-up shot of a specific object
Internal Reveal - Something known to the audience is now known by a character
Iris Out - Black edges move inward toward the center of the screen
Landing Gear Shot - Quick airplane landing shot
Mandatory Line - Strange or quirky piece of dialog probably added for contractual reasons
Market-Based Title - Title of a work in a foreign language is changed for marketing reasons
On the Next - Montage to encourage watching the next episode

Previously On - Montage showing scenes from one or more previous episodes
Script Life Cycle - How a script is created
Show Parts - The structure of a TV program
Smash Cut - Abrupt change in the middle of a scene
Smash to Black - Immediate cut to black, typically at a commercial break
Surprise Car Crash - Fast abrupt ending involving a vehicle crash
The Tag - Short mini-act near end of the show
The Teaser - Short cold opening used at the beginning to establish a show
Three-Act Structure - Constructing a program to be set up and finished in three acts
Title In - Indication that words describing something related to the scene are to appear
Where When Who - The three primary components of scene setting