Also known as CONT.
A time-of-day marker on a scene heading meaning the action picks up immediately from the prior scene, with no time jump. Often abbreviated CONT. in production drafts.
On the page
Continuous
EXT. STREET — CONTINUOUS
CONTINUOUS tells readers and the breakdown that we have not skipped ahead -- the next slugline is the same unbroken stretch of story time, often just across a doorway or cut. It is a time cue, not a camera move. Use it when the prior scene's clock is still running and a fresh DAY or NIGHT would falsely imply a jump.
Common patterns put CONTINUOUS (or CONT.) in the time slot of the scene heading after INT./EXT. and location. Pairing it with a location change is normal: INT. to EXT. can still be continuous if the character walks straight out. Do not stack CONTINUOUS on every cut; save it for true immediate follow-through.
Production cares because continuous scenes may share a shooting unit, lighting plan, or costume continuity even when locations differ on the page. Specs can use the word sparingly for clarity. If time has quietly passed -- a walk that took ten minutes offscreen -- prefer a clearer time label over a misleading CONTINUOUS.
In the time-of-day position, after the location -- for example EXT. ALLEY - CONTINUOUS. It replaces DAY, NIGHT, or LATER when the action is unbroken.
Yes. CONT. is the common production abbreviation. Either form signals immediate follow-through from the previous scene's clock.
Yes. Location can change while time stays continuous -- a character exits a building into the street without a time jump.
When some time has passed offscreen. CONTINUOUS means no jump; LATER (or a specific time) is honest when the story skipped ahead.
