Also known as CUT TO · DISSOLVE TO
An editing instruction between scenes — CUT TO:, DISSOLVE TO:, SMASH CUT TO:. Modern specs use them rarely; most cuts are assumed.
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Transition
CUT TO:
Transitions earn their keep when the cut itself is a joke, a shock, or a thematic match. Decorating every scene end with CUT TO: adds noise and dates the draft. A new scene heading already implies a cut; explicit transitions should feel like storytelling choices, not paperwork stamped on every exit.
Smash cuts and match dissolves are tools with specific jobs. A smash cut sells abrupt contrast; a dissolve often signals time, memory, or a soft join. Choosing the wrong label -- or stacking three transitions in a row -- reads like directing from fear that the reader will not feel the edit.
In modern specs, restraint signals confidence. Save FADE IN / FADE OUT for openings and closings when you want them, and skip decorative wipes unless the form is part of the genre joke. Production can always add transitions later; readers cannot unsee a draft that shouts CUT TO: forty times.
No. A new scene heading already implies a cut. Add an explicit transition only when the edit is part of the storytelling -- a joke, a jolt, or a purposeful match.
A deliberately abrupt join -- often for comic or visceral contrast, like a whispered secret SMASH CUT TO a stadium roar. Use it when the jolt itself is the point of the join.
Sparingly. Dissolves suggest time, memory, or a soft associative link. Overusing them softens tension and can make a contemporary spec feel dated or overly directed.
Conventionally right-aligned above the next scene heading (or at scene end). Keep the wording short and standard so readers recognize the edit instruction instantly.
