Screenplay Transitions — CUT TO:, FADE OUT., and When to Use Them

Transitions are the capitalized cues that tell the reader how one scene moves to the next — CUT TO:, FADE OUT., DISSOLVE TO:, MATCH CUT TO:. They sit on their own line, right-aligned, at the end of a scene. In a spec script, the golden rule is: use as few as possible.

Where Transitions Go

INT. COFFEE SHOP — DAY

Mara watches the door. It opens.

                                        CUT TO:

EXT. PARKING LOT — DAY

• ALL CAPS, on their own line
• Right-aligned (or indented to ~6.0" — see margins)
• End with a colon (CUT TO:) — except FADE IN: at the start and FADE OUT. / THE END at the finish

The Standard Transitions

FADE IN: / FADE OUT.

The opening and closing cues of the whole script:

FADE IN:

INT. NEWSROOM — NIGHT
...

                                        FADE OUT.

THE END

FADE OUT. is the only transition you should be sure to use — once, at the end. FADE IN: at the top is optional but traditional.

CUT TO:

Once the default scene transition, now usually implied. In modern specs, a new slugline already means "cut." Use CUT TO: only when the cut itself is a beat — a smash match, a punchline landing, a hard turn in time.

SMASH CUT TO:

An abrupt, jarring cut — from the alarm clock to the explosion, from the screaming match to dead silence. Overused in amateur scripts; earn it.

DISSOLVE TO:

Time passing, memory, or a dreamlike drift between scenes:

                                        DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. FARMHOUSE — DAY (YEARS LATER)

MATCH CUT TO:

A visual rhyme between two shots — the bleeding coffee cup to the red dashboard light. A screenwriter's flex: use when the matched image is genuinely on the page in both scenes.

INTERCUT WITH / INTERCUT

Not a scene transition but a scene-linking device for phone calls and parallel action — see the full page.

BACK TO / RETURN TO SCENE

Follows a flashback or secondary slugline to re-enter the main scene.

Transitions You Should Not Write

• Camera directions — PAN TO:, DOLLY IN:, ZOOM ON: belong to the director, not a spec script
• Invented transitions — DRAMATIC CUT TO:, QUICK CUT TO: — if the surrounding writing works, the reader feels the speed already
• A transition after every scene — nothing flattens pacing faster; the slugline does the job

The Modern Default

Most working spec scripts contain exactly three types of transition:

1. FADE IN: — once, at the start
2. CUT TO: (or a variant) — a handful of times, for effect
3. FADE OUT. — once, at the end

Everything else is scene heading followed by action. The story's rhythm comes from scene lengths and juxtaposition, not from transition words.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are transitions right-aligned or left-aligned?

Right-aligned by convention (or indented to ~6" from the page edge). Fountain marks them with a leading > — see Fountain syntax.

Do I have to write CUT TO: between scenes?

No. In contemporary spec format the new scene heading implies the cut. Use CUT TO: only when the cut is a dramatic beat.

What's the difference between CUT TO: and DISSOLVE TO:?

A cut is instant — the default. A dissolve bleeds one image into the next and signals elapsed time, memory, or a shift in world.

Is FADE OUT required at the end?

Not strictly, but it's the clean professional close. Pair it with THE END or CUT TO BLACK. if you like.

Related Pages

• What Is a Slugline? — what starts every scene
• Scene Transitions — the craft of moving between scenes
• Formatting Phone Calls — INTERCUT in action