Screenplay format guide
How to Write Slow Motion in a Screenplay
To write slow motion in a screenplay, put IN SLOW MOTION in capitals at the start of the moment, either as its own line or inside the action line, then describe what we see in short, vivid beats. End it with BACK TO NORMAL SPEED or a new scene heading, so the reader knows when time snaps back.
Written and reviewed by ScriptLix Editorial
EXT. SCHOOL TRACK - DAY
The last fifty meters. Keisha and the leader run shoulder to shoulder.
IN SLOW MOTION:
Sweat flies from Keisha's chin. Her foot hits the track and the cinders lift. The leader's elbow drifts into her lane. Keisha sees it coming.
BACK TO NORMAL SPEED:
They collide. Both go down hard, skidding across the line.
The crowd goes silent.
Write your own
Type in plain text. A name in caps right above a line becomes dialogue, and lines starting INT. or EXT. become scene headings.
EXT. SCHOOL TRACK - DAY
The last fifty meters. Keisha and the leader run shoulder to shoulder.
IN SLOW MOTION:
Sweat flies from Keisha's chin. Her foot hits the track and the cinders lift. The leader's elbow drifts into her lane. Keisha sees it coming.
BACK TO NORMAL SPEED:
They collide. Both go down hard, skidding across the line.
The crowd goes silent.
How to use it
- 1
Flag the start with IN SLOW MOTION in capitals, on its own line or opening the action line.
- 2
Describe the stretched moment in small, sharp details the eye would catch.
- 3
Close with BACK TO NORMAL SPEED, or let a new scene heading end it.
Is it OK to write slow motion in a spec script?
Yes, when time slowing down is part of the story: the instant before a crash, the moment a character realises something, a beat of awe. It tells the reader how the moment should feel, which is your job. Using it for every action beat is directing, and readers notice.
How do you format slow motion?
The common ways are IN SLOW MOTION: on its own line, SLOW MOTION as a capitalised phrase starting the action line, or a parenthetical shot note such as (SLOW MOTION) at the end of a heading. Capitals matter because they make the change easy to see when someone skims the page.
Write the stretched moment as you would want it to play: smaller details than usual, each a short sentence. Then mark the return with BACK TO NORMAL SPEED: or REGULAR SPEED. If the slow motion ends with the scene, the next scene heading is enough.
How do I write slow motion without saying slow motion?
You can slow the read itself. Break the moment into very short lines, one image each, and let white space do the work. A reader will feel time stretch even without the label. Many writers combine both: the label once, then the short lines.
More from the format guide
- How to Write a Montage in a Screenplay
- How to Write a Flashback in a Screenplay
- How to Write a Phone Call in a Screenplay
- How to Write Text Messages in a Screenplay
- Dual Dialogue in a Screenplay
- Voice Over in a Screenplay: V.O. Narration
- Screenplay Transitions: CUT TO, DISSOLVE TO
- How to Introduce a Character in a Screenplay
- How to Use Parentheticals in a Screenplay
- How to Write an Intercut in a Screenplay
- How to Write a Title Card in a Screenplay
- How to Write a Series of Shots in a Screenplay
- How to Write a Flash Forward in a Screenplay
- How to Write a Dream Sequence in a Screenplay
- Smash Cut: What It Is and How to Write One
- O.S. in a Screenplay: Meaning and Format
- How to Write a Pre Lap in a Screenplay
- Subtitles in a Screenplay: Foreign Dialogue
- How to Write a Split Screen in a Screenplay
- How to Write a Freeze Frame in a Screenplay
- How to Write Song Lyrics in a Screenplay
Questions writers ask
How do you write slow motion in a screenplay?
Write IN SLOW MOTION in capitals at the start of the moment, describe it in short beats, then end with BACK TO NORMAL SPEED or a new scene heading.
Is SLOW MOTION a transition?
No. It is a note inside the scene, written at the left margin with the action, not flush right like CUT TO:.
Do I have to write BACK TO NORMAL SPEED?
Only if the scene carries on after the slow motion. If the scene ends there, the next scene heading tells the reader time is back to normal.
Is SLO MO acceptable?
Readers will understand it, but SLOW MOTION spelled out is the safer choice in a spec.