Screenplay format guide
Smash Cut: What It Is and How to Write One
A smash cut is a sudden, jarring cut from one scene to another, usually from quiet to loud or calm to chaos, used for shock or comedy. In a screenplay, write SMASH CUT TO: in capitals, flush right, on its own line between the two scenes. Use it rarely so the jolt still lands.
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INT. NURSERY - NIGHT
Dana lowers the sleeping baby into the crib. Holds her breath. Not a sound.
She tiptoes to the door and eases it shut.
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. NIGHTCLUB - CONTINUOUS
Bass like a punch to the chest. Dana's sister JULES (30s) screams into a phone over the music.
JULES
She's asleep? Then get down here!
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.
INT. NURSERY - NIGHT
Dana lowers the sleeping baby into the crib. Holds her breath. Not a sound.
She tiptoes to the door and eases it shut.
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. NIGHTCLUB - CONTINUOUS
Bass like a punch to the chest. Dana's sister JULES (30s) screams into a phone over the music.
JULES
She's asleep? Then get down here!
How to use it
- 1
Build the outgoing moment so the cut has something to break: silence, calm, a promise.
- 2
Write SMASH CUT TO: in capitals on its own line after the last action line of that scene.
- 3
Open the next scene with a full scene heading and a first line that hits hard.
Smash cut or something else?
| Write | When the cut |
|---|---|
| CUT TO: | Is ordinary. Usually left out, since a new heading implies it |
| SMASH CUT TO: | Should feel like a slap: sudden contrast in sound or mood |
| MATCH CUT TO: | Links two images that look alike |
| Nothing at all | Can carry the contrast by itself through the action lines |
What is a smash cut?
A smash cut is an abrupt cut where the contrast between the two shots is the point. A character swears they will never go skydiving, and the next shot is them screaming at ten thousand feet. A tense whisper, then a roaring stadium. The audience feels the cut, which is what separates it from an ordinary one.
It works for comedy, where it punctures a claim, and for horror and thrillers, where it breaks a calm moment with something loud. It also works as a way out of a nightmare, cutting to the character waking up.
How do you write a smash cut in a screenplay?
Put SMASH CUT TO: in capitals with a colon, flush right, on its own line. It sits after the last line of the scene you are leaving and before the next scene heading, the same place as any transition.
The words around it do most of the work. End the outgoing scene on its quietest or most certain beat, then open the next scene with sound, motion or a line that contradicts it. The example above ends on a held breath and opens on bass like a punch to the chest.
Is a smash cut a camera direction readers mind?
Not if you use it rarely. Readers dislike pages full of transitions because a new scene heading already means a cut. One or two smash cuts in a feature, each placed where the contrast is the joke or the scare, read as confident writing. Ten read as a writer trying to direct.
If the contrast is already obvious from the action lines, you can drop the transition and let the scenes collide on their own.
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
- 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 Slow Motion in a Screenplay
- How to Write a Freeze Frame in a Screenplay
- How to Write Song Lyrics in a Screenplay
Questions writers ask
What is a smash cut?
An abrupt cut from one scene to a sharply different one, often quiet to loud, used for shock or comedy. The contrast is the point.
How do you format a smash cut in a script?
Write SMASH CUT TO: in capitals, flush right, on its own line between the last line of one scene and the next scene heading.
What is the difference between a smash cut and a jump cut?
A smash cut moves to a different scene with a jolt of contrast. A jump cut skips time inside the same shot or scene, so the image seems to jump forward.
How many smash cuts can a screenplay have?
There is no rule, but most specs use them sparingly, a handful at most, so each one still surprises.