How to Format a Pre-Lap in Your Screenplay
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Jun 7, 2021 • 1 min read
Film and TV writers have a multitude of ways of formatting cuts, shots, and transitions in screenplays. They can add off-screen dialogue to a scene, a montage, a chyron, or a sound transition known as a pre-lap. Adding a pre-lap to a scene allows screenwriters to seamlessly blend sound from one scene to another.
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What Is a Pre-Lap in Screenwriting?
A pre-lap is a screenwriting term that refers to the sound transition writers use to connect a line of dialogue or sound effects from an upcoming scene to the action in the current scene. In this transition, the sound from the next scene begins playing at the end of the previous scene, before the cut. Screenwriters can incorporate dialogue or sound effect pre-laps into their script for dramatic or comedic effect.
How to Format Pre-Lap Dialogue in a Script
If the audio being pre-lapped is dialogue, simply set up the pre-lap next to the character’s name in parenthesis. For example, CHARACTER NAME (PRE-LAP). Then, write the character’s dialogue that the audience will hear before the next scene’s visuals begin. Here is an example of pre-lap dialogue:
Additionally, writers can use (V.O), short for voice-over narration, in place of (PRE-LAP) to indicate that the sound should be performed using voice-over narration.
How to Format Pre-Lap Sound Effects in a Script
If the audio being pre-lapped is a sound effect, set up the pre-lap in the action line. For example, once a character’s dialogue ends, you can indicate with “PRE-LAP:” followed by the description of the sound.
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