Hi, all,

It seems like when I was first studying screenwriting, people were adamant about how writers should use "CUT TO:" or some variation thereof in their scripts to transition between scenes. My first script had about a billion "CUT TO:"'s. It was very tedious to keep typing over and over again (even with time-saving software), and it didn't seem to really enhance the script.

Now I've read actual filmed TV scripts, and it seems like "CUT TO:" really isn't used all that often. The start of a new slug line implies that a cut has been made, so the extra direction seems unnecessary.

Yet I've turned in spec scripts without the "CUT TO:"s and gotten bad grades from various screenwriting contests. There wasn't a full summary of what was wrong, just a listing that put my script in the bottom tier. So I'm wondering if my script was rejected out of hand because of a formatting problem, or if it was something else.

For the first part of ScriptFrenzy, I'm working on a TV pilot spec. (Apparently those are hot to read right now.) Should I put in the "CUT TO"s or should I not?

And when I'm working on a spec for someone else's show, do I put in the "CUT TO"s or not? Do I just follow whatever rule that show seems to use? What if the reader doesn't know that show's rules?

OK, I approached the question from a lot of different angles, but I think it's basically the same question. :) Thanks in advance for any help you can give!