We see these all the time in scripts and movies alike but this isn’t something we normally think twice about. At least I didn’t while watching the last Captain America movie.
Captain America: Civil War to be exact. While watching there were these big white letters over the entire screen stating a new location or time period the film. That is called superimposition.
It is used by the screenwriter or director to give valuable information he or she thinks the audience should know before the scene takes place.
In a screenplay like all the other tips on this site, there is a right and wrong way to this.
What information goes into a Super?
Supers can have any form of information that the screenwriter needs. Normally used to inform the reader of three things:
- Location
- Date
- Time
Some examples of these are below from the Captain America movie. They used at least 10 supers throughout the film because of the rapid movement to locations. Other ways to use supers are moments of time. For example “One Year Later” or “Moments Later.“
This is different from putting text on screen normally referred to as an “INSERT” “ANGLE ON.” This is represented by the words “COMPUTER SCREEN” below.
When using supers its best to put a description beforehand as a description always comes after the Slug line.
But those were silent films made with the first generation of cameras. Think about the filmmaking techniques that can be used instead of supers before using one.