What does INTERCUT mean in a screenplay?

INTERCUT tells the reader and editor to cut back and forth between two or more locations without writing a new scene heading each time. It's most common for phone conversations where both callers are shown.

How do you format a phone call with both people on screen?

Establish both locations with their own scene headings, then write INTERCUT - SARAH'S CAR / DANIEL'S OFFICE. After that, dialogue alternates between the two without repeating headings, and you close with END INTERCUT or a new scene heading.

When should you use INTERCUT instead of V.O.?

Use V.O. when we only see one side of the call and hear the other. Use INTERCUT when you want to show both callers and cut between their locations during the conversation.

How to Format Intercuts in a Phone Call Scene

How to use INTERCUT in a screenplay to cut between two locations — perfect for phone calls. The format, when to use it, and how to keep it clean.

When two characters talk on the phone and you want to see both of them, writing full scene headings every time you cut back and forth would clutter the page and inflate the page count. The tool for this is INTERCUT — a single instruction that lets dialogue bounce between two locations cleanly.

When to use it

Phone calls where both parties are on screen.
Parallel action in two places happening at once (a bomb squad and the person about to open the door).
Any moment you need to cut rapidly between locations without restating where we are each time.

If you only see one side of the call and hear the other, you don't need an intercut — format the unseen caller as (V.O.) instead. See V.O. vs. O.S..

How to format it

Step 1 — Establish both locations with their own headings so the reader can picture each:

INT. SARAH'S CAR - NIGHT

Sarah grips the wheel, phone to her ear.

INT. DANIEL'S OFFICE - NIGHT

Daniel paces by the window, tie loosened.

Step 2 — Declare the intercut:

INTERCUT - SARAH'S CAR / DANIEL'S OFFICE

Step 3 — Let dialogue alternate without new headings:

                    SARAH
          You need to leave. Now.

                    DANIEL
          I'm not going anywhere.

Step 4 — Close it with END INTERCUT. or simply the next full scene heading, so the reader knows the cross-cutting is over.

Keep it clean

Establish before you intercut. The reader needs both spaces in their head first.
Don't over-describe mid-intercut. Once you're cross-cutting, keep action beats short — the momentum is the point.
One clear exit. Always signal when the intercut ends.

Let the software carry the headings

Intercuts involve scene headings, a transition line, and alternating dialogue — a lot of elements to indent by hand. A screenwriting tool applies each element automatically so the sequence stays readable as you revise. Scriptease handles intercut and phone-call formatting cleanly.