INT. / EXT.

Meaning

INT. (interior) and EXT. (exterior) are the first word of a scene heading in American script format. The full heading, or slug line, reads INT. YURI'S STUDIO APARTMENT – NIGHT: interior/exterior, location and time (DAY/NIGHT/CONTINUOUS/LATER) joined by dashes, all in capitals, with numbers added only at the shooting-script stage. Ambiguous spaces such as a car or a doorway are written INT./EXT. The Korean form S#12. Yuri's studio apartment (N) carries the same information, but the Korean version leads with the number and drops interior/exterior, while the American version leads with interior/exterior and drops the number.

Why it matters

INT./EXT. is the first sort of a production budget. Exterior scenes depend on weather, light and permits, so they cost more and carry more risk than interiors. When a producer receives a script, they count EXT. scenes first. A writer who knows the notation answers the reader's first question in advance. Korean writers need INT./EXT. in three situations: submitting to overseas contests or producers, writing in a script format such as Fountain, and following the script templates of global streaming services. Korean and American formats differ only in notation; the principle for dividing scenes (new scene when place or time changes) is identical, so a script in one can be converted mechanically to the other. That is why SparkLore's script export supports both Korean drama (kdrama) and US formats.

Example

The same scene in both formats.

Korean:

S#12. Yuri's studio apartment (N)

Yuri sits at her desk, the bankbook open.

YURI      (answering the phone) Hello.
DOYUN (E) Where are you.

American:

INT. YURI'S STUDIO APARTMENT – NIGHT

Yuri sits at her desk, the bankbook open in front of her.

                    YURI
          (answering the phone)
          Hello.

                    DOYUN (V.O.)
          Where are you.

The Korean (E) becomes the American V.O., and left-aligned names become centered ones. The information is the same.

Common mistakes

• Omitting INT./EXT. and writing only the location. In American format that is close to disqualifying. Always lead with it.
• A clock time in the heading. Not – 11:30 PM but – NIGHT. If the exact time matters, put it in action or an insert.
• Moving indoors to outdoors within one scene. Leaving the house for the alley is two scenes. Split into an INT. scene and an EXT. scene.