Hope is an emotion that the audience must have for the protagonist. If the audience cares about the character, they should fear the character will take the wrong course of action in a difficult situation, yet hope the character will choose wisely.

A script that invites horizontal reading has two strikes against it right off the bat. The script is horizontal when it is text-heavy, with blocks of description that are more than four lines in length. This results in a slower, more labor intensive read.

An ‘I’ page is a script page that is all dialogue. With no action description to break up the page, the visual page looks like a capital ‘I’ with a column of white space on both the left and right of the page. This is too much white space. A script page should be a combination of both action description and dialogue.

Beginning the slug line, the abbreviation I/E. indicates that the scene will take place both inside and outside. I/E. scenes often take place inside and outside of moving automobiles. Clearly the car itself is outside as it moves through a particular environment, but the characters are inside the vehicle.

Imagination is the action of being creative and resourceful in forming new ideas, images, or concepts.

The inciting incident (or point of attack) is the moment - and first major plot point - at which the dramatic conflict, hidden up until now, announces itself. This moment occurs about half way through the first act.

Indirection occurs when a character sees something he cannot hear or hears something he cannot see, and acts based on this incomplete information.

When the writer pictures a certain close-up at a specific moment in the film, he or she may use an insert shot. This describes a shot of some important detail - usually in reference to objects: a watch, a letter, a gun, etc. - that must be given the camera’s full attention. In most instances, however, an important object can be written in CAPS to convey it’s importance and avoid directing on the page, so use inserts sparingly and only when it is absolutely necessary.

Beginning the slug line, the abbreviation INT. (INTERIOR) notifies the reader that the following scene will be inside.

The audience is limited to what they can see through the dimensions of a movie screen, so INTO FRAME suggests something or someone coming into the picture while the camera stays put.

The audience is limited to what they can see through the dimensions of a movie screen, so INTO VIEW suggests something or someone coming into the picture while the camera stays put.

A scene of investigation is a scene in which the character gathers investigation.

Irony is a device of making a character use words, pursue actions, or follow intentions which mean one thing to him or her yet something entirely different to the audience and/or other characters.

A jump cut is an abrupt transition in which two sequential shots of the same subject in the same scene in real time are taken from camera positions that vary only slightly. This type of edit causes the subject of the shots to appear to “jump” position in a discontinuous way.

The location is the particular place or setting in which a scene takes place.