Intercut
Also: INTERCUT
An intercut is an instruction to cut back and forth between two locations that are happening at the same time — most often a phone call between two rooms. Writing "INTERCUT" once lets the dialogue alternate without repeating a full slugline for every switch, keeping the exchange fast on the page.
Intercutting links two simultaneous scenes — classically both ends of a phone conversation — so the editor cuts between them. The writer establishes both locations, then writes "INTERCUT" (or "INTERCUT — SAM'S CAR / JORDAN'S KITCHEN") and lets the dialogue run as a single back-and-forth.
The payoff is pace. Without the intercut convention, every line swap would need its own scene heading, which would bog the exchange down and bury the rhythm of the conversation.
INTERCUT — SAM'S CAR / JORDAN'S KITCHEN
SAM
Tell me you're somewhere safe.
JORDAN
I'm safe. Are you?