# Superimpose > Text or graphics laid over the picture — titles, dates, locations, captions. On the page, commonly written as SUPER: or SUPERIMPOSE: followed by the overlay copy. Also known as SUPER, super **On the page** ``` SUPER: San Francisco — July 1998 ``` ## In practice Supers handle information the image alone will not carry in time: a date, a city, a chapter card, a translated caption. Write the exact words you want on screen after SUPER: or SUPERIMPOSE:. Keep them short; long paragraphs of on-screen text read like essays and fight the cut for attention. Place the super near the moment it should appear — often just before or after the scene heading it labels. If the overlay must hit a precise action beat, put it beside that action so editors and readers share the same timing. Avoid stacking three supers in a row unless the form itself is the joke or the style. Specs should use supers for story-critical labels, not for directing fonts and animation. Production design and post will choose type treatment. Your job is clear wording and clear timing. If a character reads a sign that is already visible in action, you may not need a SUPER at all — describe the sign in action instead. ## See it formatted - [How to format text messages in a screenplay](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/screenplay-formatting/text-messages): Put readable on-screen messages in action, identify the sender when needed, and use one consistent pattern instead of disguising silent text as spoken dialogue. - [How to format an INSERT shot, screens, and letters](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/screenplay-formatting/inserts-screens-and-written-material): Put the exact words the audience must read in action, and use an INSERT only when the change in visual emphasis is itself important. ## Common questions ### Is SUPER the same as SUPERIMPOSE? Yes in practice. SUPER: is the common short form on contemporary scripts; both mean text or graphics over the picture. ### Should I describe the font in a SUPER? No. Write the words and when they appear. Font, size, and motion belong to design and post unless the specific look is a story joke. ### Where does SUPER sit relative to the scene heading? Usually next to the moment it labels — often just above or below the heading or action it timestamps. Keep the timing obvious to the reader. ### Can dialogue and a SUPER happen together? Yes, but keep both readable. If the overlay competes with a dense speech, trim one so the audience can track words in the ear and on the screen. ## Related terms - [Scene heading (slugline)](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/scene-heading): The line that opens a scene: interior or exterior, location, and time of day — for example, INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT. It orients the reader and anchors production breakdowns. - [Action](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/action): The descriptive prose of a screenplay — what the audience sees and hears, written in present tense. Also called description. - [Transition](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/transition): An editing instruction between scenes — CUT TO:, DISSOLVE TO:, SMASH CUT TO:. Modern specs use them rarely; most cuts are assumed. - [Montage](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/montage): A run of short beats or shots in quick succession — often under a MONTAGE heading — used to compress time or braid parallel action. --- Canonical page: