You know the drill. A tiny window opens on a door, some douche says "what's the password?". What is that tiny viewing window slit called. I know it has a name.
I used hatch in my most recent script because I was describing a prison door and that's what they're called in a prison context (there are different kinds of hatches -- a food hatch for passing in food, a shackle hatch for attaching shackles, a profanity hatch for administering verbal abuse, etc.).
However, "slot" might be the better choice, since I'm not sure either wicket or hatch will bring the right visual to the reader's mind; I may very well change hatch to slot in my next rewrite.
I think "door viewer" is the proper name, but "peephole," as said, is also used.
But I also think that there's another slang term that they might have used in old movies and back in the day that might sound more authentic for a script.
Like "starter" was used for matches -- a bum would ask with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, "Got a starter?"
I would probably call it a peep door. A hatch implies something like a hatch on a ship (the prison use is special jargon). A peephole is something that Norman Bates would use at the Bates Motel.
He knocked on the door. A little peep door swung open at eye level, and an ugly face appeared in it and looked out. "What do you want?" the ugly face demanded.
"Mickey sent me."
The door opened.
"The fact that you have seen professionals write poorly is no reason for you to imitate them." - ComicBent.
You can also obtain the electronic kind; a little display panel that works like a digi-camera, for use where the door is on floor below or at ground level, very useful when you're feeling too lazy to walk down any stairs!
Forthcoming: The Annual, "I JUST GOT DUMPED" Valentine's Short Screenplay Writing Competition. Keep an eye on Writing Exercises.
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