Elapsed Time between scenes

[Andrew McCarrick]

How common would it be to use titles over the picture to elaborate that say 2 weeks have past since the last scene? Should I stay away from it? I've got one scene that happens 2 weeks prior to the next, and I am having a hard time figuring out how to bridge the two together.

So I was thinking a title like:

Monday Morning - Two Weeks Later

over top of an establishing shot.

 

[clang]

Although use of subtitles to announce a time shift (or a location shift) can be inelegant, it's fast and easy and efficient - at least the audience understands it, which is a lot better than having a confused audience.

Are you just writing a script to be made by someone else? If so, don't even worry about it, just say "Two weeks later" in the scene description, and it's up to the director to decide how to communicate that to the audience.

If you're actually making the film, then by all means think about cute/interesting shots that communicate the time shift, e.g. changed calendar, dying (or blooming) flowers, trees gaining/losing leaves, or similar 'time passing' montages. But many such shots can look cheesy or cliched or try-hard (unless you make them deliberately funny) or simply be a pain to shoot. A simple "Two weeks later" subtitle does the work, after all.

 

[RyanMKincaid]

I tend to like dialogue or action to show that it's two weeks later.

An example, say your character is looking at something in a magazine and says something to the effect of: "Hey I'm gonna order this, should take about 2 weeks to get here."

Then later on in the film after the time lapse occurs you can show and empty shipping package. Like have the scene open up on the open box, then cut to what ever it is, then cut to the character and what ever action is suppose to happen story-wise.

I'd introduce the 'ordering of a package' as some kind of incidental dialogue, none specific, but the fact that it stands out and then later we see the package coupled with a tight shot of it giving it significance, signals to the audience: 'Oh, 2 weeks have passed.'

Feels more natuarl and is more elegant, IMHO

 

[Ted Spencer]

If a super that says "TWO WEEKS LATER" is the best of all possible solutions, use it. If not, use what is : )

The fact that it's morning could be easily shown otherwise in any number of ways though (clock, morning-specific scenarios, dialog), as can Monday (calendar, dialog). But are either of those crucially important?