Passage of Time

J

Joe Calabrese

Well-known member
I'm looking for a way to show the passage of time (several hours) in about 15 seconds.

My first idea was to have the character watch TV, then decide to get up and go to the bookstore.

Another idea was to show him doing different things (watching TV, then throwing a ball in the air) with a series of fade in/fade out dissolves.

I need to show that he decided to go to the bookstore after being bored for a couple of hours.

Ideas?

Thanks...Joe
 
Nods off for a nap, we see the clock on the nearby end stand or wall before and after?
Or the ambient light changes as the sunlight fades?
Or a montage of different activities?
 
A super like "two hours later" is pretty commonly used. All the other ways mentioned work too. It's pretty much a matter of which one feels best. And of course, being sure you actually need to indicate it in the first place. If it's clear enough without it, then don't.
 
I'd go for activities that imply durations one can easily relate to, like he's taking a shower, next shot his hair is completely dry again and he's doing something else (so probably about 30 min must have passed), maybe starting to cook, next shot he's cleaning the used dishes...maybe you can think about some "being bored" activities that imply easy to relate, more or less fixed, durations?
 
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A quick montage is always good, or a sped-up time-related shot (the sun moving, time changing on a clock, growing pile of empty beer cans, etc). Or have a shot showing or implying a certain time then cut to a shot clearly showing or implying a later time.
 
Whatever you do to indicate passage of time, don't waste the *audience's* time by boring them with it. Like with scenes showing people going from one place to another, express/edit the idea as economically as possible.

Speaking of which, by the end of the 'extended cut' of the "Angels And Demons" DVD, I was so distracted by literally countless scenes of Hanks and company running all over the place that I was laughing, and doing countdowns to the next one. Countdowns which never lasted very long before those ever so highly paid scurrying feet were at it again... See Tom run! Run, run, run!

With all due respect to the very gifted Ron Howard, one must avoid such literalness in one's filmmaking at all costs.

Showing passage of time - same thing.
 
Ted Spencer said:
Whatever you do to indicate passage of time, don't waste the *audience's* time by boring them with it. Like with scenes showing people going from one place to another, express/edit the idea as economically as possible.
Click to expand...

While I completely agree, another approach that won't waste the audience's time is to use the sequence to reveal something about the character. i.e. how a corporate lawyer deals with boredom would probably be different from how a NASCAR driver deals with boredom.

Figure out what's unique about how this particular character deals with boredom and show us that (as economically as possible).

Mark
 
Interesting. Reminds me of the scene from Cape Fear, where the antagonist passes time in prison doing pull-ups. Yeah, a prisoner will pass time differently than a race car driver etc, and such a scene can show character, and even foreshadow, or reveal motivation, etc.

BitMaestro said:
...Figure out what's unique about how this particular character deals with boredom and show us that (as economically as possible).

Mark
Click to expand...
 
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