Visual devices to show time change

Solomon Chase

Solomon Chase

Well-known member
Looking for some ways to show time change visually. Any ideas?

Here's some obvious examples:
- Day to Night lighting
- A cigarette burning
- A clock
 
Just want to mention there's a cool little sequence in the Virgin Suicides by Sofia Coppola that shows time passing with a cool timelapse, some really nice shadows and light in it.
 
I've seen leaves blowing by to signify changes in seasons, calendar pages flipping to signify months or years flying by. To me, the simplest way is with just a slow fade out transition.
 
Capt Quirk said:
I've seen leaves blowing by to signify changes in seasons, calendar pages flipping to signify months or years flying by. To me, the simplest way is with just a slow fade out transition.
Click to expand...

True... but I'm thinking of ways to signify smaller time changes. Like cutting between a clock that says "2:00" to one that says "4:00" or showing an ice cube and jump-cutting as it melts.

Chris, been meaning to watch that movie. I'll have to check it out now :)
 
Again, a simple slow fade says that some time has passed. But for smaller jumps like that, maybe a candle would work as well for you. Starting off full length, after the cut it is half melted. A full plate of food, a plate with nothing but scraps after the cut. Depends on the situation YOU have.
 
You could use all sorts of things though. It depends on the scene. I'm thinking a chessboard could do well. Show two guys, passing time by playing chess. Then cut to to empty board, when one makes the final move.
 
Many many ways... think of these examples...

Space Odyssey 2001
The caveman bone in the air, matched with a similar shaped space ship... transition of millions of years in one cut!

Snatch
When the guy flys in an airplane... the fast series of cuts gets him across the ocean in less then 2 seconds!

Fast cuts, slow fades, subject matter, time of day, character appearance (beard/ no beard), and etc. A million ways to do it right... two million ways to do it wrong!

:)
 
That's really more directorial than a cinematography issue. Once the director decides what approach will be used then the DP plans how to shoot it.

If you want to direct then sit down and think real hard about how to portray the passage of time with visual devices. When you start asking other people for their input, be prepared to assume a co-director position.
 
You can use pretty much any sequence of shots which change over time. Some examples: a bottle slowly emptying (or empty bottles accumulating), a full plate of food turning into the same plate now empty, a jigsaw being assembled.
 
You said a cigarette...

anything that can be "consumed" works:


a candle, a car's gas meter, cellphone battery, a newspaper stand, and yes all food items, or even a crowd of people.


Nearly anything that goes from being full to empty will work. So what is the context of your scene?
 
Yeah ^ ^ ^ I had that candle idea too. A time lapse of a candle burning all the way down with a night to day period of time would be awesome. Just as part of an artistic montage.

I also like a timelapse of a shadows position moving.



But the best way is just to have One of the characters say, "Wow, hey LOOK AT THE TIME! Look how much time has passed! I can tell because of that burned down candle over there!" In order to really get the attention of the viewer, a slightly corny tone is necessary. A nice touch is to have them turn to the camera afterwards and wink. Its things like these that expand our art form.
 
Entity, that only works in comedies, and so far, we don't know what the poster is doing. But yeah, in a comedy, anything goes, and the fourth wall is the first thing to go ;)
 
Haha. Yeah I know, it was a joke! I probably should have put a "/sarcasm" or something. Haha. I was making a joke at how crappy that dialogue would be as far as writing goes.
 
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