Little help please?

Jerm said:

I am on my last scene of my story. The heroes have saved the day and are heading back home. Now how do I indicate that 6 months have gone by?

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By setting it up in your proceding story?

Summary.

Get a copy of Leon Surmelian's TECHNIQUES OF FICTION WRITING. It explains it all.

Jerm?

Summary is how you do it. You cant do a dramatic scene unless the characters dialogue about the lapse of time, and then it isnt drama. It aint description. So that leaves summary. As in "Meanwhile, back at the ranch..."

What's wrong with a title card?

EXT. FARM - DAY

The dudes are piling up the hay.

TITLE CARD: SIX MONTHS LATER

or

SUPER: SIX MONTHS LATER

clock_work9 said:

What's wrong with a title card?

EXT. FARM - DAY

The dudes are piling up the hay.

TITLE CARD: SIX MONTHS LATER

or

SUPER: SIX MONTHS LATER

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Indeed!

I was reading this thread and kept waiting for someone to say "super" and it wasn't happening, until I got to post #5. You saved the day!

I think we would know this as going into a denouement, or a "wrapitup" scene, tie off any loose ends that remain, complete the story. It might even be an epilogue depending on how it's done. In Jerm's case, it's probably a denouement. In any case I would lead into it with a DISSOLVE TO: because a lap dissolve conveys a sense of time passing, so that when WE read "SIX MONTHS LATER" it's a seamless hit, we feel as though some time has passed, and now there it is, right there on the screen, "SIX MONTHS LATER." Thank you very much.

Works like a charm.

Jerm said:

I thought about using a SUPER but I got to thinking... My script is a animation/kids movie and I can't think of any movie of that type that has used a SUPER...? Which is what prompted my question.

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I believe The Incredibles did. But I am on a public terminal which has pdfs restricted so I can't prove it. But the one place I remember them using a super was right before the race near the end.

Jerm said:

I thought about using a SUPER but I got to thinking... My script is a animation/kids movie and I can't think of any movie of that type that has used a SUPER...? Which is what prompted my question.

Click to expand...

Hey if it's a feature, I don't see a problem with telling the kids with a bit of text that six months has gone by. You could perhaps narrate it if you felt that would be offputting or they couldn't or wouldn't read your super.

Well, kinda hard to help without knowing specifics, but since you said farm...The Lion King comes to mind for some reason.

Ending fight scene had the burning of the pastures, where the final scene showed spring time and the changes were evident--all was right in the animal kingdom.

No details about how yours ends..but you could have flowers blooming, crops are plentiful, maybe even a baby on the way -- or newborn being carried to show the lapse in time.
Perhpas your hero, after defeating the bad guys, is now in overalls harvesting the crops.

Personally, I think its a cop out to just super impose summary. Its lazy.
This is where you tie it all together, and show they live happily ever after. so place your bow on your gift to the world and take alittle pride, and show youre a script writer -- keep it a visual.

Unless you have more than one character to follow up on, then it shouldnt prove to be too difficult a task.
Thats just me though.

The Lion King... during the Macuna Matata song? Simba's cub paws change into adult lion paws. Visual passage of time. How about a shot of their shoes... becoming more and more worn... and then someone says "Six months! I can't believe it's been that long! I can't wait to see home!"

-Derek
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