Best way to show time passing

Dissolve rather than sharp cuts between the shots, usually indicates time has passed.

You think using dissolve will be all right for 30 minute time passes or should they be reserved for longer amounts of time?

Thanks for the input

On STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION...

...they use a cut shot to outside the ship showing whatever else is out there, the planet or a second ship, to show a passing of time.

They do this every time someone goes from one part of the ship to the other, so they don't have to show them walking around the whole ship.

It's a classic, and is nice because it's very natural and fluid.

Using Silvers idea, you can cut to hands on the bowl of popcorn, drinks in a glass (as it lowers you get the idea that they've been drinking it) and refilling it, etc.

You also have the movie itself; if the movie itself is not seen you can use cuts in sound from the movie, i.e. crossfade from the middle of a conversation to the middle of an action scene as the characters in your film shift positions. Since you've already shot the footage it will be harder to pull off since you haven't planned it, but can be done. If the movie is on commercial TV you can use commercials and news interruptions. News interruptions are great since you can actually mention how far away the newscast is from the break.

Good ideas guys, appreciate them all and if anyone has other ideas then keep them coming.

Alcove: I haven't filmed this sequence yet, so anything is possible.

Can't solve it? Dissolve it.

I've heard this said by numerous directors.

You can also do a pan off subject left and then dissolve back with a camera pan coming the opposite direction.

You can also use a blur in and out.

You can use the classic clock hand spinning for the on-the-nose effect.

You can use the day to night time-lapse shot.

You can also use simple editing and let the audience put two-and-two together.

Ghosting and time lapses are good ways of expressing the passage of time passing.
You can also include visual hints sich as clocks, callenders etc. A bit cliche, but it works.

Uranium City said:

Dissolve rather than sharp cuts between the shots, usually indicates time has passed.

Click to expand...

I agree, dissolves/cross fades are a good place to start.

cstegner said:

Alcove: I haven't filmed this sequence yet, so anything is possible.

Click to expand...

Then you can use reaction shots - getting off the couch and coming back with snacks and then showing how depleted they become (bowl of popcorn emptying, etc.), costumes (shoes come off, clothing gets wrinkled), even things with make-up and hair (getting bleary-eyed as the movie continues; my daughter keeps pushing the hair off of the side of her face and ends up with "wings"over her ears by the end of a long movie). They can call for a pizza delivery and Dad tells Mom it will be half an hour, then the pizza is on the table; boom, half an hour has passed. Don't forget the external environment. With a kid they're probably watching the movie early, so they could start watching the movie at sunset and it gets darker outside the window as the movie progresses, and sonically the birds stop chirping, traffic slows down and the crickets start up. If you are showing the movie on-screen most of us have the cable box, which has a clock, right near the TV. Show the movie on the TV and include the cable box in the shot; you can CGI in the times.

It's all in the details, you just have to pre-produce the hell out of it. Your B-roll coverage is what is going to make this happen. You could even do a "quickie" with the actors without lights, make-up, etc. Just record the rehearsals and edit it all together to see what coverage you are going to need.

Alcove: This is the direction I was thinking and exactly the type of answer I was looking for. Tons of great suggestions without doing anything corny. Thanks!