Your story can span as much time as you want. But generally it’s advisable to bracket your story within the shortest time frame possible. If you have a choice between 3 years, 3 weeks, or 3 days, you’ll always choose 3 days.
But some stories demand a longer timeframe; months, years, even decades (e.g. FORREST GUMP, DRIVING MISS DAISY, MR. HOLLAND’S OPUS).
My students already know I have a pet peeve for SUPERS in screenplays that say something like “2 Years Later”, or “3 Months From Now”, or “2 Weeks Ago”.
Alright, I concede sometimes there is just no getting around SUPERS.
But ask yourself, “Do I really NEED this SUPER?”
Why is this question relevant? Because SUPERS distance the audience.
SUPERS are not drama. They are technical. They interrupt story. In fact, they kill story.
As writers we don’t want to do anything that will remove your reader/audience (however brief) from your created reality (thank Robert Flaxman for that term).
Here are some things you can consider to help move your story visually through time:
Seasonal changes
Holidays
Styles of hair, clothes, glasses
Car Makes and Interior Décor
Signs and Banners
Historical and Social Events
In DRIVING MISS DAISY, the filmmakers use seasonal changes, Xmas cards, the advancement in the technology of the machines in Boolie’s shop, and Hoke’s glasses get thicker…
FORREST GUMP uses historical, political, and social events to suggest time passage…
In MR. HOLLAND’S OPUS, Glenn and Iris age noticeably, their son Cole is seen as an infant, toddler, young boy, and adult; banners announce “class of ‘65”...
There is not one SUPER in any of the above-mentioned films. So, why not allow your audience the opportunity to become involved in figuring out the passage of time in your story on their own, through the visual clues you give them in your script?
But some stories demand a longer timeframe; months, years, even decades (e.g. FORREST GUMP, DRIVING MISS DAISY, MR. HOLLAND’S OPUS).
My students already know I have a pet peeve for SUPERS in screenplays that say something like “2 Years Later”, or “3 Months From Now”, or “2 Weeks Ago”.
Alright, I concede sometimes there is just no getting around SUPERS.
But ask yourself, “Do I really NEED this SUPER?”
Why is this question relevant? Because SUPERS distance the audience.
SUPERS are not drama. They are technical. They interrupt story. In fact, they kill story.
As writers we don’t want to do anything that will remove your reader/audience (however brief) from your created reality (thank Robert Flaxman for that term).
Here are some things you can consider to help move your story visually through time:
Seasonal changes
Holidays
Styles of hair, clothes, glasses
Car Makes and Interior Décor
Signs and Banners
Historical and Social Events
In DRIVING MISS DAISY, the filmmakers use seasonal changes, Xmas cards, the advancement in the technology of the machines in Boolie’s shop, and Hoke’s glasses get thicker…
FORREST GUMP uses historical, political, and social events to suggest time passage…
In MR. HOLLAND’S OPUS, Glenn and Iris age noticeably, their son Cole is seen as an infant, toddler, young boy, and adult; banners announce “class of ‘65”...
There is not one SUPER in any of the above-mentioned films. So, why not allow your audience the opportunity to become involved in figuring out the passage of time in your story on their own, through the visual clues you give them in your script?
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