Day-night-later-continuous?

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  • #16
    Re: Day-night-later-continuous?

    this is actually a really interesting question... not because of the detail within a slug line, but because you are changing room within an interior.

    When I think about it, not too many movies pan through a house to get from one place to another. They just open the door and POW, they are set in the scene.

    I wish there was a director here to qualify the reasoning.

    seems like with the limited minutes you have to tell a story, they want to move from one scene to the next quickly. Anyone else see what I'm talking about? Weird huh?

    Only time I've used that sort of changing room senerio is to demonstrate a dramatic pause.

    Like in a horror movie you might pan to another room or outside to show the killer approaching, or that he has left the previous spot he was hiding at.
    But this wily god never discloses even to the skillful questioner the whole content of his wisdom.

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    • #17
      Re: Day-night-later-continuous?

      Even though it's not the writer's job to direct the camera, there are times it's warranted. In those cases, just describe what happens. This is not something that would offend most directors.

      EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT

      Jen peers out the bedroom window into the dark yard below. Nothing there. She pulls the blinds closed.

      A LOW GROWL, more human than animal. The CAMERA creeps closer to the house.

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      • #18
        Re: Day-night-later-continuous?
        Originally posted by altoption View Post
        Even though it's not the writer's job to direct the camera, there are times it's warranted. In those cases, just describe what happens. This is not something that would offend most directors.

        EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT

        Jen peers out the bedroom window into the dark yard below. Nothing there. She pulls the blinds closed.

        A LOW GROWL, more human than animal. The CAMERA creeps closer to the house.
        Good example, altoption. And to eliminate any reference to the camera and only suggest a shot, we could also write it:

        EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT

        Jen peers out the bedroom window into the dark yard below. Nothing there. She pulls the blinds closed.

        A LOW GROWL, more human than animal. Something creeps closer to the house.

        I assume the director will choose how to shoot it, e.g., POV unseen character, or a quick shot of a barely visible character, or some other way.

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        • #19
          Re: Day-night-later-continuous?

          my idea was of more to use it sparingly to explore the drama within the scene.

          A puase of the expected outcome... in this case death.

          A build up is what they refer to as a turnaround or a change of expected ideals. This is usually expressed in the theme in the act breaks.

          We came to prove the monster didn't exist... act 2, here they comes with a chainsaw. Very basic act break downs.

          we explore then explore the character arc and their idea of what's real; by showing expectation, then, that their greatest fear is actually real.

          Not sure if this is acually a rule or just concept derived from what SHOULD happen. offen interchanged as we see more movies and have different expectations. probably referred to as 'expectational decourse" as they seem to spawn from what has already been seen or read by a mass audience.

          In SAW, the killer or antagonist isn't threating any of the characters first hand. In HOSTEL, the monsters/antagonists aren't seen till the 3ed act.
          But this wily god never discloses even to the skillful questioner the whole content of his wisdom.

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          • #20
            Re: Day-night-later-continuous?

            Originally posted by jonpiper View Post


            Good example, altoption. And to eliminate any reference to the camera and only suggest a shot, we could also write it:

            EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT

            Jen peers out the bedroom window into the dark yard below. Nothing there. She pulls the blinds closed.

            A LOW GROWL, more human than animal. Something creeps closer to the house.

            I assume the director will choose how to shoot it, e.g., POV unseen character, or a quick shot of a barely visible character, or some other way.

            My problem with writing it at "Something creeps closer..." is that I no longer know what I'm seeing on screen. I'd either make sure it reads as a POV, which the CAMERA example makes clear, or I'd go ahead and describe what we'll see.

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            • #21
              Re: Day-night-later-continuous?

              I understand what you're saying. But do we ever know what we'll see on screen until the film is shot and released? I'm assuming we are writing a spec script which suggest and implies actions and setting that can and may be filmed.

              As a spec writer do I want to specify the shot -- describe the action from the point of view of the thing -- or leave it open?

              Either way it's written, I think we do keep the reader in the story. But, by writing "the camera creeps", we may be straying from a spec script and into a shooting script. Shrug. Perhaps it's a matter of style.
              Last edited by jonpiper; 12-23-2007, 10:04 AM.

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              • #22
                Re: Day-night-later-continuous?

                Not saying there's a right or wrong way. Just an opinion, but...

                There's a huge difference from a story perspective in the choice to use a POV shot or to reveal a glimpse of your antagonist. To me the decision of when to first reveal your antagonist has nothing to do with writing on spec. That's your job as a writer. And if your choice is to show something in a scene, you've got to give us a description of it, even if it's a glimpse, the director and reader need to know what they'll see on film.

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