Footery format question...

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  • Footery format question...

    A scene set around 11pm, but it's summer in Stockholm, i.e. daylight. Is the slugline -- DAY or -- NIGHT?!

  • #2
    Re: Footery format question...

    You could always write...


    EXT. STOCKHOLM - NIGHT

    It's a Nordic summer, meaning that even though it's 11 PM, there's still light out.


    Or whatever. Don't overthink it.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Footery format question...

      Originally posted by Hamboogul View Post
      You could always write...


      EXT. STOCKHOLM - NIGHT

      It's a Nordic summer, meaning that even though it's 11 PM, there's still light out.


      Or whatever. Don't overthink it.
      Yeah, don't overthink --and I advise ignoring any adivce on this topic that mentions line producers and production planning and all that.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Footery format question...

        Originally posted by chilldivine View Post
        A scene set around 11pm, but it's summer in Stockholm, i.e. daylight. Is the slugline -- DAY or -- NIGHT?!
        Does it FEEL like day, or does it feel like night?

        If you say "night" people are going to assume dark sky, most light coming from artificial sources, etc. If you say "day" people are going to assume that the primary light source is the sun.

        Which of those is the case?

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Footery format question...

          Originally posted by Joe Unidos View Post
          Yeah, don't overthink --and I advise ignoring any adivce on this topic that mentions line producers and production planning and all that.
          How come?

          Isn't planning (or at least acknowledging awareness of production planning) the whole point of sluglines?

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Footery format question...

            Originally posted by Ronaldinho View Post
            Does it FEEL like day, or does it feel like night?

            If you say "night" people are going to assume dark sky, most light coming from artificial sources, etc. If you say "day" people are going to assume that the primary light source is the sun.

            Which of those is the case?
            That's my dilemma - neither is exactly the case for Stockholm at 11pm in June. While no, it's not going to make or break my story, I want to give it a little thought.

            It's day in so far as it's full on daylight, so I started by labelling it day. However, the feel and tone of the scene is night so that held me up when I was reading over the draft.

            There's probably no perfect answer, but I'd be interested in any thoughts!

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Footery format question...

              If I am reading a spec, I just want it to be clear and consise. If I see a DAY slug followed by "Late night bar patrons wander here and there," I am confused. If I see what Ham described, it's not only clear --it's interesting. I see it and it's cool.

              IMHO, all a spec writer cares about is clarity for a reader. Others obviously will disagree.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Footery format question...

                Well, are you writing in english for foreign producers or are you writing in swedish? If you write in swedish you hardly need to explain what a Stockholm night looks like. But yeah I would write it like Hamboogul.

                EXT. SLUSSEN - NIGHT
                A bright swedish summer night.

                or in swedish

                EXT. SLUSSEN - NATT
                En typisk svensk sommarnatt.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Footery format question...
                  EXT. STOCKHOLM - SUNLIT SUMMER NIGHT
                  Then what Hamboogul said for the action graff:
                  It's Nordic summer, meaning that even though it's 11 PM, there's still light out.
                  As Joe Unidos wrote, the real key is to not confuse the reader. To me, anyway, that trumps the general preference for only using DAY and NIGHT for the time.

                  I had a scene in which two people have a short phone call - one is in NY (outside) and it's DAY while the other is in Beijing (outside) and it's NIGHT. At that point in the script the action is centered in NY, so for NY I wrote DAY and for Beijing I wrote NIGHT (IN BEIJING). I think that's better for the reader than just simply NIGHT or NIGHT (SAME TIME) or such.

                  My thinking is that if I just wrote NIGHT, the reader would think, "Night?" Then, if I were there, I'd say, "Yeh, it's night in Beijing," and the reader would say, "Oh, yeh." I might be wrong, but that's my process.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Footery format question...

                    Originally posted by chilldivine View Post
                    A scene set around 11pm, but it's summer in Stockholm, i.e. daylight. Is the slugline -- DAY or -- NIGHT?!
                    To me, DAY means light outside and NIGHT means dark outside. To me it has less to do with what hour it is than the amount if light - I wouldn't write NIGHT if it's a long day in summer and light out or DAY if it's a short day in winter and dark out.

                    I think of it like this - the slug line is giving me the main info on the scene, the description gives me secondary info. So 11pm in Stockholm would probably be DAY in my slugline and then I'd explain in the description that it's 11pm and still light out.

                    But if you did it the other way? You wouldn't get kicked out of Hollywood.

                    PS: I like Manchester's solution.

                    - Bill (plans for sex, not masturbation)
                    Free Script Tips:
                    http://www.scriptsecrets.net

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Footery format question...

                      Originally posted by Manchester View Post
                      EXT. STOCKHOLM - SUNLIT SUMMER NIGHT
                      Then what Hamboogul said for the action graff:
                      It's Nordic summer, meaning that even though it's 11 PM, there's still light out.
                      As Joe Unidos wrote, the real key is to not confuse the reader. To me, anyway, that trumps the general preference for only using DAY and NIGHT for the time.
                      Good answer. And like someone else said, don't over-think this. Just make it clear and simple for the reader. If you do something similar to what is suggested above, we get it. Don't worry about the theoretical confusion between 11.00pm on the clock and daylight outside, just focus on making it clear for the reader. Good luck. Beautiful light to film under, too.
                      "Friends make the worst enemies." Frank Underwood

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Footery format question...

                        I recall the script for Insomnia labeled similar scenes NIGHT but told us in the action graph that light flooded Al's hotel room keeping him awake. Though from a production standpoint you'd label the scene DAY, as in it's lit by daylight. Go with whichever suits your fancy.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Footery format question...

                          I know I'm repeating what others are already saying but if it's night then the slugline should obviously say "night." If it's as bright as day, throw that into the action line. But for God's sake, if it's not day don't label it as day.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Footery format question...

                            EXT. STOCKHOLM - DAY - 11:00 PM

                            The midnight sun skims the horizon.


                            EXT/DAY means daylight. How can you over-think that?
                            "I am the story itself; its source, its voice, its music."
                            - Clive Barker, Galilee

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                            • #15
                              Re: Footery format question...

                              Thanks very much everyone - it seems there isn't a consensus, but food for thought anyway.

                              My own gut feeling is that daylight = DAY, but this is a potentially confusing read in any case (it's a sort of looping structure so jumps around in time) so I want to establish my time frames as clearly and efficiently as possible.

                              This is my final tweak/polish draft, so it's the time to over-think footery details!

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