Quick question.

TIMELESS.

What'd y'all think? Should it be used or is it better just to leave the time of day out of the slug? I use it on occasion, if the scene takes place in a windowless room for example. After a while though, it feels a little redundant. I've considered not using it but slugs without time of day tend to look sloppy/incomplete.

Just curious. Any thoughts?

If day or time cannot be determined for a scene, don't put anything.

INT.  SUBMARINE

Using TIMELESS implies that time doesn't exist.


Phil

It looks pretentious to me, like you are trying to be cute.

I'm with Phil -- if DAY/NIGHT is not an issue, why even bother?

Brevity -- and white space -- is king.

Quoted from James McClung Quick question. TIMELESS. What'd y'all think? Should it be used or is it better just to leave the time of day out of the slug? I use it on occasion, if the scene takes place in a windowless room for example. After a while though, it feels a little redundant. I've considered not using it but slugs without time of day tend to look sloppy/incomplete. Just curious. Any thoughts?

The TIMELESS slug would read weird to me.
Many coverage assignments I've read leave out the time of day for interiors.
If it's say, an interrogation room, I don't expect a time of day slug.
Same with a scene in an elevator, unless it's a glass one with external view.

TIMELESS also kinda sounds like the space time continuum is on vacation.

E.D.

So no TIMELESS... certainly makes things easier for me. For the record, my TIMELESS slugs took place in a basement and in outer space.

Thanks guys!

Quoted from James McClung So no TIMELESS... certainly makes things easier for me. For the record, my TIMELESS slugs took place in a basement and in outer space.

Sometime in the future!


Phil

TIMELESS definitely doesn't work unless you're in some kind of alternate universe.

As far as I'm concerned you should always include a time, whether or not it can be picked up on in a filmed version.  It can help with the read for sure, as it's very possible your "timeless" INT scene will spill into an EXT scene where the time of day becomes obvious.

As I always say, adding a word or 2 to a Slug is so simple, doesn't take up any extra space, and really doesn't even add anything to the read, as the trained eye simply scans the Slug for a time, because it knows one will be there - and actually, IMO, when one isn't there, it causes a pause in the read.

Without visuals in a written Spec script, any and all "extra" info you can give is appreciated.

I've decided to leave the slugs without time of day. They're essentially continuous scenes following night exteriors so for all intents and purposes, the time is night. However the locations are meant to be windowless. Maybe it wouldn't necessarily end up that way in production but I don't want to imply anything that's the opposite of what I intend through the use of NIGHT slugs. It is more than clear enough that the action is taking place at night anyway.

If the action is continuous I recommend you use the CONTINUOUS slug. It might be implied from the action lines but it helps to clarify in case there are question.

On the other hand, I have no problem not seeing a time of day in the slug line. If you had an interrogation scene and there was no continuous action, I would say leave the time of day out of it.