## Introduction: When Time Stays Constant

In the previous post, we explored transitions where everything changes—time, place, and action. These create clear, emphatic breaks in your story.

But what happens when you keep time **continuous**? When the clock keeps ticking from one scene to the next without any jump forward or backward?

This creates an entirely different effect: **seamless flow**. The audience feels like they're experiencing events in real-time, which creates immediacy, urgency, and immersion.

**Unity of time** means the two scenes play at the same moment—there's no rupture in the timeline. Only place and action change.

This technique is incredibly common and powerful. Let's explore how it works and when to use it.

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## The Principle: Continuous Time

**Unity of Time Formula:**

- **Time:** Continuous (no jump forward or backward)

- **Place:** Changes (we move to a different location)

- **Action:** Changes (different characters doing different things)

The key effect: The audience feels like multiple things are happening **simultaneously**. This creates a sense that the story world is alive and active beyond what we're currently seeing.

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## Example 1: *E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial* (School and Home)

This is a perfect, simple example of unity of time.

**Scene 1: Elliott's Classroom**

- **Time:** During school hours, daytime

- **Place:** Elliott's science classroom

- **Action:** Elliott is in science class, where they're dissecting frogs

Elliott looks at the frog and thinks about E.T., his alien friend hidden at home.

**[TRANSITION]**

**Scene 2: Elliott's House**

- **Time:** The same moment (simultaneous)

- **Place:** Elliott's home

- **Action:** E.T. is at home, looking at things in the refrigerator

The teacher asks Elliott: "Can you talk? Can you say 'hi'?"

**Why it works:** We know these events are happening at exactly the same time. While Elliott is at school, E.T. is at home. The continuous time creates the feeling that both realities exist simultaneously.

**Visual continuity:** Notice the clever match between E.T.'s finger and the frog—a visual hook that makes the transition smooth despite the location change.

**The effect:** This reinforces the connection between Elliott and E.T., and it expands our sense of the story world. Life is happening in multiple places at once.

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## Example 2: *Gravity* (Exterior to Interior)

This example is particularly interesting because at first glance, it might seem like there's **no** transition at all.

**Scene 1: Exterior - Space Station**

- **Time:** During a spacewalk

- **Place:** Outside the spacecraft

- **Action:** Dr. Ryan Stone is completing a repair job on the exterior

**[TRANSITION through an airlock door]**

**Scene 2: Interior - Space Station**

- **Time:** Continuous (seconds later)

- **Place:** Inside the spacecraft

- **Action:** Dr. Stone begins a new task inside

**Why this IS a transition:** If you look at the script and break down the story carefully, you'll see that a new action starts. She's just completed one job (exterior repairs) and is starting a new job (interior work).

- **Place changes:** Exterior to interior

- **Action changes:** One task to another task

- **Time continuous:** No jump; it's the same ongoing moment

**The role of doors:** Doors and thresholds help us signal these transitions clearly. They're visual markers that say "we're crossing from one space to another," even when time remains continuous.

**The effect:** In *Gravity*, which seems to unfold almost in real-time, these continuous-time transitions help maintain the feeling of unbroken tension and immediacy. We never get a break from the urgency of the situation.

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## Example 3: *Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri* (The Prepared Transition)

This is a masterclass in making continuous-time transitions feel smooth through **preparation**.

**Scene 1: Inside Mildred's Car**

- **Time:** Daytime, driving through town

- **Place:** Inside the car

- **Action:** Mildred (Frances McDormand) is driving and thinking

As she drives, we see through the windshield: two characters cross the street in front of her car. We glimpse them briefly but clearly.

**[TRANSITION]**

**Scene 2: Inside the Advertising Office**

- **Time:** Continuous (moments later, same day)

- **Place:** The advertising office

- **Action:** Those same two characters we just saw are now having a conversation

One character asks: "Well, where does that leave me and you?"

The conversation continues.

Then Mildred enters: "Sorry I'm late, Denise."

**Why it works beautifully:** Because we **saw those characters** in the previous scene (crossing the street), there's a strong sense of continuity when we cut to them. We understand:

- These events are happening at the same time

- Mildred was driving past while they were walking to this office

- No time has been skipped

**The preparation technique:** By showing characters in Scene A who will be the focus of Scene B, you create a thread of continuity that makes the transition feel seamless.

**Additional continuity:** The dialogue also flows naturally. The conversation between the two characters feels like it could have been happening while Mildred was parking her car. Then her entrance connects both scenes definitively.

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## Example 4: *Westworld* (The Facility to The Park)

**Scene 1: High-Tech Control Room**

- **Time:** Present moment

- **Place:** The futuristic underground facility

- **Action:** A female character (one of the android "hosts") says: "I don't know what to do."

She looks distressed, confused.

**[TRANSITION]**

**Scene 2: The Western Town**

- **Time:** Continuous (the same moment)

- **Place:** Outside, in the Western-themed park

- **Action:** The park is active with "guests" and other hosts

**Why it works:** The continuous time creates a powerful contrast. While this character is having an existential crisis in the facility, the park continues operating as if nothing is wrong. Life goes on in both realities simultaneously.

**The contrast:**

- **Visual:** High-tech sterile interior vs. rustic Western exterior

- **Tonal:** Confusion and distress vs. "business as usual"

- **Thematic:** The artificial nature of both realities is emphasized

**The effect:** This transition technique is used repeatedly throughout *Westworld* to show the dual nature of this world—the illusion (the park) and the reality (the facility). Keeping time continuous emphasizes that both exist simultaneously.

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## Example 5: *Westworld* (Reverse - Park to Facility)

The series also does the opposite transition: from the Western environment to the high-tech interior.

**Scene 1: The Western Park**

- **Time:** During park operations

- **Place:** Exterior, the Western-themed world

- **Action:** A guest says: "Oh my God, they're so lifelike."

Looking at the android hosts with wonder.

Another guest responds: "Look at that, he's perfect."

First guest: "Perfect is boring. I'm more interested in the bad guys."

**[TRANSITION - slower, more deliberate]**

**Scene 2: The Control Facility**

- **Time:** Continuous

- **Place:** The underground high-tech facility

- **Action:** Technicians working, monitoring

**Why this transition is different:** This one takes its time. It's more leisurely paced than our previous examples.

**The reason:** This transition occurs at a **juncture of acts**—a higher-level structural element. It's not just a break between scenes; it's a break between larger story movements.

When you're at a major structural point (act breaks, major turning points), you can afford to let the transition breathe a little. You're giving the audience a moment to process and prepare for the next act.

**When to use slower continuous-time transitions:**

- At act breaks (even if time is continuous)

- When shifting between parallel storylines

- When you want to emphasize the contrast between two worlds

- When the audience needs a moment to absorb what just happened

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## The Power of Doors and Thresholds

One of the most effective tools for continuous-time transitions is the **door**.

Doors are perfect transition devices because they:

- Clearly mark the boundary between two spaces

- Allow for continuous time (we watch someone walk through)

- Signal a change in place and often action

- Create natural "beats" in the story

- Work in any genre or setting

### Examples of Threshold Transitions:

**Physical doors:**

- Entering/exiting rooms

- Airlocks in space (*Gravity*)

- Car doors

- Gates and fences

**Metaphorical thresholds:**

- Crossing a street (*Three Billboards*)

- Going up/down stairs

- Passing through a curtain or archway

- Moving from light to shadow

**Why they work:** Thresholds are understood universally as boundaries. When we cross them, we accept that something has changed, even if time hasn't.

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## Creating Visual Continuity in Time-Continuous Transitions

Even though place and action change, you can smooth the transition through visual elements:

### 1. **Matching Shapes or Subjects**

*E.T.* matches the frog with E.T.'s finger—a visual rhyme that eases the location change.

### 2. **Character Continuity**

*Three Billboards* shows us characters in one scene who become the focus of the next scene.

### 3. **Sound Bridges**

Audio from one scene continuing into the next (though this is more director territory, you can suggest it).

### 4. **Motion/Movement**

Continuous movement from one scene through to the next creates flow.

### 5. **Color or Lighting Continuity**

Similar color palettes or lighting conditions can smooth the transition.

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## When to Use Unity of Time

**Perfect for:**

1. **Showing simultaneous action** - Multiple storylines happening at once

2. **Maintaining tension** - No break in time means no relief from urgency

3. **Expanding the story world** - Showing that life continues in multiple places

4. **Chase or escape sequences** - Continuous time maintains momentum

5. **Parallel storylines** - Cutting between characters whose stories are unfolding simultaneously

6. **Real-time or near-real-time narratives** - Films like *Gravity*, *1917*, *Rope*

**Examples of films using continuous time extensively:**

- *1917* (appears to be one continuous shot)

- *Birdman* (same technique)

- *Rope* (Hitchcock's experiment in real-time)

- *Nick of Time* (Johnny Depp thriller in real-time)

- *Phone Booth* (largely real-time)

- TV series like *24* (each episode = one hour of real-time)

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## Common Mistakes with Continuous-Time Transitions

### Mistake 1: Unclear Geography

**Problem:** The audience doesn't understand the spatial relationship between locations.

**Solution:** Establish geography early. Show how places relate to each other. Use establishing shots or character dialogue: "I'll meet you at the office—it's just down the street."

### Mistake 2: False Continuity

**Problem:** You imply time is continuous, but the logistics don't work. (Character couldn't have gotten there that fast, day has turned to night, etc.)

**Solution:** Be rigorous about timing. Track how long things take. If necessary, add a brief establishing shot showing travel.

### Mistake 3: Loss of Clarity

**Problem:** Cutting between multiple simultaneous storylines becomes confusing.

**Solution:** Make each location visually distinct. Return to locations in a pattern. Don't introduce too many simultaneous threads.

### Mistake 4: Monotony

**Problem:** Continuous time without breaks can become exhausting.

**Solution:** Even in real-time narratives, find moments to breathe. *Gravity* does this by alternating intense action with quieter character moments (though time stays continuous).

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## The Psychological Effect

Why does continuous time feel different from time jumps?

**Continuous time creates:**

- **Immediacy** - We feel present in the moment

- **Urgency** - No relief, no escape from the situation

- **Immersion** - We experience events as the characters do

- **Anxiety** - The clock is ticking; we feel the pressure

- **Connection** - We're living through this with the characters

**Time jumps create:**

- **Perspective** - We can see the bigger picture

- **Efficiency** - Skip boring parts, show only what matters

- **Control** - The storyteller guides us through time

- **Reflection** - Breaks allow the audience to process

Neither is better—they serve different purposes. The key is choosing the right tool for your story.

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## Practical Exercise: Finding Unity of Time in Your Script

Look through your screenplay and identify three scenes where time is continuous between them.

For each, ask:

1. **Is the continuous time clear to the audience?** How do you signal it?

2. **What effect does the continuous time create?** (Urgency, simultaneity, immersion?)

3. **Are place and action sufficiently different** to justify separate scenes?

4. **Have you used any continuity devices?** (Visual matches, character continuity, thresholds, sound?)

5. **Could a time jump work better?** Sometimes continuous time isn't the best choice.

### Consider changing to continuous time if:

- You want to increase tension

- You're showing parallel action

- You want the audience to feel "in the moment"

- Geographic proximity makes it logical

### Consider adding a time jump if:

- The continuous time creates confusion

- Nothing important happens in the intervening time

- You need to give the audience a break

- The pace is dragging

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## Conclusion: The Seamless Flow

Unity of time is one of your most powerful tools for creating seamless, immersive storytelling. When used effectively, the audience doesn't notice the transitions—they're simply caught up in the continuous flow of events.

This technique makes your story world feel alive and dynamic, with multiple things happening simultaneously. It creates urgency and immediacy that time jumps can't match.

But it requires careful attention to clarity, geography, and pacing. Used well, it's invisible. Used poorly, it's confusing.

In our next post, we'll explore the opposite scenario: **Unity of Place**—keeping the location constant while jumping through time.

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**Coming up next:** *Unity of Place: Flashbacks and Time Jumps Done Right* - where we'll explore how staying in one location while changing time and action creates powerful storytelling opportunities, especially for flashbacks and character revelations.