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Having trouble with time changes

Me again. The scene calls for the character to leave then come back within minutes. It looks like this:

The tape goes silent, fear fills the room. Eric darts for the door, grabbing Chris's keys.

From here, do I say:

A few minutes later, Eric returns, with a package...

OR:

The tape goes silent, fear fills the room. Eric darts for the door, grabbing Chris's keys.

LATER

Eric returns with a package.

Please, any help would be grateful.

Thanks.
 
I agree with Buddy, though it's a clunky transition no matter how you do it. I personally would insert an establishing shot of some kind to allude to the passage of time. An exterior of the building at a notably different time of day, maybe. Shot of a clock face. Something.
 
"within minutes" doesn't seem very long.. can you stay in the scene for the entire time? maybe doing something to SHOW the mounting fear... use the "hiss" of the "silent tape" to really bring out the tension..

.. and when your just about to crack, the door slams open and the other character returns..
 
Yeah, it’s like it could call for a matching dissolve on a clock or a dissolve that shows the tape has run out, or he grabs the keys leaving, then replaces the keys upon retrun, or it could be on the door, or re-establish the exterior to convey a passage of time, but I think you are still going to end up with a new slug line.
It could be INT. PLACE {MINUTES LATER}- DAY or some other slug variation.
Also, do we SEE fear fill the room?

-Thanks-
 
Ah, if it's only a couple of minutes later, then forget what I said. I was thinking half hour, hour, couple hours.

I still would insert some description in between, but my slugline would look like this:

THE SAME - A FEW MINUTES LATER
 
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