Screenwriting : Formatting question by Emily Hu

Hey there, Emily! You know, I think you might have answered your own question! You stated that it's meant to be a brief shot; so if it doesn't contain crucial details, you can just suggest them, give the shooting team some room to create some cool stuff. Here's one take I got, from what you wrote: "EXT. CITY - DOWNTOWN - STREET SCENE - EVENING. "Time-lapse image, a few seconds, of the transition from afternoon to evening: sun setting, cars zooming, etc." If you have images or ideas that are of specific importance to the story line, you might write them as separate beats, if you like: "A blue car waits for a green light, to turn at an intersection." (Leave a vertical space.) "A pair of JOGGERS, running in place, wait with impatience at the curb, till the crossing light turns green." (Another vertical space.) The third line could focus in on your protagonist, antagonist, and/or some other character(s) of narrative weight: "Major Character steps into frame, hails a cab." Anyhow... you get the idea! (-: I'm not sure a montage is needed here, unless you're conveying specific info that can't just be suggested, or implied, in the above description. Why not try out a couple of different versions? One is bound to look good to your eyes, and work well for your style of expressing the image you have in mind. Anyhow, I hope this is of help... I think you've got a chance to be creative here! I hope you enjoy the process of tinkering with it. Good luck with it!

Are you shooting it? Just write something like, "As night descends, the city lights up" and then leave it up to the director to work out how they want to shoot it.

Thanks, guys!