# LATER / MOMENTS LATER > Time-of-day alternatives on a scene heading that signal a jump (LATER, MOMENTS LATER, THAT NIGHT) or sameness (SAME) without inventing a clock time. Also known as: LATER, MOMENTS LATER, SAME, THAT NIGHT **On the page** ``` INT. KITCHEN — MOMENTS LATER ``` ## In practice LATER means story time advanced; MOMENTS LATER means barely. SAME keeps the prior time label when only location changed. These words live in the time slot of the slugline — after location — and they exist so readers and coordinators do not invent false DAY/NIGHT flips or continuous clocks. Choose the most honest label. CONTINUOUS is wrong if ten minutes passed offscreen; LATER is vague if the joke is "three days later" and a SUPER would be clearer. Overusing MOMENTS LATER for every cut trains readers to ignore time language entirely. Production uses these cues for continuity, costume, and lighting logic. Fuzzy time labels create fuzzy boards. When a sequence braids jumps, prefer specific supers or dated headings for the big leaps and save LATER for modest advances inside a chapter of the story. ## See it formatted - [How to format continuous action, SAME, LATER, and time jumps](https://www.inkwell.software/resources/screenplay-formatting/continuous-action-and-time-jumps): Use CONTINUOUS for unbroken movement into a new location, SAME for simultaneous time, and a plain action beat or new time label for an actual jump forward. ## Common questions ### When should I use CONTINUOUS instead of MOMENTS LATER? CONTINUOUS means no time jump at all — the clock never stopped. MOMENTS LATER admits a tiny advance. If they walk straight through a door with no gap, CONTINUOUS is the truer label. ### Is SAME a real time of day? SAME means keep the previous scene's time. It is common when you change location but not the clock — for example, INT. HALLWAY - SAME after INT. OFFICE - DAY. ### Can I write a specific clock time instead? Yes when it helps — 3:17 A.M. can be a thriller tool. Use specificity when the exact time matters; use LATER when only the jump matters. ### Do time labels belong in transitions instead? Usually no. Time of day belongs on the scene heading. Transitions (CUT TO:, DISSOLVE TO:) handle optical joins, not the story clock. ## Related terms - [Continuous](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/continuous): A time-of-day marker on a scene heading meaning the action picks up immediately from the prior scene, with no time jump. Often abbreviated CONT. in production drafts. - [Scene heading (slugline)](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/scene-heading): The line that opens a scene: interior or exterior, location, and time of day — for example, INT. KITCHEN — NIGHT. It orients the reader and anchors production breakdowns. - [Transition](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/transition): An editing instruction between scenes — CUT TO:, DISSOLVE TO:, SMASH CUT TO:. Modern specs use them rarely; most cuts are assumed. - [DISSOLVE](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/dissolve): A transition where one image gradually replaces another. On the page, often written DISSOLVE TO: to suggest time passage, memory, or thematic linkage rather than a hard cut. --- Canonical page: