Welcome to the RunPee team! This guide will teach you how to identify and create quality Peetimes that help moviegoers enjoy films without missing the best moments.
Getting Started: Your First Practice Session
Choose the right movie: Start with a film you know well—ideally one you’ve seen multiple times. For best results, pick a movie that already has Peetimes in the RunPee app so you can compare your work. Ideally, pick movies that Dan Gardner did the Peetimes for, but that isn’t a requirement.
Set up your workspace: Use the streaming service’s playback timer for timing (it won’t match our app exactly, but will be close enough for training).
Understanding Peetimes: What Makes a Good One
The Golden Rule
A good Peetime contains scenes that can be easily summarized without losing crucial story elements or emotional impact.
What to Look For
- Transition scenes between major plot points
- Secondary action sequences (not the main spectacle)
- Setup scenes that establish location or minor characters
- Quiet moments that advance plot but don’t carry emotional weight
What to Avoid by Genre
Action Movies: Skip the standout fight scenes, car chases, or explosions that audiences came to see
Comedies: Avoid the biggest laughs, though some humor may be unavoidable
Dramas: Stay away from emotional peaks, relationship revelations, or character development moments
Mysteries: Be extra cautious—seemingly boring scenes often contain crucial clues
The Peetime Hunt: Step-by-Step Process
1. Start Your Search (15 minutes in)
Begin looking for Peetime cues around the 15-minute mark. Note the timestamp and any notable dialogue or visual elements that could serve as cues.
2. Evaluate Scene Sequences
Most Peetimes span multiple scenes. As you watch, ask yourself:
- Can I summarize this easily?
- Does this advance the plot without major emotional impact?
- Will viewers understand what happened from a brief description?
- Is this exposition that is important, but can be described, such as a character describing how something works to other characters.
3. Make Strategic Choices
Here’s a common scenario: You find a 4-minute sequence with these components:
- 1 minute: Okay scene (not ideal, but acceptable)
- 2.5 minutes: Great Peetime material
- 30 seconds: Another great scene
- Next scene: Absolutely crucial—can’t be missed
Your options:
- Longer Peetime (4 minutes): Includes that less-ideal first minute
- Shorter Peetime (3 minutes): Only the great material, but ends right before crucial scene
Decision factors: Consider your other Peetimes. If you have a fantastic option later, use the shorter version and mark it as “emergency only.”
This is the general format that I use
Start time -> End time. Cue Synopsis
Rinse and repeat.
Timing Guidelines
When to Stop Looking
Calculate your cutoff time:
- Take the movie’s total runtime
- Subtract 8 minutes (average credits length)
- Subtract another 30 minutes
- This is roughly when your last Peetime should occur
Example: 2-hour movie = 120 minutes – 8 minutes – 30 minutes = Find a suitable Peetime near the 82 minute mark and then stop.
Ideal Peetime Distribution
- First Peetime: 15-30 minutes into the movie
- Subsequent Peetimes: Every 20-45 minutes
- Final Peetime: 20-45 minutes before credits begin
Post-Credits Content
Document any extra scenes with timing details, but avoid spoilers:
Good example: “Extra scene 2 minutes into credits (45 seconds), then 7 minutes of scrolling credits, followed by final scene after credits end (1 minute).”
This helps users plan bathroom breaks between extras.
Writing Synopses
The Challenge
Your synopsis must be detailed enough to keep viewers informed but brief enough to read quickly.
Guidelines
- Hard limit: 150 words maximum
- Target: Under 100 words
- Focus: What happens, not how it makes you feel
- Avoid: Spoilers, emotional descriptions, or complex plot details
- Avoid: Unnecassery details:
- Bad: John and Sally sat at the kitchen table and talk about their son’s grades.
- Good: John and Sally talk about their son’s grades.
- Tense: Use the present tense. As the user reads the synopsis they are reading about what is happening right now. Not what happened in the past.
- Bad: John and Sally talked about their son’s grades.
- Good: John and Sally talk about their son’s grades. (This is happening right now as the user reads.)
Training Tip
While learning, focus first on identifying good Peetime candidates. Synopsis writing skills will develop with practice.
Final Notes
Remember: Every choice affects the others. The Peetimes you select work as a system—each one impacts when viewers will need the next break. Think holistically about the entire movie experience.
Quality over quantity: Three excellent Peetimes are better than five mediocre ones.
When in doubt: Ask yourself, “Would I be upset if I missed this scene?” If yes, it’s not a good Peetime.