What do we mean by a Peetime Cue when we add them to the RunPee app? There takes a certain type of finesse and a small learning curve to using Peetimes properly. Over the years we’ve distilled it to a science. (Some would say it’s an art…)
Contrary to what some might think, when the built-tin Timer vibrates, this isn’t the time to get up for the loo.
This Timer is merely alerting you to some phrase or on-screen title card (like a date or place, such as Cairo, Egypt, 1923)…giving you a heads up of about a minute or two that you’re to look/listen for the actual Cue to leave your seat and hurry out. (Read about what a Peetime actually is, if you’re unsure.)
How We Choose a Good Peetime Cue
The first rule for us in creating Peetime Cues is: don’t use a cue that’s a spoiler.
For instance, we’d never have a spoiler like, “When Jack dies.” Because, duhhh.
That much is obvious, but there are other spoilers that are easy to slip through. For example, in The Spiderverse movie I had a Cue that was dialog between Peter B Parker and Spiderman Noir. I couldn’t exactly put their names in the Cue, because some people may not be aware that there are multiple Spidermen in the movie.
Fortunately, the dialog was distinctive (and amusing ) enough that I could list the dialog without attributing it. Here’s our actual Cue:
“It’s a long story.”
(2 second montage)
“Maybe not that long.”
My favorite Cues are those that have simple, but memorable lines. There was a great one in Bumblebee: “I once stole a Mallomar.” That’s unique. That’s going to stick with you.
Sometimes we have Cues that are visual events. Like in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, “When the SUV crashes into the river.” That’s distinctive, but a tiny bit of a spoiler, because if you read the Cues before the movie, you would know that the chase scene ends with the SUV taking a plunge. However, I was willing to overlook that, because that scene was also in the movie trailer. Sometimes we just make a judgement call like that, to give you a few extra moments to jump up and not miss the beginning of something important to come.
Here’s another current example:
Dearest (RunPee Mom) and I were watching a movie last night — Split — which she did the Peetimes for. I try to make a habit of checking the Peetimes in the app, just to see what other family members chose. Her Cue for the 1st Peetime was:
We’re always happiest when we have a Cue that is memorable and definitive. We don’t want our fans sitting in the theater wondering, “Was that the Cue?” When we’ve given you three or five minutes to go, we try to make this as easy as possible for you to know what to do. Makes sense? Let us know if we can improve!
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Now, as to determining a good Peetime, or supplying different choices of Peetime Meta (descriptions of the type of Peetime), those are entirely different stories. 🙂
Related Articles from RunPee, Behind the Scenes:
https://runpee.com/help/peetimes/
Download the RunPee App free at Android or for iPhone.
Don’t miss your favorite movie moments because you have to pee or need a snack. Use the RunPee app (Androidor iPhone) when you go to the movies. We have Peetimes for all wide release films every week, including Moana 2, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, Kraven the Hunter, Wicked, Gladiator II and coming soon Mufasa: The Lion King, Nosferatu, A Complete Unknown and many others. We have literally thousands of Peetimes—from classic movies through today’s blockbusters. You can also keep up with movie news and reviews on our blog, or by following us on Twitter @RunPee. If there’s a new film out there, we’ve got your bladder covered.
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