Help me name a documentary film.

January 27, 2015 11:34 AM

I'm finishing a documentary on an extremely large (multiple millions of people), global subculture. We picked 5 characters in 5 continents and spent "one day" with each of them to show the breadth of the community and how varied their experiences all are. I need a title that evokes a similar feeling to "Life in a Day" (which is already taken). At the end of the film, the title flickers past in dozens of languages, so it should be something that reads pretty fast.
posted by nathancaswell to Media & Arts (30 answers total)

A day in the world
One day on earth
the world in 12 hours
posted by aimedwander at 11:38 AM on January 27, 2015

Copyright law does not protect names, titles, or short phrases or expressions.

So unless there are film rules that preclude this I would go with "Life in a Day."

I go to IMDB and enter in titles and get multiple results all the time.
posted by cjorgensen at 11:45 AM on January 27, 2015

"A Day Here"
posted by sacramental excrementum at 11:47 AM on January 27, 2015

Best answer: Keep it simple: "One Day"
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:52 AM on January 27, 2015 [3 favorites]

[Subculture]: The World in One Day
posted by ocherdraco at 11:53 AM on January 27, 2015

Best answer: Could you use the Arabic numeral 1 and then scroll "day" in multiple languages? That would be cool.
posted by fraula at 11:53 AM on January 27, 2015 [7 favorites]

24 Hours at a Time
posted by soelo at 12:04 PM on January 27, 2015

Five Lives

Can you specify the subculture? Might lead to more ideas
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 12:05 PM on January 27, 2015

Response by poster: I can't specify the subculture unfortunately, it's still under NDA. It's recreational in nature.
posted by nathancaswell at 12:13 PM on January 27, 2015

5 times, a day.
posted by MT at 12:46 PM on January 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

A Day in the Life of
A Day in the Life
LIFE (except substitute the tally mark version of the number 5 for the "I" in life)
posted by jraz at 12:47 PM on January 27, 2015

I understand the NDA thing, but if you can't tell us the subculture, the only names we're going to come up with will be prosaic and generic ala "Life In A Day".
posted by doctor tough love at 12:58 PM on January 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Five Days
posted by billiebee at 1:25 PM on January 27, 2015

All in a Day

The Difference A Day Makes
posted by Mchelly at 1:54 PM on January 27, 2015

"One Day in [your global subculture]"
posted by JimN2TAW at 1:59 PM on January 27, 2015

Five by Five
posted by fullerine at 2:08 PM on January 27, 2015

If you're going after a general audience that knows little about the subculture, then you have to work it into the title. If you're just going after its participants or if lots of people know something about the recreational activity, then go with the inside reference, e.g., a way of keeping score, or doing a particular skill, with the number five, e.g. For baseball it might be Five Ways to Steal Home or Stealing Home: Five Ways.
posted by carmicha at 2:09 PM on January 27, 2015

How We (or They) [subcultural aspect]
posted by rhizome at 2:10 PM on January 27, 2015

5 [plural word related to/denoting subculture], 1 Day

fullerine's Five by Five is good though if it's something to do with communications like ham radio or something.
posted by juv3nal at 2:13 PM on January 27, 2015

DAY
posted by Sebmojo at 2:15 PM on January 27, 2015

Can you elaborate on the feeling that "Life in a Day" evokes, because, I suspect that it's not evoking that feeling in me.
posted by at at 2:17 PM on January 27, 2015

Five Worlds, Five People
posted by Murray M at 2:20 PM on January 27, 2015

five⁵ [subculture]

5ive [subculture]
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 2:21 PM on January 27, 2015

I'd flip that, Murray M: Five People Five Worlds

Five People One World (F-POW!)
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 2:21 PM on January 27, 2015 [2 favorites]

24 / 7 5

(the 7 should be crossed out)
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 2:28 PM on January 27, 2015

Each one's day
posted by Namlit at 3:22 PM on January 27, 2015

Response by poster: Can you elaborate on the feeling that "Life in a Day" evokes, because, I suspect that it's not evoking that feeling in me.

While I don't feel "Life in a Day" is a very elegant title, it suggests:

1) The film takes place in a single day
2) The film is large in scope
3) The film will address an subject by focusing on something much smaller (a single day)

I think that's what I respond to about that title.
posted by nathancaswell at 3:33 PM on January 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

[**] Dawn to Dawn
[**], One Rotation
[*] Day on the Blue Dot
[*] Meridian
Diurnal [**]
[**] Home Planet

* insert word specific to activity. number of asterisks indicates optimum number of syllables. use at own risk.
posted by zadcat at 3:45 PM on January 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

for the sake of ease, I'm just going to assume your subculture are Trekkies.

Trek around the World
One Day of Trek
Trek Day or Trekkie Day
Klingon Translated or Trek Translated
24 Hours of Trek
Trekkie for a Day
Every Language has a Word for Trek
One Trek

or simply
"Trek" (insert relevant subculture here)
posted by jb at 6:48 PM on January 27, 2015

Response by poster: Thanks yall. I think we're gonna go with 5 | (plural words flickering past in various languages that relate to subculture) and then resolving on 5 | Days. | is a blinking text entry cursor.

I'll post the film to Projects when it's done.
posted by nathancaswell at 7:41 AM on January 31, 2015 [2 favorites]