Dream sequences...

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  • Dream sequences...

    There's no way around it. I know it's considered anathema along with flashbacks, but it has become a critical component of the story arc.

    What scripts have you read that handle dream sequences adeptly? I need to study this a bit.

    Best,

    Markerstone
    "The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely." ~Jung

  • #2
    Re: Dream sequences...

    I like how Christopher Nolan writes the dream/flashback sequences in Inception. Dom's past with Mal, not the inception-style dreams.
    Patrick Sweeney

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    • #3
      Re: Dream sequences...

      Anathema?!

      Movies are dreams. Look at any Bunuel, Fellini, Lynch. Even Blade Runner has nice dream sequences with the unicorn, which could reveal a huge spoiler.

      Dreams are great!!!! Embrace them.


      Originally posted by markerstone View Post
      There's no way around it. I know it's considered anathema along with flashbacks, but it has become a critical component of the story arc.

      What scripts have you read that handle dream sequences adeptly? I need to study this a bit.

      Best,

      Markerstone

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Dream sequences...

        Buy The Screenwriters Bible through Amazon.

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        • #5
          Funny Dream Sequence

          Originally posted by markerstone View Post
          What scripts have you read that handle dream sequences adeptly?
          http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...qYeWPkk#t=129s
          JEKYLL & CANADA (free .mp4 download @ Vimeo.com)

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          • #6
            Re: Dream sequences...

            Woody Allen has used dream/fantasy sequences in quite a few films over the years. The whole of Stardust Memories is basically dreams within dreams triggered by Sandy (Woody) seeing a dead rabbit in his kitchen.

            J-horror films often use dreams pretty effectively; horror in general has a decent record of using dreams. Nightmare on Elm Street has a real sense of what dreams are actually like - locations becoming confused, the melting stairs when you're trying to escape...

            David Lynch's later films became something of a self-parody, but Eraserhead remains one of the great dream films.

            Of course the best is in Living in Oblivion, which brilliantly acts as a reminder why they often suck... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4je71Tz_9IE


            I think the nervousness about them is that there's a risk of losing the audience because we know they're not real - i.e. nothing can really be at stake if we know the events aren't actually taking place. Two characters argue in a dream - who cares? They fight, they die, they turn into elephants - who cares? Also - as Living in Oblivion demonstrates - they're often populated with the worst kind of on-the-nose psycho-analysis 101. An obese girl dreaming that she's thin, but trapped in a prison made of chocolate... A bored housewife dreaming she has wings and can fly... uggh.
            Last edited by Jon Jay; 07-22-2013, 04:46 AM. Reason: Added link
            My stuff

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            • #7
              Re: Dream sequences...

              Woody Allen - that one did not come to mind. I ended up going the Coen bros route.

              Thanks!
              "The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely." ~Jung

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              • #8
                Re: Dream sequences...

                The Science of Sleep. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (not exactly dreams, but could work as dreams.) Jacob's Ladder (again, not exactly dreams.)

                It really depends on what tone you're going for, and how they're integrated in the story.

                I know you didn't ask for flashbacks, but I got to say I love the way they're done in Bergman's Wild Strawberries.

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                • #9
                  Re: Dream sequences...

                  Of course the best is in Living in Oblivion, which brilliantly acts as a reminder why they often suck... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4je71Tz_9IE
                  What a great movie.

                  The dream sequence in Rosemary's Baby is pretty creepy. They seem to work best in horror or comedy I guess, with drama they often become unintentionally comedic.

                  I can't even remember the remember the Dom's-past-with-Mal scenes in Inception, but the actual dream sequences were laughable I thought, too easy to parody.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Dream sequences...

                    Originally posted by pkillam View Post
                    Buy The Screenwriters Bible through Amazon.
                    The companion to this (which came from material before it) is 'Dr Format Tells All,' available on kindle.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Dream sequences...

                      Originally posted by markerstone View Post
                      There's no way around it. I know it's considered anathema along with flashbacks, but it has become a critical component of the story arc.

                      What scripts have you read that handle dream sequences adeptly? I need to study this a bit.

                      Best,

                      Markerstone
                      Just curious, if you want to share. What is the genre? And how/why are dream sequences a critical component of your story arc?
                      "The Hollywood film business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." Hunter S Thompson

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                      • #12
                        Re: Dream sequences...

                        Sure,

                        Title: Left at Lubbock
                        Genre: Drama

                        Protag's idyllic suburban life disintegrates... plummets almost overnight to rock bottom.

                        He has been terrorized by cryptic nightmares spawned from two consecutive and horrific events in his early life. With all memory of that night thoroughly repressed these nightmares spur the protag's quest to retrace his steps, plumb his psyche and unearth the facts.

                        The Prince of Tides on steroids.
                        "The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely." ~Jung

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                        • #13
                          Re: Dream sequences...

                          Okay, thanks, OP. I was just thinking, depending on the genre and the purpose, there might be a big difference in how you would write the dreams, as in sci-fi induced, or psychic, or romantic fantasies, or past-life, etc.

                          So your protag's dreams are revealing suppressed memories - like flashback dreams. Will they help just him to deal with the trauma, or will they solve a crime, or mystery, if he can remember enough of the facts?
                          "The Hollywood film business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." Hunter S Thompson

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                          • #14
                            Re: Dream sequences...

                            They are the breadcrumbs that reveal the next place/person in the quest where/who can fill in a missing piece. In this fashion they satisfy all three... solve a crime, reveal a mystery but most importantly exorcise the trauma.


                            The dreams are black & white and the tone is similar to Carnivale.
                            "The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely." ~Jung

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                            • #15
                              Re: Dream sequences...

                              I haven't seen a copy of the script for "Take Shelter" but that might be a good one to look at for how the protagonist's visions are rendered on the page.

                              Late Night Writer

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