All plots start out linear

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  • All plots start out linear

    I wanted to share a little bit of insight I had about plots. When dealing with the messy structure of Pulp fiction or even Rashomon I've come to realize that all plots start out linear.

    In fact all plots are linear despite the way they are inevitably portrayed in the story.

    Think of it. Pulp fiction is really a linear story that has been turned into a knot. When you watch that movie more than once you begin to pick up more of the hidden filmic devices that you missed before.

    Because our brains need time associated with everything we do it's only natural that our writing reflects this linear cognitive response.

    At the end of the day all movies are built on linear plots.

  • #2
    A startling revelation.

    Figured it out already, thanks.

    -Derek
    My Web Page - naked women, bestial sex, and whopping big lies.

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    • #3
      I wanted to share a little bit of incite I had about plot's.
      Incite, indeed.

      How insightful.

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      • #4
        Plot's
        >D

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        • #5
          There goes my theory that Marcellus' briefcase was a time travel machine. Damn.

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          • #6
            I, for one, am immensely gladdened to discover that despite the order that they're told, events occur on a forward-moving basis. It negates the need to develop time travel, or film in parallel universes.

            8o

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            • #7
              The drama follows a forward linear progression even if the temporal progression is not forward or linear.

              For a much longer post on this:

              p068.ezboard.com/fdonedealfrm21.showMessageRange?topicID=4356.topic &start=21&stop=40

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              • #8
                Because our brains need time associated with everything we do
                That's not necessarily true. Certain forms of meditation are designed to get you into a state where the concept of time ceases to exist. And various everyday experiences do this to us all the... uh, time.

                I'm actually fascinated by films (and the idea of writing feature length screenplays) that don't have linear plots. Where there is no cause-effect relationship between events. Where the film jumps around in time and space, but there's no connection between anything in the film, except maybe a thematic one. And, perhaps, there are recurring characters.

                That's actually my dream project (one I'd write and direct myself). I've fooled around with this sort of thing in short scripts. I'd love to find a way to make something like this work in a feature length screenplay.

                Then again, I dig films like Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive and Songs From The Second Floor.

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                • #9
                  I'm actually fascinated by films (and the idea of writing feature length screenplays) that don't have linear plots. Where there is no cause-effect relationship between events. Where the film jumps around in time and space, but there's no connection between anything in the film, except maybe a thematic one. And, perhaps, there are recurring characters.


                  I've seen shorts with no apparent unifying element at all until the climax when the unifying element is revealed and turns what at first had appeared to be unrelated into a cohesive whole. A ten minute short can pull it off because it doesn't demand too much from the audience.

                  I think your instincts of using some sort of unifying device like a theme would produce better results for a feature than trying to write a film made up of unrelated unconnected sequences. Though I'm inclined to think that the audience would find/create a unifying aspect in the absence of one created for them. It's how montages work and essentially the feature length juxtaposition of images would be a long montage. Nature and the human mind abhors vacuums and I think even if you tried to create a film of unconnected sequences the audience would still connect them, rightly or wrongly.

                  Love Actually is a recent film that used theme to unify the various story threads, but each individual story thread was unified by the drama in the individual threads.

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                  • #10
                    Dramatic time. 8o Real time. 8o Dramatic time. 8o Real time. Excellent. Give your eyes a rest. Take a deep breath, and relax. Now is the perfect time to stretch and have a tall glass of water. If you prefer ice in your water, by all means, crack a couple out of the tray. It is important that you do not rush the exercises. Take your time.

                    Are you feeling refreshed? (insert answer here). Good. In no time at all, you'll be wowing your friends with your screenplay at parties, local dances, restaurants, and wherever there are a set of eager eyes willing to read a well constructed screenplay. If you feel comfortable that you know the difference between dramatic time and real time, have completed all the exercises, and have finished your glass of water, please move on to step number two.

                    warning: if you understand all step one entails there is no need to read further:end warning

                    If you are not feeling comfortable do not worry. You can simply re-read step one, repeat the exercises, and have another drink of water. If after you've re-read and repeated the exercises and you are still having problems understanding step one, or you find the exercises are too difficult, perhaps there is someone you know that might be able to go over the exercises with you. A Boyscout leader, a priest or nun, even your local degenerate, has in one way or the other attempted to write a screenplay and you may find that their fresh eyes may be just the thing you need to get over the difficulty you're having in understanding step one. Do not panic. Do not beat yourself up. This behavior is counter-productive. Again, if you didn't notice the above warning and have clearly understood the difference between dramatic time and real time there is no need to read this paragraph.

                    STEP 2: A HERO IS NOT A SANDWICH

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                    • #11
                      Tony, you should give it a go. It would be the movie equivalant of abstract art.

                      Okay I don't really get abstract art on the basis that the artist may know exactly what he's trying to convey but I haven't a frickin clue.


                      But....as an exercise. It would be interesting to see if you could do it without slipping in the hint of a story here and there.

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