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Non-Linear Screenplay Structure


NON LINEAR SCREENPLAY STRUCTURE


A narrative Structure, where events are portrayed out of chronological order or in other ways where the narrative does not follow the direct causality pattern of the events featured the structure which consistently subverts expectations of where the story is going and forces viewers to be a part of the movie itself.



This can be done by having flashfowards, flashbacks, dream sequences, or foreshadowning. Non-linear plotlines can also mimic the recall of human memory, or weave in fantastical elements like time travel. This kind of storytelling becomes a sort of puzzle to solve, Which is elevated from a passive experience to an interactive one.It requires viewer participation to figure out the orderof events, a nonlinear narrative could be used to raise up tension in a thriller Or it could be used to disorientate audiences in a mystery.

EXAMPLE :"RESERVOIR DOGS" 

 

Reservoir Dog incorporates many of the themes which have become a signature style or Tarantino’s hallmarks preferably with violent crime, profanity, pop culture references, and non-linear storytelling.
The film is about a group of men organizing a diamond heist. The heist does not go as planned. The film shows the before and after of the heist, as well as inbetween the heist. However, at the end the film never shows the heist itself. The film uses nonlinear storyline by showing how the characters got to the present situation and how the heist got messed up.



  1. The film begins with the characters having a conversation at a diner.
  2. It then skips to one of the thieves bleeding and screaming in the back seat of the car.
  3. From here the film goes back and forth from the past to the future.
  4. We see how the injured man and the other thief figure out what to do about the injured man.
  5. During this dilemma, the flashbacks show how the heist began, and where the men were when they were chosen.
  6. Other flashbacks include how the heist went wrong. This technique works very well in this film because of its radical beginning.

 

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