What would the formal narrative structure be for a movie that starts and ends in present time but the rest is sort of internal monologue?
My daughter is making a short (6min) dance movie for her final school project, and she's having trouble figuring out what the formal narrative structure would be, and isn't getting much help from her teacher.
The film opens with a 30 second shot of two characters looking at each other, with some jumpy editing cuts showing flashbacks and flash-forwards - the purpose of which (though you don't realise at the time) is that they're deciding whether or not to run away together. Then the main section starts and we sort of jump into their minds, to see a representation of their thoughts/state of mind (via dance). It then ends back where it started, with them looking at each other, and coming to the conclusion (based on the main section's 'deliberation') that they're going to run away, and then doing that.
We've been told by her teacher that this would be considered a linear narrative, just with a prologue and epilogue, but from what we've read online this doesn't quite seem to fit. It's not technically a flashback, or bookend, or anything else that i can find online, and while i'm sure there have been films organised like this i can't for the life of me think of an example, other than something like The Wizard of Oz's 'it was all a dream' technique, though it's not quite the same thing.
Sorry if i didn't explain that clearly, please let me know if there's anything that needs further clarification.
If anyone has any answers/ideas i'd really love to hear your thoughts!
Best Answer
For the technique of beginning and ending with one story while telling different stories in the middle, I would refer to the outer story as a "framing device", or "frame story". The collective work as a whole could be called a "nested narrative", or "story within a story".
It sounds like you have 2 stories in your example: one telling the events leading up to a decision and one that shows the decision being made and carried out. The latter story is split up and shown in parts at the beginning and end to "frame" the other more complex story. Prologue and epilogue tend to imply sub-stories with events occuring before and after the main story chronologically, but I would defer to the teacher if he/she/they disagree with that implication.
"In storytelling, this is known as a framing device: a story told within the context of another story. Framing devices can be very simple, or very complex.... In every case, the framing device is a gateway that sets the stage for a deeper journey into story."
Framing Devices and Nested Narratives: Stories (Within Stories (Within Stories)) Brad Kane. Wed Dec 4, 2013 https://www.tor.com/2013/12/04/story-worlds-frame-stories/
Whether or not any part of the work can be called a linear narrative depends on how and when the flashbacks and flashforwards are incorporated. If the "main section" is indeed shown entirely in chronological order (ie. in a straight timeline), then the teacher would be correct insofar as that part of the story is a linear narrative.
"As the name suggests, linear narratives follow a straight line — starting at the beginning, moving to the middle and proceeding to the end of the story. In contrast, a non-linear narrative often starts at the middle of a story or the height of a conflict and then double-backs to the beginning. Another, albeit more challenging, non-linear narrative form employs flashbacks and 'flashforwards' to keep the reader on his toes as the writer tells the full story."
What Is a Linear Narrative? M.T. Wroblewski. Updated January 10, 2019 https://penandthepad.com/linear-narrative-1805.html
Pictures about "What would the formal narrative structure be for a movie that starts and ends in present time but the rest is sort of internal monologue?"
What is it called when a movie starts and ends the same?
Circular Plot Structure is another term for this. Simply enough, a circular plot is a non-linear plot that progresses more or less chronologically and ends with its protagonist returning to a situation similar to the one at the beginning of the story. Follow this answer to receive notifications.What is the structure of narrative films?
Summary of Narrative Structure Narrative structure is not only the framework of how a movie is told; it provides an avenue for the characters to grow. The narrative structure consists of the plot and story being portrayed in chronological (linear) order or in a combination of flashbacks and present time (nonlinear).What is the most common narrative structure for film?
The most common narrative structure is linear, with the beginning, middle, and end happening in chronological order. However, many Hollywood directors use alternate structures to tell interesting stories.Q\u0026A with a person who does not have an internal monologue
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Andres Ayrton, Monstera, EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA, Monstera