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What that one story concept….
There is a story concept that I’m interested in and I’m sure it originated from a movie…I just don’t think I ever saw that movie. I know The Simpsons made an episode like this as well.
Basically, all the characters start out in a common scene. Then they go their separate ways. The viewers sees each character’s story one by one, but you always see a glimpse of another character’s story.
What is this concept? Or where did it come from? I’d love to kinda build on it for something at work…that wouldn’t be plagiarism, would it? I’d assume No since the Simpsons did it.
Thanks!
Robert J. Grauert, Jr.
http://www.robgrauert.com -
13 Replies
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Subplots came from the idea that viewers get bored with one plot. Ya build intrest then yank em away, ensuring they’ll stick around till ya bring that plot back. Meanwhile ya bait another.
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hmm….i understand what you mean, but I don’t think it’s what I mean, haha.
What I’m thinking of is all the characters start in a common scene. When they split up, you follow one character’s story to the end. Then you go back to that common scene and follow another character’s story to the end. Then you go back to the common scene and so on.
I’ve been trying to find the Simpson’s episode that did this, but maybe I can just develop my idea more and pitch it to my coworkers without showing them an example done by someone else.
Thanks though!
Robert J. Grauert, Jr.
http://www.robgrauert.com -
Um… every Robert Altman movie he ever made?:-)
I’m trying to think of a word that describes that kind of group narrative. Parallel Action, maybe, which goes back to the earliest edited silent films like Life of a Fireman.
It could also be called non-linear story telling, I suppose. In the print world they once called such stories hyperfiction because they used hypertext links to let you navigate the story in any order fron any character viewpoint. It didn’t really take off and become popular back then. Too different.
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Well, it sounds like you’re referring to Kurosawa’s “Rashomon” there.
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Ahh, I found the SImpsons episode I was thinking of:
https://www.wtso.net/movie/342-1218_Trilogy_of_Error.html
Apparently it’s a parody of Run Lola Run. I will have to rent this movie.
Thanks guys!
Robert J. Grauert, Jr.
http://www.robgrauert.com -
If I remember correctly… Run Lola Run is a bit different. The movie starts stuff happens… and then it ends…. but then they start it over again if ONE thing happened different it goes from there. Then they start it over again and change one more thing and so on. It’s pretty much the same story over and over with a little more added every time. It follows only one character. So I don’t think it’s what your looking for but still an interesting watch.
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Nah, it is what I was looking for. I was looking for the Simpsons episode. I wanted to know the story concept/movie reference to help me find the episode via Google. Wasn’t really interested in the movie itself. I’m sure the Simpsons episode is slightly different from the movie.
Robert J. Grauert, Jr.
http://www.robgrauert.com -
They also did the little stills montages into the lives of the people she passed as she ran.
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Mark nailed it. RASHOMON by Akira Kurosawa was the first to do this. FAR before the SIMPSONS.
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
The most recent film I can think of that uses that style of storytelling is “Vantage Point” – if you have any of the movie channels, it’s probably on right now.
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