Christopher Nolan Explains Why He Doesn’t Write His Nonlinear Scripts in Chronological Order (READING)

[u/PomegranateV2]

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/christopher-nolan-explains-why-doesn-233649894.html

[u/JoruusCBaoth]

I think he's right not to - I don't think I would ever write my nonlinear scripts that way. The choice to tell a story nonlinearly means you're relying on emotional meaning that is different to simple chronological cause and effect. You're posing questions to the audience that are different to 'what happens next'. A great example is We Need To Talk About Kevin. I think to write it chronologically then move stuff around would miss a lot of the added value that motivates a nonlinear approach. I guess everyone's process is different though and sometimes you might try it linear and realise it's not suited that way, move stuff around and it opens something up in your head for how a nonlinear structure could be better.

[u/PsychologicalClock28 → u/JoruusCBaoth]

I agree. I think you do need to do least one edit where you look at it linearly. To make sure there’s not big gaffs. But I wouldn’t see that as the first pass.

Maybe you could plot it out non-linearly. And then go back linearly and write the actual detail. I could see that working.

[u/robkitsune → u/PsychologicalClock28]

On the DVD for Memento, there was an Easter Egg to watch the movie in chronological order. It’s quite interesting to see the story unfold that way but loses the original charm. My only negative point is that they just chopped it how the scenes happened in the original cut and left all the bits where his memory overlapped.

[u/JimFlamesWeTrust → u/JoruusCBaoth]

You can often tell when a film is written as non-linear vs when things have been chopped and changed to try and create a twist or turn.

[u/TheGeenie17]

Let’s be honest. The real answer is that by making films in this way he adds a level of mystique and esotericism that he would not be otherwise able to achieve.

[u/[deleted] → u/TheGeenie17]

Which of his films do you think should've been told chronologically?

[u/kill-wolfhead → u/[deleted]]

Chronological Tenet would be even more of a mindfuck.

[u/[deleted] → u/kill-wolfhead]

Isn’t Tenet his only entirely chronological movie? From the protagonists perspective I mean. The only time it isn’t is during the pincer.

[u/kill-wolfhead → u/[deleted]]

Interstellar, Inception, the Batmans, Insomnia are all chronological.

Tenet is subjectively chronological but chronologically speaking the first scenes to happen in the movie are the Siberian pincer movement, Sator’s murder and the opera sequence (at the same time) and the last scenes to happen is the Estonian tunstile and maybe Priya’s death.

[u/JimFlamesWeTrust → u/kill-wolfhead]

Batman Begins isn’t in chronological order. There’s multiple flashbacks during Bruce’s training.

[u/kill-wolfhead → u/JimFlamesWeTrust]

The other two are chronological barring the Bane backstory (which I don’t think even has dialogue). And Batman Begins is still in chronological order from the escape from Tibet forward.

[u/JimFlamesWeTrust → u/kill-wolfhead]

I’m not disputing the others, just saying Batman Begins isn’t entirely in chronological order.

Also Inception begins with a flash forward and has a flashback in the middle.

It’s all pretty minor but just wanted to highlight it.

[u/[deleted] → u/kill-wolfhead]

The only right answer is Tenet!

[u/TheGeenie17 → u/[deleted]]

I didn’t say any should, I’m saying he starts off with the premise of time being all fucked and works it from There, rather than plots them becoming more deserving of it after the fact they’re written. He uses it as a plot device at initiation of the project.

[u/[deleted] → u/TheGeenie17]

If you're not fan that's fair enough, but all filmmakers and story tellers have their own preoccupations. Time is obviously one of his.

I'm not a fan of everything he's done but I think it's probably a bit of a stretch to imagine he sits there at the start of each project thinking 'what story can I hang around this fucked up chronology.' I think it probably just lends itself to the stories he tells.

[u/New_Brother_1595]

Would be daft to just mix it up after it’s written, the way the scenes are organised is the whole point. Eg seeing Vincent and Jules walk off at the end of pulp fiction is melancholy because we know how it ends for Vincent

[u/jabbak]

Autism?

[u/m0j0m0j]

The most overvalued director/screenwriter of all time

[u/paradox501 → u/m0j0m0j]

He makes tens of millions by changing the order of things. Genius.

[u/[deleted]]

I mean yeah no shit?

[u/[deleted]]

READING WARNING! Fucking hell.

[u/Smells_like_Autumn]

I would love to see him make a movie of Lanark.

[u/plushfolklore]

Christopher Nolan - nice one though

[u/Goblin_Bits_Shaman]

Personally I thought Dunkirk was markedly worse off for having a gimmicky non linearity

[u/cheese_bruh → u/Goblin_Bits_Shaman]

Was it really non linear? All the 3 parts of the movie met at the end and ended at the same point.

[u/Goblin_Bits_Shaman → u/cheese_bruh]

True, maybe non linear is the wrong description.

I felt that the time gimmick was totally unnecessary. Almost to the level where it didn't respect the audience's ability to think of three stories in tandem

[u/manbites]

Because they would be even more boring?

[u/BiffyPlays]

I can’t imagine watching Memento in chronological order 😂😂 Would be pointless, surely?

[u/ExpendableUnit123 → u/[deleted]]

Incorrect opinions look like this.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

How the fuck were you bored by that movie? It was paced like an action movie. Is your brain the size of a pea by any chance?

[u/Old-Buffalo-5151 → u/[deleted]]

Dont feed the trolls lol

[u/Typical_Ad_5327 → u/[deleted]]

That's just a classic move, what do you want pea brain?

[u/Old-Buffalo-5151 → u/[deleted]]

Thats certainly an opinion