Whilst often used in cinema, circular storytelling is also frequently present in other literary and artistic forms. Moreover, it’s borne out in the plot, narrative arc and visuals, making for compelling and satisfying viewing.
This is a great example of circular storytelling as the characters (and the audience) return to where they started but do so completely changed.
However, rather than the secrets being kept between themselves, they’re kept from the outside world. At the end of the movie, Amy and Nick return to a life of secrets.And yet we the audience know so much more about their relationship between them. The shots are almost identical at the opening and closing of the movie.Gone Girl, for example, both opens and closes with the above shot of Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike), lying on her husband Nick’s chest. So circular narratives highlight in no uncertain terms your character’s progress. The audience can compare a character’s behaviour in the first and last scenes (and it makes for an even easier comparison if the scene is essentially the same) making the character’s journey clear as day. What’s the Point of Circular Storytelling?īy using a cyclical structure, writers can emphasize the knowledge gained during the course of the story. The story is bookended in this regard, highlighting the disruption to the character’s normal, everyday life that storytelling always relies upon. This demonstrates how the story is primarily about venturing to the “away” part of the story, in order to then return home carrying what they have learnt from this time “away”. Home: they return home, changed by their experience.Away: characters pass into another world “away from home”.Home: the character and their world are introduced.One way to visualize the circular storytelling structure is with a diagram: Although the starting and ending points are the same, the character(s) undergo a transformation, affected by the story’s events. In a circular narrative, the story ends where it began. For example, the Bandersnatchepisode of Black Mirror.īut what about circular narratives? What exactly do they look like and how do they differ from or chime with other narrative structures? Interactive – the story adjusts to the audience’s choices.For example Short Cutsor Nashvilleby Robert Altman. Parallel – multiple storylines unfold concurrently, intersecting as both stories progress.Think Mementoor Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Nonlinear – plot events occur outside their chronological sequence.Linear – events unfold chronologically, in the order in which they occurred ( Star Wars, for example, is a linear narrative).There are different typical categories of story arrangement used by screenwriters: It’s the way the narrative is presented to the reader, listener or viewer.Ī well-structured plot is essential for creating a satisfying narrative for the audience. The structure is the framework that underlies the order of acts, sequences and scenes. But we screenwriters understand that connecting your beginning and end requires a structure. Is Circular Storytelling Right for Your Story?Įveryone knows that every story has a beginning, middle and end.Determining the Best Narrative Structure For Your Screenplay.Circular Storytelling in Dan Harmon’s Story Circle.What’s the Point of Circular Storytelling?.
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