Linear Structure

When making a movie, you have many choices on how you can film it. Of course, it depends on the direction that the director, cinematographer, producer, etc. want to go in. There are certain films out there that are cut up. Meaning, the end scene(s) of the movie might come before the middle or even the beginning scenes. Directors have been playing around with this film technique for many years, as a way of possible foreshadowing or letting the audience in on something the characters might not know yet. A good example of this is the blockbuster hit Pulp Fiction. The very first scene in that movie is actually the last scene that brings together the whole plot. Therefore, the ending came even before the beginning, and gave the audience clues as to what's going to happen in this film. It's a great way to keep audiences on their feet and leave them until the last scene to really understand why that scene was shown first.

However, what was just described above is called NONlinear structure, where the scenes in the movies are not placed in sequential order, but rather mixed up. Directors use this method sometimes to express the characters memory, and the scenes switching from past to present often shows the characters remembering what has happened to them throughout the film, thus helping them to figure out certain clues in the plot. We here are discussing just linear structure, which is the exact opposite. With linear structure, everything in the movie goes from beginning to end, no necessary switching from past to present. This filming style is basic and used in most movies that have been produced. While it's a very easy technique to film, it's not typically as exciting as nonlinear structure, because the film may be more predictable. Either way, linear structure is common, and easier (in my opinion) to follow.