What type of story do you like?

Christopher.Gros

Christopher.Gros

Hey guys, just a random thought bouncing around in my head out of genuine curiosity;

Which of the two styles/format of stories do you like in movies:

A. A straight forward narrative with the typical protagonist/antagonist and maybe a few secondary characters. You have a decent idea of what's going on in the story, and what the goal is the protagonist is trying to accomplish.

B. Something more like an anthology format (ex. Pulp Fiction, Sin City, 21 Grams, etc.). Multiple smaller stories, each with their own dedicated characters. These stories may interact with each other, but overall hold their own and stand as a sort of insight into the world of which these stories are actually taking place.

Which one appeals to you more and what do you like about it over the other. Again, just curious. Thanks for the time!
 
No preference.

I like good stories. I really don't care if it's told straight or if it's told non-consecutively. The non-consecutive style is no doubt more difficult to pull off, but if the story is good... well, it's good. I'm up for either.
 
Thanks for the responses so far, people! Just curious; I see a couple of you said that the multi story is usually harder to pull off. Is there an example of a movie you saw with a multi story that just didn't work off? Perhaps there was no big payoff for the audience, or none of the characters were interesting...what made it not work for you?
 
Movie 43 is a prime example of what can happen when you try this method. When the stories aren't interconnected.... well you decide. The stories within Pulp Fiction intersected at multiple points.

It may not be what you're talking about specifically but Cloud Atlas is probably the only one that comes to mind.

I don't pay too much attention to films that a bad or make no sense.

there was no big payoff for the audience, or none of the characters were interesting
Click to expand...

The questions you're asking are relevant to all story telling. If you let down the audiences expectations or bore them, the chances of satisfying the audience is low.

the multi story is usually harder to pull off
Click to expand...

I know this was your first question. Good story telling is hard to pull off, regardless of the format you choose. A single primary thread where you are following a single protagonist is the more common form of story telling. It's what we're used to. It's what audiences come to expect.

There's a TV show called the Directors Chair. Episodes 3 and 4 cover Quintin Tarantino and it's a good watch. He goes into how Pulp Fiction came to be, what it originally was and what it became (among a lot of other topics).

I'll reiterate once again, I like to watch good movies that I enjoy. Deliver and you'll find your audience. Fall short and.......
 
Christopher.Gros said:
Perhaps there was no big payoff for the audience, or none of the characters were interesting...what made it not work for you?
Click to expand...
For me any story - be it a straight forward narrative or something more
like an anthology format - that doesn't pay off or has no interesting
characters is a fail.

Connecting multiple stories and characters in more difficult than a
straight forward narrative. Off the top of my head I can't think of
ones that didn't work. I tend to push mediocre movies to the back
of my mind. The ones that work stick out because I know how
difficult it is.

To answer your first question I could not pick one of the two. I like
both. I like good story telling.
 
Type A for me, easily.

But somewhat like others have said, I can enjoy Type B, too, if it's worthwhile.

And which do you prefer, Christopher?
 
From my experience, all non-consecutive movies I've seen are great.
But where is the limit between straight forward and non-consecutive?
Which type the movie Franklyn belongs to?
 
Sorry for the delayed response, everyone. I haven't been getting email notifications about the thread like I should.

As for me, I enjoy both types. I think it seems that the multi story thing is starting to get a little more popular, but like it was mentioned, I can definitely see it harder to pull off. Having multiple characters and smaller story arcs are maybe more interesting to write, since you can test the waters on a smaller scale with various elements. Again, one bad story in this regiment can leave a bad taste in the audiences mouth for the rest of the movie.

I appreciate everyone's responses. Good to see some discussion going around ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top