LO1: Narrative Strands

Linear or Non-Linear:

A linear storyline is generally a storyline that follows events that are told in chronological order, from beginning to end. Films are generally considered to have a linear storyline, following events in the order that they happen. However this is not always the case, as some films such as Pulp Fiction and Momento use a non-conventional non-linear storyline for stylistic and narrative effects.
Scripts that will normally always use a linear storyline include video games, as the experiences are typically all viewed by the player, so a linear story helps influence the player's actions.
A News anchor will also use a linear script, telling stories in the order that they follow so the audience understands the story completely.

Single-Stranded:

A single stranded script means the script generally only follows a story through one perspective, for example, a film that is only told through the eyes of one main character will be considered single-stranded. A video-game will also probably be single-stranded, only played through the eyes of the character you are playing as. However, this is broken in some games such as Grand Theft Auto V which allows the player to switch to the other lives of two other characters.

Multi-Stranded:

Opposed to single-stranded scripts, multi-stranded scripts are told through multiple perspective and people. This is especially prominent in TV news scripts, which will include many reporters and anchors that will be interviewing many different people about one story, giving the audience an insight into the multiple opinions expressed.
TV soap operas such as Eastenders or Coronation Street are often multi-stranded, including many storylines and different characters that follow their own experiences. Film is typically single-stranded, though many are considered multi-stranded and follow multiple storylines such as Sin City or Star Wars.


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