Unnecessary Shortcuts

Story loops are an essential aspect of any movie, TV, or book.

If you're unfamiliar with the concept, it's something like this. Remember the scene near the end of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back where Darth Vader says, "Luke, I am your father."

(Sorry if I ruined it for those of you who never saw that movie. Please do invite me to the rock you've been under sometime, though.)

That's a story loop. A story within the story that has been started. And now we have all of these questions that must be answered in our minds.

What? His father?!? How is that possible?!?

We need to keep watching to get those answers and close the loop.

There is a shortcut some filmmakers take that's a cheap shot at creating a story loop.

You know those movies that open with a suspenseful scene? And then something major happens?

All for the screen to go black.

And then, a new scene opens with the subtitle, "Five days earlier."

And then you have to spend the entire movie watching the events that lead up to the climactic cliffhanger you watched at the beginning. And the resolution may or may not be satisfying.

Leaning towards the not-satisfying side.

The shortcut works. But anyone can do that.

It takes a master storyteller and artist to create an organic story loop. Something that draws the viewer or the listener in. Something that makes them care about what happens next.

Don't take unnecessary shortcuts. Draw people in instead.

And make them care.