Narrative technique · used in 1 film

Guided Time Tour

Sending the hero through scenes from the past, present and future with a guide who comments on them. Seeing events from the outside shows the hero what they missed while living them.

Examples

Where you can see it

  1. A Christmas Carol (2009) poster

    A Christmas Carol

    Robert Zemeckis · 2009

    Each spirit takes Scrooge to a different Christmas. He watches his lonely boarding school days, then the Cratchits' small dinner, then a future where nobody mourns him. Because he can only watch, he has to face what he did.

    Where to see it: The Ghost of Christmas Present: The spirit takes Scrooge to Bob Cratchit's house, where the family is content with a small dinner. Scrooge learns that Tiny Tim may not survive.

Questions

Quick answers

What is guided time tour in film?
Sending the hero through scenes from the past, present and future with a guide who comments on them. Seeing events from the outside shows the hero what they missed while living them.
Which films use guided time tour?
A Christmas Carol (2009).
What kind of technique is guided time tour?
It is a narrative technique. Related narrative techniques include Three-Role Performance, Character Arc Inversion, Symbolic Object.

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