Editing technique · used in 3 films
Giving a character a clearly different look in each timeline, such as a new haircut or clothes. When the film cuts between periods, you can place each scene at a glance.
Examples
Christopher Nolan · 1998
In the earliest scenes, Bill has long messy hair and scruffy clothes. Later, he has short hair and a dark suit. Because the timelines are shuffled, his look works as your clock.
Where to see it: Bill's makeover. He cuts his hair, starts wearing a dark suit and calls himself Daniel Lloyd, and from then on the new look tells you which part of the story you're in.
Christopher Nolan · 2000
The black-and-white scenes run forward in time from a fixed point, while the color scenes run backwards. The 2 strands meet at the end of the film, which is the middle of the story in time order. You have to keep both directions in your head at once to put the full story together.
Where to see it: The color and black-and-white strands meeting. This is the moment the 2 directions of time join up.
David Fincher · 2008
Benjamin looks different in each stage: frail at birth, then more upright and younger as the decades pass. Several actors play him at different ages. You can place each scene in his life by how he looks.
Where to see it: The 1962 reunion. Benjamin and Daisy meet again at a similar physical age, and their daughter Caroline is born in 1968.
Questions
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